Born in Oakland, California, and adopted as an infant by a naval officer and his wife during the Baby Scoop Era, Diane Wheaton has always heard conflicting versions of the truth of her origins--but it's not until she is forty-seven years old that she begins to search for her biological family in earnest. Amid search and reuinion, however, Diane's adoptive parents become ill--and while overseeing their care, she is told about a secret they have kept from her for over fifteen years. This shocking disclosure complicates her already complicated feelings for them, and she finds herself faced with an important decision--one that feels almost impossible to make, but which results in a level of healing she never could have anticipated.
 

“Secrets are woven into fabric of closed adoption, on a systemic, institutional level, and within adoptive and biological families. These secrets have deep generational repercussions, which are so deftly illustrated in Diane Wheaton’s complex and moving book. In this deeply personal story, she shows us the damage that secrets can inflict, as well as the potential for reconnection, redemption, and healing.”
 — SUSAN KIYO ITO,
author of I Would Meet You Anywhere


“Diane’s story is that of resilience, hope, perseverance, and strength. From gut wrenching heartbreak to the relief of finally knowing one’s roots, emotions run deep in this beautifully written memoir.”
— KRISTI ELIZABETH, 
Los Angeles Book Review


“The battle between ‘right to know’ and ‘right to privacy’ is front and center in Wheaton’s gripping personal tale.”
 — JULIE RYAN MCGUE, 
author of Twice a Daughter, Belonging Matters, and Twice a Family