01769cam a2200229 4500 764484150 TxAuBib 20230419120000.0 230419s2022||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 9780999781227 0999781227 TxAuBib De Oca, Carlyn Montes. Junkyard Girl. Coppell Texas : Goose Hill Press, 2022. 286 pgs. Carlyn Montes De Oca grew up surrounded by secrets. She never knew her dad was a Marine during World War II or that her grandmother hired kidnappers to bring her mother back home after her parents eloped. Her parents took an even bigger secret to their graves… Carlyn’s identity. In 2019, at age 57, a consumer DNA test taken for fun revealed that Carlyn’s mom and dad, immigrants from Mexico, were not her biological parents. In that instant, Carlyn felt her world shatter. This revelation fueled a year long journey to find the answers to “Who the hell am I and where do I belong?” Junkyard Girl explores the powerful impact of long-held secrets and the complex relationships between immigrant mothers and their native-born daughters. This is a coming-of-age story later in life; a tale about loss and discovery, betrayal and forgiveness, and the true meaning of an American family. _________ “An astonishing tale, told by a gifted storyteller. Beautifully written, emotionally engaging and unrestrained in its intimacy…as heartbreaking as it is heartfelt.”—Jay Rabinowitz, ACE, award-winning motion picture editor of Requiem for a Dream. 20230419. DNA. Family. TXALB