Recommended Reading: Exploring Self-Empowerment, Identity, and Lost Lineage
Books have the power to educate, validate, and inspire healing. Whether you are seeking personal empowerment, deeper insight into identity struggles, or historical context on family separation, the following selections offer valuable perspectives on resilience, self-discovery, and the journey toward wholeness.
Memoirs
Memoirs offer firsthand accounts of lived experiences, shedding light on the lifelong impact of being a DCP, LDA, or NPE and being separated from one’s origins. These stories capture the emotional journey of loss, identity discovery, and resilience.
Ancestry Discoveries: What Happens Under the Sheets Doesn't Stay There – Annette L. Becklund
Junkyard Girl: A Memoir of Ancestry, Family Secrets, and Second Chances – Carlyn Montes De Oca
Who's My Daddy?: A Tale of DNA Surprises and Discovery – Joel Gottfried
Forbidden Roots: A Memoir of Late-Discovery Adoption – Fred Nicora
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love – Dani Shapiro
The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me – Paul Joseph Fronczak, Alex Tresniowski
Blank: A Memoir: The Year I Felt the Humming in My DNA – Patricia Havens
Exposed By DNA: A Path to Reveal Family Secrets – K. S. Hopkins
Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings – Chrysta Bilton
I Had My Underwear On The Entire Time: A Memoir of Discovering Family through Genetic Genealogy – Michael Blair, Amy Blair
Redeemed: Lessons About Anger From the Holy Educated Muthaf*cka – Dr. Nicole Price
Uncovering Paternal Roots: Navigating the Unexpected Journey of DNA Surprises – Victoria Patterson
A Life Half Told: Unraveling my story through DNA – William Aperance, Courtney Aperance
The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are – Libby Copeland
DNA Testing Surprise: Non-Parental Event – Charles Hirschbeck, Steven Charles Hirschfeld
Dancing Around the Truth – Christine Jacobsen
The Stranger in My Genes: A Memoir – Bill Griffeth
Strangers No More: A Sequel to The Stranger in My Genes – Bill Griffeth
Folksong: A Ballad of Death, Discovery, and DNA – Cory Goodrich
Unexpected Family: a DNA story – Kiana Webb
Help Us Grow Our Recommended Reading List!
We strive to provide a diverse and meaningful collection of books that support self-empowerment, identity exploration, and the realities of family separation. If you know of a book that has impacted you and think it should be included on our list, we’d love to hear from you!
Your recommendations help ensure that our community has access to a wide range of voices and perspectives. Email us your book suggestions, and together, we can continue building a valuable resource for those seeking knowledge, healing, and connection.