Spotlight: Junkyard Girl by Carlyn Montes De Oca
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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 and that her entire extended family, including 63 first cousins, all knew the truth but never told her. In that instant, the reality Carlyn had lived with her entire life shattered. This revelation fueled her year-long journey to find the answers to “Who the hell am I really and where do I belong?” Questions that led her to unearth a truth she could never have foreseen.
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.
About the Author
Carlyn Montes De Oca, MTOM, is the multi award- winning author of Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse. A former film editor on movies such as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Three Men and a Little Lady, Carlyn holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Today, Carlyn is an animal-human health expert, popular blogger, and passionate animal advocate. She is the founder of The Animal-Human Health Connection where she focuses on educating others about the powerful ways human health, happiness, and longevity are improved through our connection to our animal companions.
Montes De Oca has appeared on CBS, ABC, The San Francisco Chronicle, and she gave a dynamic TEDx talk—The Life-Changing Power of the Animal-Human Health Connection.
A longtime resident of Northern California, Carlyn now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband, Ken Fischer, an award-winning sound editor, and her beloved rescue dog, Grace. Discovering she was adopted turned Carlyn’s world upside down. Adopting Grace, a dog desperately in need of a second chance, set it right again.
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