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A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite History & Biography (2025)For readers of Say Nothing and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the epic, true story of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, grandmothers who fought to find their stolen grandchildren during Argentina’s brutal dictatorship.
In the early hours of March 24th, 1976, the streets of Buenos Aires rumbled with tanks as soldiers seized the presidential palace, overthrowing Argentina’s leader. To many, it seemed like just another coup in a continent troubled by them, amid political violence and Cold War tensions. But there was something darker about this new regime. Quietly supported by the United States and much of Argentina itself, which was sick of constant bombings and gunfights, the junta quickly launched the “National Reorganization Process” or El Proceso—a bland name masking their ruthless campaign to crush the political left and instill the country with “Western, Christian” values. The dictatorship, which continued until 1983, decimated a generation.
One of the military’s most diabolical acts was the disappearance of hundreds of pregnant women. Patricia Roisinblit was among them, a mother and leftist revolutionary labeled “subversive” and abducted while eight months pregnant with her second child. Patricia gave birth in captivity, making one last call to her mother, Rosa, before vanishing. Her newborn son was also taken, one of hundreds given to police, military families, and dictatorship supporters, while their biological parents were secretly executed and their bodies disposed of. For Rosa and the other mothers in her same situation, the loss was unimaginable; their only solace was the hope that their grandchildren were still alive. United by this faith, a group of fierce grandmothers formed the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, dedicated to finding the stolen children and seeking justice from a nation that betrayed them.
A Flower Traveled in My Blood is Rosa and the Abuelas’ extraordinary story, told by a journalist with unique access. With authority and compassion, Haley Cohen Gilliland brings this tale to life, tracing the lives of Patricia, Rosa, and her stolen grandson, Guillermo. As the Abuelas transform into detectives, they confront military officers, sift through government documents, assume aliases to see suspected grandchildren, and even pioneer a groundbreaking genetics test with an American scientist.
A compelling mystery and deeply researched account of a pivotal era in world history, A Flower Traveled in My Blood takes readers on a journey of love, resilience, and redemption, revealing new truths about memory, identity, and family.
In the early hours of March 24th, 1976, the streets of Buenos Aires rumbled with tanks as soldiers seized the presidential palace, overthrowing Argentina’s leader. To many, it seemed like just another coup in a continent troubled by them, amid political violence and Cold War tensions. But there was something darker about this new regime. Quietly supported by the United States and much of Argentina itself, which was sick of constant bombings and gunfights, the junta quickly launched the “National Reorganization Process” or El Proceso—a bland name masking their ruthless campaign to crush the political left and instill the country with “Western, Christian” values. The dictatorship, which continued until 1983, decimated a generation.
One of the military’s most diabolical acts was the disappearance of hundreds of pregnant women. Patricia Roisinblit was among them, a mother and leftist revolutionary labeled “subversive” and abducted while eight months pregnant with her second child. Patricia gave birth in captivity, making one last call to her mother, Rosa, before vanishing. Her newborn son was also taken, one of hundreds given to police, military families, and dictatorship supporters, while their biological parents were secretly executed and their bodies disposed of. For Rosa and the other mothers in her same situation, the loss was unimaginable; their only solace was the hope that their grandchildren were still alive. United by this faith, a group of fierce grandmothers formed the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, dedicated to finding the stolen children and seeking justice from a nation that betrayed them.
A Flower Traveled in My Blood is Rosa and the Abuelas’ extraordinary story, told by a journalist with unique access. With authority and compassion, Haley Cohen Gilliland brings this tale to life, tracing the lives of Patricia, Rosa, and her stolen grandson, Guillermo. As the Abuelas transform into detectives, they confront military officers, sift through government documents, assume aliases to see suspected grandchildren, and even pioneer a groundbreaking genetics test with an American scientist.
A compelling mystery and deeply researched account of a pivotal era in world history, A Flower Traveled in My Blood takes readers on a journey of love, resilience, and redemption, revealing new truths about memory, identity, and family.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published July 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,017 reviews
July 10, 2025
This book is a feat of journalism and research. You can just tell the amount of care and respect that went into the process and every detail. I appreciated the depth of the book and the amount of history that is packed in. It did read as long and in spots I wished Gilliland would tighten things up, but overall that desire felt small compared to all that is in this book. She does a great job giving us the many perspectives and balancing the ethical quandaries in play. Plus I knew very very little going in and she is patient with her reader to make sure we get all the pieces -- while still giving us a strong narrative to latch on to.
March 27, 2026
In a Nutshell: A historical nonfiction account about the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, a group of braveheart grandmothers in Argentina seeking their lost family members. Covers multiple decades. Good use of flashbacks and present narratives, combining historical and biographical facts to build a complete picture. Disturbing and informative. Recommended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the late 1970s, many dissidents of the Argentinian dictatorship were rounded up by the soldiers of the military junta and “disappeared”. These citizens might then be imprisoned, tortured, raped, drugged, murdered – sometimes all. Their families rarely heard the details of their fate, and in many cases, had no news even after the dictatorship was overthrown for a democratic government in 1983. Sadly, some of the “disappeared” were pregnant women. When these women gave birth in captivity, their newborn babies were forcibly taken from them and given to any family supporting the dictatorship and wanting a child.
One such pregnant woman was Patricia, an intellectual leftist revolutionary who was eight months pregnant with her second child when she was arrested along with her partner. Patricia’s mother Rosa was determined to save her daughter and hopefully, her unborn grandchild too. For a few months, she battled alone, until she learnt that she wasn’t the only grandmother looking for her missing family members. Thus came together a group of fierce and courageous grandmothers, determined to locate their missing loved ones. They called themselves the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, but came to be known nationwide as the Abuelas – the Grandmothers.
The book takes us on an elaborate journey, covering not just the abuelas’ struggle but also the political history of Argentina, the individual biographies of the key affected people as well as of those who helped them in any way, and the global contribution to the crisis and to the rescue efforts of the abuelas. The first 35-40% covers the initial history – covering the military takeovers, the dictatorship, the revolutionaries, the disappearances, and the executions . The rest of the book focusses on the abuelas’ approach, their attempt to seek help from any global group who could, and whether their efforts actually bore fruit.
I was apprehensive of this book as I didn’t have any idea about the dictatorial history of Argentina beyond minimal knowledge about the Peróns. But the content offers enough detailed information such that we get the exact context of the socio-political situation. One thing I appreciate a lot is the detailed personal biographies of all the key people, whether revolutionaries such as Patricia and her partner so we know why they were against the government and also why they were arrested, or abuelas such as Rosa so we know the bond among the family members and see the grit that made them fight the way they did for their missing children and grandchildren, or the various dictators who took charge of the country for their personal gains, or even the scientists who later used newly-developed DNA testing methods to assist the abuelas in their desperate quest.
Bear in mind that the kidnapped babies were just newborns when grabbed from their biological parents and given to strangers. There are hence moral and practical complications in this situation of looking for them as well as trying to get them back. It’s not just a simple solution of “Find the child and return them to their blood relatives.” I was stunned by how elaborately and unbiasedly the author handled this discussion, offering insights from all possible angles instead of blindly supporting the abuelas’ quest.
As the key incidents of the book happened between 1976 to 1983 (the start of the disappearances and the end of the dictatorship respectively), I didn’t expect the timeline to run from 1952 to all the way till just a few years ago. The 1950s mainly covers the younger years of the people whose biographies are included, so that’s still understandable. But the post-1983 timeline highlights the lengthy quest of the abuelas – a mind-numbing timespan.
The events are not presented chronologically though. The dominant narrative is of the events connected to the disappearances and the abuelas’ search. In between, at the strategic introductory points, we get the interlude chapters detailing the biographies of the people whose story has a greater role to play from that timepoint. The clear marking of the years for each chapter helps a lot.
The book highlights several things, but three key elements stand out to me. One, the power of determined mothers, proving that the maternal bond lasts long after the umbilical cord is severed. And two, the importance of scientific research, which goes far beyond science. All the idiots cutting funding for scientific research should know this story and the vital role played by scientists in the quest and its eventual solution. And three, democracy doesn’t guarantee a lack of dictatorship, as we are clearly seeing in two of the world’s largest democracies today.
The first half of the book is gripping with its tense political narrative and familial anxiety. Even the part where the abuelas get together and begin their legal and political battle is interesting. The attempt at reunion, if I can call it that, is where the book swerves up and down in tempo. Some stories are engrossing, some feel dragged. But no matter what, the diversity of the results offers a thought-provoking experience.
The author’s note at the end offers the right culmination to this heartbreaking part of Argentine history that has repercussions till date.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 13 hrs 32 min, is narrated by Alejandra Reynoso. She is outstanding. Her bilingual Spanish-American roots are put to good use here as the content has several Spanish names and phrases. However, this book would be suited in audio version only to experienced listeners. The plethora of people involved and the shifting timelines might be too much for a newbie listener, unless they have the digital/physical copy as well.
Overall, the book delivers as promised. Given the topic, it is not an easy read in any way. But unless we know about the past, we won't have any hope of stopping those who spread hatred, those who still believe their leaders blindly without asking for accountability, those who silence voices of dissent in the name of democracy. History is an important subject not because it talks of the past but because it teaches us what not to do in future. Do we have it in us to learn from these events and be more aware?
Definitely recommended to all nonfiction readers looking for a tale that feels too fictional to be true, and yet it is! Pick it up when in a strong headspace.
4.25 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the late 1970s, many dissidents of the Argentinian dictatorship were rounded up by the soldiers of the military junta and “disappeared”. These citizens might then be imprisoned, tortured, raped, drugged, murdered – sometimes all. Their families rarely heard the details of their fate, and in many cases, had no news even after the dictatorship was overthrown for a democratic government in 1983. Sadly, some of the “disappeared” were pregnant women. When these women gave birth in captivity, their newborn babies were forcibly taken from them and given to any family supporting the dictatorship and wanting a child.
One such pregnant woman was Patricia, an intellectual leftist revolutionary who was eight months pregnant with her second child when she was arrested along with her partner. Patricia’s mother Rosa was determined to save her daughter and hopefully, her unborn grandchild too. For a few months, she battled alone, until she learnt that she wasn’t the only grandmother looking for her missing family members. Thus came together a group of fierce and courageous grandmothers, determined to locate their missing loved ones. They called themselves the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, but came to be known nationwide as the Abuelas – the Grandmothers.
The book takes us on an elaborate journey, covering not just the abuelas’ struggle but also the political history of Argentina, the individual biographies of the key affected people as well as of those who helped them in any way, and the global contribution to the crisis and to the rescue efforts of the abuelas. The first 35-40% covers the initial history – covering the military takeovers, the dictatorship, the revolutionaries, the disappearances, and the executions . The rest of the book focusses on the abuelas’ approach, their attempt to seek help from any global group who could, and whether their efforts actually bore fruit.
I was apprehensive of this book as I didn’t have any idea about the dictatorial history of Argentina beyond minimal knowledge about the Peróns. But the content offers enough detailed information such that we get the exact context of the socio-political situation. One thing I appreciate a lot is the detailed personal biographies of all the key people, whether revolutionaries such as Patricia and her partner so we know why they were against the government and also why they were arrested, or abuelas such as Rosa so we know the bond among the family members and see the grit that made them fight the way they did for their missing children and grandchildren, or the various dictators who took charge of the country for their personal gains, or even the scientists who later used newly-developed DNA testing methods to assist the abuelas in their desperate quest.
Bear in mind that the kidnapped babies were just newborns when grabbed from their biological parents and given to strangers. There are hence moral and practical complications in this situation of looking for them as well as trying to get them back. It’s not just a simple solution of “Find the child and return them to their blood relatives.” I was stunned by how elaborately and unbiasedly the author handled this discussion, offering insights from all possible angles instead of blindly supporting the abuelas’ quest.
As the key incidents of the book happened between 1976 to 1983 (the start of the disappearances and the end of the dictatorship respectively), I didn’t expect the timeline to run from 1952 to all the way till just a few years ago. The 1950s mainly covers the younger years of the people whose biographies are included, so that’s still understandable. But the post-1983 timeline highlights the lengthy quest of the abuelas – a mind-numbing timespan.
The events are not presented chronologically though. The dominant narrative is of the events connected to the disappearances and the abuelas’ search. In between, at the strategic introductory points, we get the interlude chapters detailing the biographies of the people whose story has a greater role to play from that timepoint. The clear marking of the years for each chapter helps a lot.
The book highlights several things, but three key elements stand out to me. One, the power of determined mothers, proving that the maternal bond lasts long after the umbilical cord is severed. And two, the importance of scientific research, which goes far beyond science. All the idiots cutting funding for scientific research should know this story and the vital role played by scientists in the quest and its eventual solution. And three, democracy doesn’t guarantee a lack of dictatorship, as we are clearly seeing in two of the world’s largest democracies today.
The first half of the book is gripping with its tense political narrative and familial anxiety. Even the part where the abuelas get together and begin their legal and political battle is interesting. The attempt at reunion, if I can call it that, is where the book swerves up and down in tempo. Some stories are engrossing, some feel dragged. But no matter what, the diversity of the results offers a thought-provoking experience.
The author’s note at the end offers the right culmination to this heartbreaking part of Argentine history that has repercussions till date.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 13 hrs 32 min, is narrated by Alejandra Reynoso. She is outstanding. Her bilingual Spanish-American roots are put to good use here as the content has several Spanish names and phrases. However, this book would be suited in audio version only to experienced listeners. The plethora of people involved and the shifting timelines might be too much for a newbie listener, unless they have the digital/physical copy as well.
Overall, the book delivers as promised. Given the topic, it is not an easy read in any way. But unless we know about the past, we won't have any hope of stopping those who spread hatred, those who still believe their leaders blindly without asking for accountability, those who silence voices of dissent in the name of democracy. History is an important subject not because it talks of the past but because it teaches us what not to do in future. Do we have it in us to learn from these events and be more aware?
Definitely recommended to all nonfiction readers looking for a tale that feels too fictional to be true, and yet it is! Pick it up when in a strong headspace.
4.25 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
February 9, 2025
Wow, this book is absolutely astounding. I’m walking through this world of Abuelas trying to save their little loved ones and it is heartbreaking. The tenacity of these women!!
I highly enjoy learning about history, especially when written as almost a novel. This lacks the full novel feeling but the story of the people that disappeared in Argentina and the Abuela’s that were driven to find their missing family was inspiring.
Be prepared to be shocked, dismayed, heartbroken and full of hope. The author seems to have done a really good job at performing in depth research. This story consists of multi-narrative sections so it feels like you are fully immersed in the story. This is history that I found fascinating as much as I did saddening.
If you like non-fiction, history, stories of tyrannical governments and the people that lived under them, read this.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC!
I highly enjoy learning about history, especially when written as almost a novel. This lacks the full novel feeling but the story of the people that disappeared in Argentina and the Abuela’s that were driven to find their missing family was inspiring.
Be prepared to be shocked, dismayed, heartbroken and full of hope. The author seems to have done a really good job at performing in depth research. This story consists of multi-narrative sections so it feels like you are fully immersed in the story. This is history that I found fascinating as much as I did saddening.
If you like non-fiction, history, stories of tyrannical governments and the people that lived under them, read this.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC!
May 6, 2025
I like my books to be messy. Not the writing obviously, but in the underlying issues brought up naturally by the story. There is something about a narrative that makes you wonder, "Well, what would I have done? What is the right answer in this situation?" An exceptional example of this is A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland. I still don't know what I would have done, and I know I don't have a right answer.
Gilliland looks at Argentina from the 1970s to today. Specifically, violent and murderous government officials were kidnapping suspected anti-junta actors and making them disappear. In the middle of this violence, hundreds of babies were taken forcefully from their parents and handed to friends of the government. Their birth parents would never be seen again. The main characters of the story become the grandmothers who take it upon themselves to find their grandchildren and take on the government. There are many superlative things I can say about Gilliland's writing, but the most important part is how she seamlessly integrates a multitude of ideas, people, and events. In the wrong hands, this book would be 600 pages that would be impossible to follow. The author has an eye for details which allow her to quickly imprint her characters in the reader's mind without slowing down. I can not overstate how well this book flows considering the 50+ year timeline and the amount of people to keep track of.
If this all sounds like a lot, well it is, but the heartbreak doesn't end when the grandmothers start to find their grandchildren. Instead, a moral question becomes a major problem. What if these children don't want to have their world shattered by finding out their parents are actually not their parents? If these adoptive parents honestly adopted these children thinking it was all legal, then can they have these kids ripped from the only home they have ever truly known? However, if the truth isn't uncovered, do the kidnappers evade justice?
Atop all of this drama is also the question of how a country moves on from extreme generational trauma. Can society move on if trials seem never-ending? If a moratorium is placed on past crimes, can there ever be justice? Gilliland lays this all out for the reader without moralizing. It's the best way to go about it in my mind and it makes this one of the best books I have read this year.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and Avid Reader Press.)
Gilliland looks at Argentina from the 1970s to today. Specifically, violent and murderous government officials were kidnapping suspected anti-junta actors and making them disappear. In the middle of this violence, hundreds of babies were taken forcefully from their parents and handed to friends of the government. Their birth parents would never be seen again. The main characters of the story become the grandmothers who take it upon themselves to find their grandchildren and take on the government. There are many superlative things I can say about Gilliland's writing, but the most important part is how she seamlessly integrates a multitude of ideas, people, and events. In the wrong hands, this book would be 600 pages that would be impossible to follow. The author has an eye for details which allow her to quickly imprint her characters in the reader's mind without slowing down. I can not overstate how well this book flows considering the 50+ year timeline and the amount of people to keep track of.
If this all sounds like a lot, well it is, but the heartbreak doesn't end when the grandmothers start to find their grandchildren. Instead, a moral question becomes a major problem. What if these children don't want to have their world shattered by finding out their parents are actually not their parents? If these adoptive parents honestly adopted these children thinking it was all legal, then can they have these kids ripped from the only home they have ever truly known? However, if the truth isn't uncovered, do the kidnappers evade justice?
Atop all of this drama is also the question of how a country moves on from extreme generational trauma. Can society move on if trials seem never-ending? If a moratorium is placed on past crimes, can there ever be justice? Gilliland lays this all out for the reader without moralizing. It's the best way to go about it in my mind and it makes this one of the best books I have read this year.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and Avid Reader Press.)
December 20, 2025
I've been letting this one marinate for a few days now, and it's still so hard to put into words how heartbreaking it was.
I think this is one of those books everyone should read at some point, preferably sooner rather that later. And the fact that Yugoslavia was mentioned was the icing on the cake.
We STILL have people here whose babies were stolen and who've been tirelessly searching for them for decades, so finding out that there's a connection between us and Argentina...
I like to listen to nonfiction, but I think I would've done well with a physical copy, because it was a bit hard to keep track of everyone through audio, so if you do choose to give this a read, go ahead and get both versions. And get some tissues too, while you're at it, because you will be tearing up from time to time.
The research put into this was simply incredible, I'll have to read it a second time to try and remember as much as possible, because there was so much information presented. Honestly, I should've taken notes throughout, so that's another tip for you guys.
I wasn't that familiar with 1970s Argentine history before reading this (I know!! I'll work on that), but Gilliland made sure to include all the necessary info at the start, so if you're in a similar situation, don't let it stop you from picking this up. It's more than worth the read.
I think this is one of those books everyone should read at some point, preferably sooner rather that later. And the fact that Yugoslavia was mentioned was the icing on the cake.
We STILL have people here whose babies were stolen and who've been tirelessly searching for them for decades, so finding out that there's a connection between us and Argentina...
I like to listen to nonfiction, but I think I would've done well with a physical copy, because it was a bit hard to keep track of everyone through audio, so if you do choose to give this a read, go ahead and get both versions. And get some tissues too, while you're at it, because you will be tearing up from time to time.
The research put into this was simply incredible, I'll have to read it a second time to try and remember as much as possible, because there was so much information presented. Honestly, I should've taken notes throughout, so that's another tip for you guys.
I wasn't that familiar with 1970s Argentine history before reading this (I know!! I'll work on that), but Gilliland made sure to include all the necessary info at the start, so if you're in a similar situation, don't let it stop you from picking this up. It's more than worth the read.
December 10, 2025
An extraordinary and important book that looks at the story of Argentina's Disappeared through the lens of a group of mothers whose children were stolen and executed by the government and who dedicated their lives to locating the children of those children, brought to term and handed out like prizes at which point their mothers were tortured and killed. This is a big story, with 20,000 or more people murdered by the regime during the Dirty War. Thousands of those people were pregnant women whose babies were taken. So Cohen Gilliland focused predominantly on one family, with references to some others. There is also a focus on the American doctor who found a way to use genetic tests to identify children where the parents were not available (and who also discovered the BRCA gene, god I love scientists!) It was a smart choice. This story is painful at all points, but it is also a story of unshakable love and of service. Cohen Gilliland does not shy away from hard topics here. These identifications were painful for the children who had mostly been raised with love and care and whose identities were shattered. The abuealas also fought to force genetic testing on the children once they were adults, even if they did not want to know, saying that the identities belonged to all of Argentina. This is as thorny as matters of privacy and independence can get, and the author lets the reader feel that, to see this from all sides.
I read this and listened to the audio. I thought Alejandra Reynoso's narration was extraordinary. I did like having the book because there were parts I chose to go back and reread, and it is hard to do that with the audio, but overall if I had to pick I would go with the audio.
I read this and listened to the audio. I thought Alejandra Reynoso's narration was extraordinary. I did like having the book because there were parts I chose to go back and reread, and it is hard to do that with the audio, but overall if I had to pick I would go with the audio.
October 12, 2025
This is a very good book about the grandmothers of the children of "the disappeared" in Argentina and their dogged pursuit of the truth. During the 1960s and 70s thousands of young men and women opposing the ruling regime in Argentina were arrested and never heard of again. Many of these were couples who were looking forward to having babies shortly. Once born in prison, the parents were disposed of, and the newborn baby was given away. Sometimes the child was given to a regime supporter in other cases they were adopted by people who had no idea of the circumstances. Pursuit of the identities of these children greatly advanced the field of genetic identification.
This is a story of the horror of living in a police state, shattered families, and the formation of a grass roots group that refused to disappear. If you are interested in recent Argentine history, genetics, or the human rights issues, this is a great book.
This is a story of the horror of living in a police state, shattered families, and the formation of a grass roots group that refused to disappear. If you are interested in recent Argentine history, genetics, or the human rights issues, this is a great book.
March 3, 2026
welcome to another review about a nonfiction book that almost made me cry at work. let's begin.
this review is less about the technical aspects of the book and more about the stories it told. though i will say, the writing was good and all the info was laid out in a very humanizing way. i find that many nonfiction books can feel so clinical in the way information is presented, the story that's being told almost becomes monotonous, and the people in the story turn into mere facts and statistics. not so with this book. you can tell that care and time went into the writing and research. i think the author did a really good job telling us about what happened and why. but rather than just throwing random facts at us, she wrote this book in a way that gave the victims back their voices and let their stories, and that of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and their grandchildren, be heard.
also, getting the opportunity to learn about these women, and their sheer bravery and relentless determination to find their children and their grandchildren... i honestly feel like it was life-changing for me. in the face of so much adversity, the Abuelas never gave up, they evolved their methods, and in the end, they found so many of their grandchildren. they beat the odds and i'm just in awe. i honestly will forever be in awe of both the Madres and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, and i don't think i will ever shut up about these incredible women and all that they did and overcame.
i encourage you to read this book but be prepared for the rollercoaster of emotions you are about to embark on.
this review is less about the technical aspects of the book and more about the stories it told. though i will say, the writing was good and all the info was laid out in a very humanizing way. i find that many nonfiction books can feel so clinical in the way information is presented, the story that's being told almost becomes monotonous, and the people in the story turn into mere facts and statistics. not so with this book. you can tell that care and time went into the writing and research. i think the author did a really good job telling us about what happened and why. but rather than just throwing random facts at us, she wrote this book in a way that gave the victims back their voices and let their stories, and that of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and their grandchildren, be heard.
also, getting the opportunity to learn about these women, and their sheer bravery and relentless determination to find their children and their grandchildren... i honestly feel like it was life-changing for me. in the face of so much adversity, the Abuelas never gave up, they evolved their methods, and in the end, they found so many of their grandchildren. they beat the odds and i'm just in awe. i honestly will forever be in awe of both the Madres and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, and i don't think i will ever shut up about these incredible women and all that they did and overcame.
i encourage you to read this book but be prepared for the rollercoaster of emotions you are about to embark on.
July 17, 2025
Pre-Read Notes:
honestly, the title and subtitle of this one grabbed me right off. I like this kind of history, in which a people fight fiercely for their own.
"“If you keep searching for Néstor, I’m leaving.” Azucena stared at him evenly, then replied, “Want me to pack your suitcase?”" p114
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) Some histories require the naming and discussing of dozens or even hundreds of people. Some histories don't require the naming of any people, or maybe very few of them. This book is one of the former, and knew from the beginning of the book that I would be lost the entire time. The author's research is clearly excellent, but I felt like I was at a party with a thousand people I'd met before but didn't remember who anyone was. This might have been due to the organization, as this narrative includes a great deal of information on a wide array of subjects. It may have a bit of an identity crisis also, as this book isn't only about the kidnapped children, but about many many different atrocities that took place during this time in Argentina's history.
Despite these minor quibbles, I recommend this eye-opening history to readers of true crime books, bizarre history, and the history of Argentina in the 1970's and 80's.
My 3 Favorite Things:
✔️ I loved the timeline of historical events and glossary at the beginning of the book. It really makes the setting concrete and promotes clarity in reading.
✔️ "The toddlers were also taken, shuffled between clandestine prisons in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Ultimately, the children were flown to Chile on a small aircraft. Having never been on a plane before, four-year-old Anatole asked to enter the cockpit, and he would later recall staring down at the snowy tips of the Andes from the windshield. On December 22, a large black car with tinted windows transported the siblings to a plaza in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso. Before they knew what was happening, they were pushed onto the pavement and the car sped off, leaving them alone." p137 Abhorrent. Sometimes I just can't *process* the kinds of things humans do to each other and the world.
✔️ This is an extremely detailed account of something that happened to a people over a significant length of time. Locating and identifying the children that disappeared in this history took the Abuelas years, sometimes decades. Time passing complicated the apparent ethics of the case-- a critical public wondered how it could ever be best to remove children from families they'd already grown up with. It's a complicated case. This is quite a long book as a result, but I think with better organization, 50 to 75 pages could have been cut.
✔️ "“For twenty-two years they were my parents and I love them.”" p286 Holy crap these poor people.
Notes:
1. content notes: political upheaval, martial law, protests and demonstration, police/military, racism, ethnic cleansing, political kidnapping, abduction, violence against women, torture (physical, sexual), illness/infection, rats, violence against animals, oppression, violence against children, child endangering, abandonment, drugging/sedating,
2. The maps and images looked interesting but unfortunately I couldn't zoom them in my digital copy!
Thank you to the author Haley Cohen Gilliland, Avid Reader Press, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of A FLOWER TRAVELED IN MY BLOOD. All views are mine.
honestly, the title and subtitle of this one grabbed me right off. I like this kind of history, in which a people fight fiercely for their own.
"“If you keep searching for Néstor, I’m leaving.” Azucena stared at him evenly, then replied, “Want me to pack your suitcase?”" p114
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) Some histories require the naming and discussing of dozens or even hundreds of people. Some histories don't require the naming of any people, or maybe very few of them. This book is one of the former, and knew from the beginning of the book that I would be lost the entire time. The author's research is clearly excellent, but I felt like I was at a party with a thousand people I'd met before but didn't remember who anyone was. This might have been due to the organization, as this narrative includes a great deal of information on a wide array of subjects. It may have a bit of an identity crisis also, as this book isn't only about the kidnapped children, but about many many different atrocities that took place during this time in Argentina's history.
Despite these minor quibbles, I recommend this eye-opening history to readers of true crime books, bizarre history, and the history of Argentina in the 1970's and 80's.
My 3 Favorite Things:
✔️ I loved the timeline of historical events and glossary at the beginning of the book. It really makes the setting concrete and promotes clarity in reading.
✔️ "The toddlers were also taken, shuffled between clandestine prisons in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Ultimately, the children were flown to Chile on a small aircraft. Having never been on a plane before, four-year-old Anatole asked to enter the cockpit, and he would later recall staring down at the snowy tips of the Andes from the windshield. On December 22, a large black car with tinted windows transported the siblings to a plaza in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso. Before they knew what was happening, they were pushed onto the pavement and the car sped off, leaving them alone." p137 Abhorrent. Sometimes I just can't *process* the kinds of things humans do to each other and the world.
✔️ This is an extremely detailed account of something that happened to a people over a significant length of time. Locating and identifying the children that disappeared in this history took the Abuelas years, sometimes decades. Time passing complicated the apparent ethics of the case-- a critical public wondered how it could ever be best to remove children from families they'd already grown up with. It's a complicated case. This is quite a long book as a result, but I think with better organization, 50 to 75 pages could have been cut.
✔️ "“For twenty-two years they were my parents and I love them.”" p286 Holy crap these poor people.
Notes:
1. content notes: political upheaval, martial law, protests and demonstration, police/military, racism, ethnic cleansing, political kidnapping, abduction, violence against women, torture (physical, sexual), illness/infection, rats, violence against animals, oppression, violence against children, child endangering, abandonment, drugging/sedating,
2. The maps and images looked interesting but unfortunately I couldn't zoom them in my digital copy!
Thank you to the author Haley Cohen Gilliland, Avid Reader Press, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of A FLOWER TRAVELED IN MY BLOOD. All views are mine.
January 17, 2026
It's a heart-shredding account of deep family ties and a horrendous evil in power. It traces the story of one family from their settling in Argentia through 2025. What a history of heartbreak! It's a brutal story to read, let alone live.
The author chronicles the fight of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in a deeply personal way. But she knows that her reader may know nothing of why they fought, so she mixes their story with a history of the politics and economics that brought a succession of dictators to power. She sticks to a chronicle of the times.
But - she writes with complete approval of the sexual revolution, loosening morals, and all things communist. No one deserves what these families went through, but because one side is evil doesn't mean that the other side are angels. All things traditional and Christian are viewed with complete disdain.
The author chronicles the fight of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in a deeply personal way. But she knows that her reader may know nothing of why they fought, so she mixes their story with a history of the politics and economics that brought a succession of dictators to power. She sticks to a chronicle of the times.
But - she writes with complete approval of the sexual revolution, loosening morals, and all things communist. No one deserves what these families went through, but because one side is evil doesn't mean that the other side are angels. All things traditional and Christian are viewed with complete disdain.
January 10, 2026
I listened to the audiobook with Simon. It was totally grueling. The cruelty is stunning. People were stolen from the streets, families ripped apart, people were tortured. The courage of the grandmothers who wanted to find their children and grandchildren was amazing, they were ingenious and unstoppable in the face of brutal regimes.
The grandmothers found 50 grandchildren in total. Of these, 12 were left to be brought up by their adoptive families, as it was felt it was in the best interests of the children who had been adopted in good faith. "But, they could not abide leaving their grandchildren with people they deemed appropriators who knew of the children's suspect origins and claimed them anyway or had even stolen them directly from their real parents."
A judge who had to decide whether one of the stolen children should stay with their adoptive family or be reunited with the family of their birth found the decision nigh on impossible. "My friends said, 'How can you do this? Opting for the family of the womb over the family of the heart,' but we knew that we had to change the power relations, so that she could escape the lie and start living the truth."
The grandmothers found 50 grandchildren in total. Of these, 12 were left to be brought up by their adoptive families, as it was felt it was in the best interests of the children who had been adopted in good faith. "But, they could not abide leaving their grandchildren with people they deemed appropriators who knew of the children's suspect origins and claimed them anyway or had even stolen them directly from their real parents."
A judge who had to decide whether one of the stolen children should stay with their adoptive family or be reunited with the family of their birth found the decision nigh on impossible. "My friends said, 'How can you do this? Opting for the family of the womb over the family of the heart,' but we knew that we had to change the power relations, so that she could escape the lie and start living the truth."
February 12, 2026
“Love is not like a tap you can turn on and off.”
I was not at all familiar with the political history of Argentina or the Abuelas of Plaza De Mayo, a group of bad-ass grandmothers who dedicated their life to finding stolen babies taken from detained pregnant women, during Argentina's bloody military dictatorship.
The courage and persistence of these women in the face of danger and terrible odds is something I will never forget. This book is incredibly touching, sometimes hard to read, and narrative history at its best.
I was not at all familiar with the political history of Argentina or the Abuelas of Plaza De Mayo, a group of bad-ass grandmothers who dedicated their life to finding stolen babies taken from detained pregnant women, during Argentina's bloody military dictatorship.
The courage and persistence of these women in the face of danger and terrible odds is something I will never forget. This book is incredibly touching, sometimes hard to read, and narrative history at its best.
August 2, 2026
Da li je pitanje ličnog identiteta isključivo privatna stvar, ili je pak to nešto što se može proširiti na širi i opšti interes? Naime, kada govorimo o nestaloj i otetoj deci, ovo pitanje povlači niz psiholoških, emocionalnih ali i pravnih implikacija. Šta ima veću težinu? Pravo onih koji godinama i decenijama tragaju za izgubljenima, da bi saznali istinu ili sa druge strane, neretka želja pronađenih da sačuvaju dotadašnji pojam stvarnosti i izbegnu dodatnu bol? Ova dilema se sve češće stavljala pred argentinske sudove na kraju 20. i početku 21. veka.
Tokom sedamdesetih i osamdesetih godina, nekoliko južnoameričkih vojnih diktatura je zajedničkim naporima planiralo i sprovelo takozvanu "Operaciju Kondor". Latinoamerički odgovor na Hladni rat, tokom kojeg je kidnapovano i ubijeno više desetina hiljada pripadnika levičarskih partija, laburista, boraca za prava radnika, među kojima je bio veliki broj studenata i žena.
Pored izuzetno nehumanih metoda mučenja i egzekucije, ova operacija u Argentini je dobila još suroviju notu. Među otetima je bilo više stotina trudnih žena koje su nakon porođaja ubijane, a njihova deca data na usvajanje ili na brigu pripadnicima vojnih i policijskih snaga. Za porodice nestalih, udarci bola bili su dvojaki. Jednim potezom izgubili su dve generacije: decu i unučad.
"A Flower Traveled in My Blood" govori o grupi žena pod nazivom "Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo" i njihovoj višedecenijskoj potrazi za posmrtnim ostacima, bilo kakvim informacijama o smrti svoje dece, kao i bitci za pronalaskom i utvrđivanjem identiteta svojih unučića.
Istorija Abuela(Baba) i njihove bitke, jeste zapravo istorija Argentine. Od represivnih i krvoločnih vojnih hunti, poremećenog institucionalnog aparata, do države koja danas počiva na znatno slobodnijim principima.
SAD su bile poznate kao tradicionalni podrivač južnoameričkih demokratija i instrumentalni činilac u dovođenju diktatorskih režima na vlast. Obrtom sreće ili ironijom sudbine, pomoć je došla iz te iste Amerike ali ne od države i administracije, već od pojedinaca. U svojoj saradnji sa Abuelama, američka genetičarka Meri Kler King razvila je pionirski metod utvrđivanja srodstva pomoću mitohondrijske DNK. Ovom metodom se pouzdano moglo utvrditi da li je neko dete u srodstvu sa bakom sa majčine strane. Kler King je takođe poznata zbog otkrića BRCA1 gena, danas ključnim za rano otkrivanje raka dojke.
Vrednost ove knjige počiva na dva fronta. Prvo, ovo je izuzetan čas istorije - sumirani su i nacrtani argentinski i južnoamerički dvadeseti vek. Takođe, pred nama je veliki uspeh istraživačkog novinarstva. Hejli Koen Džililend je pred sobom imala nimalo lak zadatak. Većina njenih izvora je u pisanom formatu, dobar deo svedoka više nije bio u životu, a i oni koji jesu već su bili prestari ili nespremni da (ponovo) o svemu govore.
Najimpresivnije je to koliko ovaj tekst pažljivo diše. Autorka je vrlo svesna da, kada bi zalutala u preobimnu faktografiju i istoriografiju, broj suvoparnih činjenica bi oterao čitaoce. S druge strane, takođe je vrlo svesna da bi prevelikim inisitiranjem na ličnim pričama, koje su pune emocija, skliznula u telenovelizaciju pa i patetiku, čime bi čitav poduhvat dobrim delom izgubio verodostojnost.
"A Flower Traveled in My Blood" je impresivan spoj povesti i ode ljudskom duhu. Ove priče čini ono što je najbolje u ljudima, željom da se kroz potpuni mrak povrate prošlost i sadašnjost kao inherentni delovi budućnosti.
Ima jedna sila prirode, jača od svakog nasilnog i represivnog režima, od svakog pritiska. A to je baba. Majčina majka, superiorni matrijarh, onaj koji drži branu, biva svetlo u potpunom mraku i čuva potomstvo od svake nemani. Mitohondrijska DNK se prenosi sa bake na majku i sa majke na dete. Stoga postoji spona između dve generacije, koliko god delovale izgubljene jedna drugoj. Uvek se mogu međusobno pronaći jer isti cvet im živi u krvi.
Tokom sedamdesetih i osamdesetih godina, nekoliko južnoameričkih vojnih diktatura je zajedničkim naporima planiralo i sprovelo takozvanu "Operaciju Kondor". Latinoamerički odgovor na Hladni rat, tokom kojeg je kidnapovano i ubijeno više desetina hiljada pripadnika levičarskih partija, laburista, boraca za prava radnika, među kojima je bio veliki broj studenata i žena.
Pored izuzetno nehumanih metoda mučenja i egzekucije, ova operacija u Argentini je dobila još suroviju notu. Među otetima je bilo više stotina trudnih žena koje su nakon porođaja ubijane, a njihova deca data na usvajanje ili na brigu pripadnicima vojnih i policijskih snaga. Za porodice nestalih, udarci bola bili su dvojaki. Jednim potezom izgubili su dve generacije: decu i unučad.
"A Flower Traveled in My Blood" govori o grupi žena pod nazivom "Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo" i njihovoj višedecenijskoj potrazi za posmrtnim ostacima, bilo kakvim informacijama o smrti svoje dece, kao i bitci za pronalaskom i utvrđivanjem identiteta svojih unučića.
Istorija Abuela(Baba) i njihove bitke, jeste zapravo istorija Argentine. Od represivnih i krvoločnih vojnih hunti, poremećenog institucionalnog aparata, do države koja danas počiva na znatno slobodnijim principima.
SAD su bile poznate kao tradicionalni podrivač južnoameričkih demokratija i instrumentalni činilac u dovođenju diktatorskih režima na vlast. Obrtom sreće ili ironijom sudbine, pomoć je došla iz te iste Amerike ali ne od države i administracije, već od pojedinaca. U svojoj saradnji sa Abuelama, američka genetičarka Meri Kler King razvila je pionirski metod utvrđivanja srodstva pomoću mitohondrijske DNK. Ovom metodom se pouzdano moglo utvrditi da li je neko dete u srodstvu sa bakom sa majčine strane. Kler King je takođe poznata zbog otkrića BRCA1 gena, danas ključnim za rano otkrivanje raka dojke.
Vrednost ove knjige počiva na dva fronta. Prvo, ovo je izuzetan čas istorije - sumirani su i nacrtani argentinski i južnoamerički dvadeseti vek. Takođe, pred nama je veliki uspeh istraživačkog novinarstva. Hejli Koen Džililend je pred sobom imala nimalo lak zadatak. Većina njenih izvora je u pisanom formatu, dobar deo svedoka više nije bio u životu, a i oni koji jesu već su bili prestari ili nespremni da (ponovo) o svemu govore.
Najimpresivnije je to koliko ovaj tekst pažljivo diše. Autorka je vrlo svesna da, kada bi zalutala u preobimnu faktografiju i istoriografiju, broj suvoparnih činjenica bi oterao čitaoce. S druge strane, takođe je vrlo svesna da bi prevelikim inisitiranjem na ličnim pričama, koje su pune emocija, skliznula u telenovelizaciju pa i patetiku, čime bi čitav poduhvat dobrim delom izgubio verodostojnost.
"A Flower Traveled in My Blood" je impresivan spoj povesti i ode ljudskom duhu. Ove priče čini ono što je najbolje u ljudima, željom da se kroz potpuni mrak povrate prošlost i sadašnjost kao inherentni delovi budućnosti.
Ima jedna sila prirode, jača od svakog nasilnog i represivnog režima, od svakog pritiska. A to je baba. Majčina majka, superiorni matrijarh, onaj koji drži branu, biva svetlo u potpunom mraku i čuva potomstvo od svake nemani. Mitohondrijska DNK se prenosi sa bake na majku i sa majke na dete. Stoga postoji spona između dve generacije, koliko god delovale izgubljene jedna drugoj. Uvek se mogu međusobno pronaći jer isti cvet im živi u krvi.
February 9, 2025
This is a powerful history in two parts. The first part is about the brutal dictatorship that occurred in Argentina from 1976-83. People are being disappeared along with their children if they are viewed as or actually part of the opposition. The other narrative is about the grandmothers of the children that were disappeared and their efforts to find all of these kidnapped children. The writing was excellent and it is a well crafted story I didn’t know. I would recommend.
August 26, 2026
This is a Non Fiction book. I wanted to love this so much, but I just did not. I had a hard time getting into this book, and I had to make myself read this book at times. I think the writing style was the problem. I did find what the book was about interesting, but I found the book dry at times.
October 1, 2025
By giving so much background for numerous aspects of the situation (how numerous individuals came to be in power, how genetics tests work, the background of numerous people, etc.), it made for a bit of a slow read. Based on the Author's Note, it's also not overly clear to me if the family the book centres around actually sought out/wanted their story being told.
Read
March 1, 2026Thee take my dream
my breath my brunch
search for my flower
the take many legs
hunt bloosm
ring to many burid story
search for my fruit
alians shut many mouths
open many tomp
search for flower of my blood
my window open on papep of gov
docment hide throw many black book
search for flower of my blood
my breath my brunch
search for my flower
the take many legs
hunt bloosm
ring to many burid story
search for my fruit
alians shut many mouths
open many tomp
search for flower of my blood
my window open on papep of gov
docment hide throw many black book
search for flower of my blood
June 24, 2026
This is an incredibly powerful story of the the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, the Grandmothers of the Plaza del Mayo, the central square in Buenas Aires, Argentina, where the presidential palace is located. Every day these grandmothers would march in the plaza, meet in secret, write to foreign journalists, and politicians. They were fighting for information and possible return of their children and grandchildren, who had been kidnapped by the Videla regime that had seized power in a military coup d’état in 1975. During the time of the military dictatorship, all leftist and subversive peoples were oppressed, even nuns who might have aided the poor, or a lawyer who represented a client. Estimates are that some 30,000 Argentinians were “disappeared” and some 500 infants kidnapped (some still in the womb, their mother killed after birthing the baby).
The author does an incredible job in centering the story around Rosa Tarlovsky de Roisinblit, whose pregnant daughter is kidnapped. As we follow these characters, author Gilliland weaves in past historical context, allowing us to see the larger political arena with neighboring countries also suppressing “subversives,” all under the watchful and tacit eye of the United States and politicians such as Henry Kissinger.
You can’t make up a happy ending in non-fiction, especially one that recounts such heartbreaking and brutal stories as this one does. As the abuelas slowly discover news of missing loved ones in unmarked graves, or discover a long-lost grandchild adopted out to loving parents, wanting nothing to do with their supposed past. The story is wrenching, but it also ends on a hopeful note. I am very glad to have finally read this book, and I look forward to more offerings by debut author Gilliland. Kudos to her!
The author does an incredible job in centering the story around Rosa Tarlovsky de Roisinblit, whose pregnant daughter is kidnapped. As we follow these characters, author Gilliland weaves in past historical context, allowing us to see the larger political arena with neighboring countries also suppressing “subversives,” all under the watchful and tacit eye of the United States and politicians such as Henry Kissinger.
You can’t make up a happy ending in non-fiction, especially one that recounts such heartbreaking and brutal stories as this one does. As the abuelas slowly discover news of missing loved ones in unmarked graves, or discover a long-lost grandchild adopted out to loving parents, wanting nothing to do with their supposed past. The story is wrenching, but it also ends on a hopeful note. I am very glad to have finally read this book, and I look forward to more offerings by debut author Gilliland. Kudos to her!
July 16, 2025
Haunting, urgent, and unflinchingly told, A Flower Traveled in My Blood is a searing account of Argentina’s “Dirty War” through the lens of those who refused to be silenced — the grandmothers who dedicated their lives to finding the children stolen by the state.
Gilliland weaves historical investigation, personal testimony, and moral reckoning into a powerful narrative about memory, justice, and resistance. The book focuses on the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, the grandmothers who took to the streets in defiance of a brutal right-wing military regime that abducted and “disappeared” thousands in the 1970s — including pregnant women. The state gave their children away to loyalists, embedding a quiet, horrifying legacy into Argentine society. This book doesn’t just tell the story of resistance; it pulls you inside the fear. The descriptions of kidnappings by masked agents in unmarked vehicles are terrifying — and disturbingly resonant for an American reader in 2025 watching similar headlines play out with ICE raids and the erosion of civil liberties.
There were moments I had to put the book down — not because it was poorly written, but because the reality it captures is almost too much to bear. Torture, forced disappearances, state-orchestrated lies — it’s a darkness that feels all the more chilling because it's real, and recent, and not isolated to Argentina.
This is not a “comfort read.” But it is essential. Gilliland gives voice to women who refused to forget, and who turned their grief into a form of resistance. I recommend — but go in knowing that this story will stay with you.
Gilliland weaves historical investigation, personal testimony, and moral reckoning into a powerful narrative about memory, justice, and resistance. The book focuses on the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, the grandmothers who took to the streets in defiance of a brutal right-wing military regime that abducted and “disappeared” thousands in the 1970s — including pregnant women. The state gave their children away to loyalists, embedding a quiet, horrifying legacy into Argentine society. This book doesn’t just tell the story of resistance; it pulls you inside the fear. The descriptions of kidnappings by masked agents in unmarked vehicles are terrifying — and disturbingly resonant for an American reader in 2025 watching similar headlines play out with ICE raids and the erosion of civil liberties.
There were moments I had to put the book down — not because it was poorly written, but because the reality it captures is almost too much to bear. Torture, forced disappearances, state-orchestrated lies — it’s a darkness that feels all the more chilling because it's real, and recent, and not isolated to Argentina.
This is not a “comfort read.” But it is essential. Gilliland gives voice to women who refused to forget, and who turned their grief into a form of resistance. I recommend — but go in knowing that this story will stay with you.
September 11, 2025
In the 1970s, the government of Argentina disappeared what is now believed to be approx 30,000 citizens who protested against the violent government. Many of those who were disappeared were, after being tortured, drugged and thrown out of airplanes to their death. There were a number of women who were either pregnant when taken or were taken with their infants. The mothers of many of these women never stopped searching for their missing grandchildren, even when they knew their children were dead. The Abuelas (as they came to be called) were relentless in their decades long searches for grandchildren, even at great personal risk. Some of them were disappeared themselves because of their public dissent. In this riveting account of The Abuelas efforts, including research, protest, publicizing, and looking for ways for the expanding genetics science to help find every missing child, the author does an excellent job of journalism. The Abuelas are an inspiration of strength and a firm commitment to never losing hope. The story is a reminder of how a few people can influence the world - and a reminder of the horrors people can inflict on their friends and neighbors.
September 10, 2026
A good history of the political turmoil in Argentina that led to the murders of anywhere from 8,000 to 30,000 left wing dissidents in the mid 70s to the early 80s.
Part 1 tells the story of one young victim from her youth to her disappearance in her mid 20s. She was the married mother of a toddler and in the late stages of pregnancy when she was snatched off the street by the military. She's one person among thousands and gives us some idea of who was lost.
Parts 2 through 4 detail the groups searching for their missing loved ones, their attempts to reunite with any survivors they locate and the many obstacles they face along the way. There are two groups: the madres, searching for their missing children, and the abuelas, searching for the offspring of their missing children. The abuelas are the heart of the narrative; the madres are essentially a footnote to the story.
You can read the book just for its good writing and interesting history but I think its biggest strength is the issues it raises. How does a country blessed with such a bounty of natural resources descend into anarchy so often? How can we be so violent and cruel to others? How would it feel to know that your biological parents were murdered by the people who raised you; the people you consider to be your real parents; people you've grown to love?
The author also explores themes of justice and of moving on to put the country's violent history in its past. And as much as it seems impossible not to love an abuela they're shown as internally divisive on occasion and are periodically vilified by outside groups.
All in all a very good book. The pictures in the Kindle version were very small and in black and white. There were some annoying typos here and there as well.
Part 1 tells the story of one young victim from her youth to her disappearance in her mid 20s. She was the married mother of a toddler and in the late stages of pregnancy when she was snatched off the street by the military. She's one person among thousands and gives us some idea of who was lost.
Parts 2 through 4 detail the groups searching for their missing loved ones, their attempts to reunite with any survivors they locate and the many obstacles they face along the way. There are two groups: the madres, searching for their missing children, and the abuelas, searching for the offspring of their missing children. The abuelas are the heart of the narrative; the madres are essentially a footnote to the story.
You can read the book just for its good writing and interesting history but I think its biggest strength is the issues it raises. How does a country blessed with such a bounty of natural resources descend into anarchy so often? How can we be so violent and cruel to others? How would it feel to know that your biological parents were murdered by the people who raised you; the people you consider to be your real parents; people you've grown to love?
The author also explores themes of justice and of moving on to put the country's violent history in its past. And as much as it seems impossible not to love an abuela they're shown as internally divisive on occasion and are periodically vilified by outside groups.
All in all a very good book. The pictures in the Kindle version were very small and in black and white. There were some annoying typos here and there as well.
July 16, 2026
I learned so much reading this book. I really didn’t know much about Argentina except it had political upheaval over the decades. This really focuses on the horror that occurred when those with left-leaning ideas were disappearing and it was done by the government.
Excellent and very well researched. Was nominated for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize
RTC
Excellent and very well researched. Was nominated for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize
RTC
September 3, 2025
This is just the sort of history I love to read: a bite-sized sliver of a broader historical period. I first learned about the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo in one of my favorite books, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. When discussing Irish families’ desires to know the locations of their disappeared loved ones’ remains, Patrick Radden Keefe makes two quick references to the work of the Madres and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. What a cool overlap, then, that on her episode of The Stacks podcast, Haley Cohen Gilliland shares about how PRK has been a role model and mentor for her. We love all the literary overlaps!!!
It's funny because this book reminded me of Say Nothing in some ways. Of course, there is the editorial decision to focus on a compelling sliver of a broader history, and the 1970s-1990s timeline for both tales. Each story involves a confrontation with Margaret Thatcher, and each history requires the author to have a patient hand at unraveling a twisted and tampered timeline. Of course, the resounding shared theme here is about the moral imperative of closure after times of war and terror. If societies truly expect to resolve a conflict, one necessary step to doing so is offering the victims of those conflicts the information they need to mourn.
🏫👩🏾🏫🧪 Class is in session!
I don’t mean to use the “sliver of history” categorization to suggest that Haley Cohen Gilliland wasn’t very detailed in this book. I was continuously impressed by the depth of her research, and how effective she was at distilling her findings.
For starters, she demonstrates how Jorge Rafael Videla was actually part of a long lineage of military dictators in Argentina—just in Patricia’s lifetime, she would’ve lived under Onganía as a teen, and Aramburu in her very early years, with periods of Perón’s leadership sprinkled in between—and even he had his dictatorial moments!!! Gilliland also left me wanting to read a whole book about Isabel Perón’s brief reign, and her entanglement with the “Rasputin of the Pampas”, José López Rega!! This waffling leadership style, from all-out military juntas to political chameleons bolstered by a cult of personality, proves to be the same waffling the country experienced with the aftermath of Videla’s reign of terror:
As you might imagine, no discussion of the reign of terror in South America can be complete without showing the US’ ROLE AS COP OF THE WORLD. Gilliland dutifully explores our country’s hand in Operation Condor, a coordinated anti-communism effort between Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and the United States. While I am of course generally familiar with the Cold War cronyism that the U.S. engaged in, I was not particularly familiar with this group project to synchronize military intelligence, surveil and torture leftists, AND STEAL THEIR UNBORN BABIES. Gilliland’s explanation of this operation shows just how much brutality we directly supported simply to prevent communism. In particular, Henry Kissinger emerges once again as one of the most nefarious individuals on the planet Earth—or beneath it. 🔥
Finally, as someone who has never been good at science, I really appreciated how Gilliland described the advancements in genetics with lots of personal context, instructional comparisons, and rhythmic timing. I felt like I was along for each new scientific discovery, despite not knowing anything more about mitochondrial DNA than that it must come from “the powerhouse of the cell.” Coming out of this book, I now have a clearer sense of why mtDNA is so helpful in genetic research. I can even explain why we use dental records to identify people—because the hard enamel around teeth creates a better barrier of protection for the DNA than bones!! Another cool thing about the scientific advancements in this book is that we get to see how the Abuelas’ fight set so many precedents for the world we live in now. Many of the moral standards for reconciliation, as well as the literal scientific testing used to identify human rights victims, came as the results of the work of these women. Just gripping stuff, all around!!
🛹or ⚔️: Containers for our discontent, and the paths to resistance
Like with Say Nothing, I think this book is another really interesting case of whether the times make the people, or the people make the times. Sometimes I think the reason that many of the young men I know are facing such emotional and mental strife is simply because organized resistance movements are no longer considered the place for disenchanted young people to go. I often wonder how if people might find fulfillment if the “hippie” culture of our modern time didn’t stall out at skateparks and smoke shops, but instead translated to political action. This is by no means trying to say that most disgruntled people in earlier generations joined the Provisional IRA during The Troubles or the Monteneros during Videla’s reign of terror or even the Black Panthers if they lived in Oakland in the 60s or 70s!! But, I do just think that it’s clear how these organizations offered their members a path that many young people do not feel like they have today (yes, I know this is intentional due to CIA/FBI disruption and that some young people today are engaged in movement work.)
While Gilliland details how Patricia and Juan ended up on the path to resistance work, I was especially moved by Laura, who seemed to understand that the terror her country had inflicted upon her would galvanize her mother into activism. Overall, I kept thinking how proud the desaparecidos would have been of their mothers!! These women turned the martyrdom of their children into a cause that would influence the entire country, if not our broader world. Even more moving is the way that The Abuelas became a place for the children of the desaparecidos to process their grief. I think so many people today are looking for organizations that can be containers for grief, places of deep connection, AND channels to push for change. While I don’t mean to say these places don’t exist, many of us have not yet found them to work as well as we’d desire—and those are only the ones who have even sought them out! So, it’s nice to read a story about a group that clearly achieved so much for society and for its members.
🤔 The Abuelas’ moral quandaries, or why we still need more from family abolitionists
Gilliland does an excellent job at posing some of the moral quandaries related to the Abuelas’ efforts to identify their grandchildren. It made me think of this gap I want family policing abolition and family abolition to close—like what intersection of these two worlds gets us to the position that NO ONE—not the state, not the adoptive/foster family, not even the birth family—has a right to “own” a child?
In addition to reminding me of these modern questions, A Flower Traveled In My Blood also highlights the failure of the state to safeguard the victims’ best interests. To pursue legal recompense for their grandchildren, the Abuelas had to trust the same courts, judges, and police/military who disappeared their children. This leads to terrible examples of police raiding people’s homes for DNA, armed guards waking children out of their beds during custody disputes, and forcing victims to trials they never asked for. It seemed like all parties often lost any attention to what the children of the desaparecidos would want for their own lives—it was all about property rights, like who “owned” them in childhood, and who “owned” their genetic information in adulthood:
Gilliland is thoughtful with exploring all sides of these moral quandaries, and I truly do not know where I landed on this question. However, I surely enjoyed reading about it, and would love to hear other readers’ thoughts in the comments!!!
💭 Final Thoughts
I would highly recommend this book! It’s not my favorite history I’ve read this year, but it should be in the top 10. There’s so much I never would’ve known about, and it’s all discussed in a way that draws you in as a reader.
I do wish Gilliland provided more about the separation of the Madres and the Abuelas, as the exhumation debate seems like a big moment in the organizational history. I was also curious about the family strife in cases where the Abuelas had multiple children—did the non-abducted ones ever feel abandoned or deprioritized by the hunts? We also never heard what happened to Ximena, and if she ever made peace with her new home!!
Finally, I really enjoyed Gilliland’s points about how the national myths of civilization and culture of religious dominance informed the military’s justifications of the Dirty War, and guided their particular methods of murdering the desaparecidos. However, I think a stronger author could’ve tied these realities to the violence of whiteness in Argentina, and how Black populations have been erased from the country’s history and national identity. Gilliland frames the desaparecidos as the first mass disappearance in Argentine history, something that some Black historians seem to disagree with. However, maybe that’s an entirely different book—if so, it’s also one I would read.
It's funny because this book reminded me of Say Nothing in some ways. Of course, there is the editorial decision to focus on a compelling sliver of a broader history, and the 1970s-1990s timeline for both tales. Each story involves a confrontation with Margaret Thatcher, and each history requires the author to have a patient hand at unraveling a twisted and tampered timeline. Of course, the resounding shared theme here is about the moral imperative of closure after times of war and terror. If societies truly expect to resolve a conflict, one necessary step to doing so is offering the victims of those conflicts the information they need to mourn.
🏫👩🏾🏫🧪 Class is in session!
I don’t mean to use the “sliver of history” categorization to suggest that Haley Cohen Gilliland wasn’t very detailed in this book. I was continuously impressed by the depth of her research, and how effective she was at distilling her findings.
For starters, she demonstrates how Jorge Rafael Videla was actually part of a long lineage of military dictators in Argentina—just in Patricia’s lifetime, she would’ve lived under Onganía as a teen, and Aramburu in her very early years, with periods of Perón’s leadership sprinkled in between—and even he had his dictatorial moments!!! Gilliland also left me wanting to read a whole book about Isabel Perón’s brief reign, and her entanglement with the “Rasputin of the Pampas”, José López Rega!! This waffling leadership style, from all-out military juntas to political chameleons bolstered by a cult of personality, proves to be the same waffling the country experienced with the aftermath of Videla’s reign of terror:
Argentina itself has long been viewed as a case study in the classic frictions that afflict such processes of reckoning. From Alfonsín’s amnesty laws and Menem’s pardons to the Kirchner-era annulment of those initiatives, the country has seesawed between the opposing impulses of reconciliation and justice, between the drive to forget and the obligation to remember.(328)
As you might imagine, no discussion of the reign of terror in South America can be complete without showing the US’ ROLE AS COP OF THE WORLD. Gilliland dutifully explores our country’s hand in Operation Condor, a coordinated anti-communism effort between Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and the United States. While I am of course generally familiar with the Cold War cronyism that the U.S. engaged in, I was not particularly familiar with this group project to synchronize military intelligence, surveil and torture leftists, AND STEAL THEIR UNBORN BABIES. Gilliland’s explanation of this operation shows just how much brutality we directly supported simply to prevent communism. In particular, Henry Kissinger emerges once again as one of the most nefarious individuals on the planet Earth—or beneath it. 🔥
Finally, as someone who has never been good at science, I really appreciated how Gilliland described the advancements in genetics with lots of personal context, instructional comparisons, and rhythmic timing. I felt like I was along for each new scientific discovery, despite not knowing anything more about mitochondrial DNA than that it must come from “the powerhouse of the cell.” Coming out of this book, I now have a clearer sense of why mtDNA is so helpful in genetic research. I can even explain why we use dental records to identify people—because the hard enamel around teeth creates a better barrier of protection for the DNA than bones!! Another cool thing about the scientific advancements in this book is that we get to see how the Abuelas’ fight set so many precedents for the world we live in now. Many of the moral standards for reconciliation, as well as the literal scientific testing used to identify human rights victims, came as the results of the work of these women. Just gripping stuff, all around!!
🛹or ⚔️: Containers for our discontent, and the paths to resistance
Like with Say Nothing, I think this book is another really interesting case of whether the times make the people, or the people make the times. Sometimes I think the reason that many of the young men I know are facing such emotional and mental strife is simply because organized resistance movements are no longer considered the place for disenchanted young people to go. I often wonder how if people might find fulfillment if the “hippie” culture of our modern time didn’t stall out at skateparks and smoke shops, but instead translated to political action. This is by no means trying to say that most disgruntled people in earlier generations joined the Provisional IRA during The Troubles or the Monteneros during Videla’s reign of terror or even the Black Panthers if they lived in Oakland in the 60s or 70s!! But, I do just think that it’s clear how these organizations offered their members a path that many young people do not feel like they have today (yes, I know this is intentional due to CIA/FBI disruption and that some young people today are engaged in movement work.)
While Gilliland details how Patricia and Juan ended up on the path to resistance work, I was especially moved by Laura, who seemed to understand that the terror her country had inflicted upon her would galvanize her mother into activism. Overall, I kept thinking how proud the desaparecidos would have been of their mothers!! These women turned the martyrdom of their children into a cause that would influence the entire country, if not our broader world. Even more moving is the way that The Abuelas became a place for the children of the desaparecidos to process their grief. I think so many people today are looking for organizations that can be containers for grief, places of deep connection, AND channels to push for change. While I don’t mean to say these places don’t exist, many of us have not yet found them to work as well as we’d desire—and those are only the ones who have even sought them out! So, it’s nice to read a story about a group that clearly achieved so much for society and for its members.
🤔 The Abuelas’ moral quandaries, or why we still need more from family abolitionists
Gilliland does an excellent job at posing some of the moral quandaries related to the Abuelas’ efforts to identify their grandchildren. It made me think of this gap I want family policing abolition and family abolition to close—like what intersection of these two worlds gets us to the position that NO ONE—not the state, not the adoptive/foster family, not even the birth family—has a right to “own” a child?
In addition to reminding me of these modern questions, A Flower Traveled In My Blood also highlights the failure of the state to safeguard the victims’ best interests. To pursue legal recompense for their grandchildren, the Abuelas had to trust the same courts, judges, and police/military who disappeared their children. This leads to terrible examples of police raiding people’s homes for DNA, armed guards waking children out of their beds during custody disputes, and forcing victims to trials they never asked for. It seemed like all parties often lost any attention to what the children of the desaparecidos would want for their own lives—it was all about property rights, like who “owned” them in childhood, and who “owned” their genetic information in adulthood:
The scandal crystallized the difficult questions that had long surrounded the Abuelas’ work. To whom does identity belong? Is it the sole property of an individual—or does their family and their society also have a right to truth? If someone’s identity is falsified—as in the case of the Abuelas’ grandchildren—can society force truth on someone who doesn’t want to know it?” (295)
Gilliland is thoughtful with exploring all sides of these moral quandaries, and I truly do not know where I landed on this question. However, I surely enjoyed reading about it, and would love to hear other readers’ thoughts in the comments!!!
💭 Final Thoughts
I would highly recommend this book! It’s not my favorite history I’ve read this year, but it should be in the top 10. There’s so much I never would’ve known about, and it’s all discussed in a way that draws you in as a reader.
I do wish Gilliland provided more about the separation of the Madres and the Abuelas, as the exhumation debate seems like a big moment in the organizational history. I was also curious about the family strife in cases where the Abuelas had multiple children—did the non-abducted ones ever feel abandoned or deprioritized by the hunts? We also never heard what happened to Ximena, and if she ever made peace with her new home!!
Finally, I really enjoyed Gilliland’s points about how the national myths of civilization and culture of religious dominance informed the military’s justifications of the Dirty War, and guided their particular methods of murdering the desaparecidos. However, I think a stronger author could’ve tied these realities to the violence of whiteness in Argentina, and how Black populations have been erased from the country’s history and national identity. Gilliland frames the desaparecidos as the first mass disappearance in Argentine history, something that some Black historians seem to disagree with. However, maybe that’s an entirely different book—if so, it’s also one I would read.
August 12, 2025
Excellent. Stunning. I haven’t read much nonfiction lately, but this was is a great example of what it can be. Gilliland covers so much ground here, but manages to weave together a comprehensive narrative of the Dirty War and its origins, the activism and achievements of the Abuelas organization, and the experiences of one family in particular. It’s a lot of people and details, but I never found it hard to follow. I teared up several times throughout this book—that is far from typical for me.
I was surprised and proud to learn about the extensive contributions of Carleton graduate and MATH major Mary-Claire King to identifying missing grandchildren. King and I share a reunion year (’67 and ’22)—I hope to have a chance to meet her some day.
An unfortunate reminder of what happens when men claim power for themselves in the name of defending "Western, Christian civilization," this history is heartbreaking, and the twists of public opinion are repeatedly frustrating. Gilliland includes descriptions of the dictatorship’s crimes, and they are sometimes graphic. If you cannot handle descriptions of torture, approach this book with caution.
I highly recommend this one. It’s not happy, but it does inspire hope and courage to resist.
I was surprised and proud to learn about the extensive contributions of Carleton graduate and MATH major Mary-Claire King to identifying missing grandchildren. King and I share a reunion year (’67 and ’22)—I hope to have a chance to meet her some day.
An unfortunate reminder of what happens when men claim power for themselves in the name of defending "Western, Christian civilization," this history is heartbreaking, and the twists of public opinion are repeatedly frustrating. Gilliland includes descriptions of the dictatorship’s crimes, and they are sometimes graphic. If you cannot handle descriptions of torture, approach this book with caution.
I highly recommend this one. It’s not happy, but it does inspire hope and courage to resist.
December 27, 2025
okay. the research on this goes crazy, the shifts between national and familial storytelling are very neatly done, and it made me feel like i understood argentinian political history somewhat. several moments made me tear up but none of them were saccharine-- the human focus on the truly astonishing determination and bravery of the abuelas (and earlier the madres) is instead a force that drives the book and you reading it forward to something new
but can i just say. i am by no means an argentinian custody judge in the 1990s. the grief and impossible choices herein are not mine to negotiate. but as the book's narrative focus shifts to the issues rippling out from actually finding the grandchildren-- if the children are minors, should their custody be transferred immediately and fully to their biological grandparents, whom they do not remember, from the people they have always known as their parents, some of whom knowingly took them from torture centers, and some of whom instead suspected a horrible history and concealed or did not investigate it? if the children are adults, and outside evidence points to the fact that they may be the children of the disappeared, but they do not want to be blood tested, particularly because a confirmed childhood abduction means the parents who raised them will be jailed, but maybe also because they do not want to know, should they be forced to be tested, against their will? if their underwear is stolen from their homes by cops, if they are made to strip naked in a judge's office, will they later be grateful they did it, because this was a choice too overwhelming for them to make, and therefore it is the domain of the state?
the book argues yes! it does not seem to think these are overly difficult arguments! and i think that's simply crazy. the families the book chooses to focus on are all families who echo this line of thinking-- in the main narrated family, he is found by his biological family in his 20s and embraces them completely as his real family; his kidnapping father was a military torturer and domestic abuser, and his mother was violently domestically abused his whole childhood and they had a complex and painful relationship in his adulthood that he "came to see was unhealthy." in some smaller narrative families, the discovered children have similar narratives-- they perhaps initially resist "being found" but come to embrace their true families, with whom they also have better emotional relationships-- particularly the abuelas are universally adored, and one of them is noted to have "instantly forgiven" her grandchild for avoiding blood testing for years even though she DID NOT HAVE LONG ON THIS EARTH. there are a couple mentioned grandchildren who state that they continue to love the families who stole/adopted* them, because love is complicated, and these stories we do not learn more about-- maybe these people were less willing to participate in interviews.
i obviously found all of this unbelievably frustrating-- not because i think there needs to be more sympathy for the dictatorship military men & their associates for systemically stealing the babies of those they murdered, but because i think those grandchildren (now adults) deserve more complexity than is rendered here, in their multiple forms of identity, in their multiple different worlds, in their multiple different rights, and as people who are themselves people-- not people with a static "good" identity that can be restored to them in place of the "false" one, and not only as truth meant to be administered to a nation, nor the the reward to comfort an old woman from her grief over her murdered adult child.
all this to say-- i think there are many threads of much richer and more interesting stories of aftermath buried here, thornier stories which required perhaps more emotional curiosity and tolerance to uncover, and i hope people will continue to write those.
*there's a note in the afterward that the author uses "adopted" in an early text about this history and that now, knowing more, she would say "stolen"-- this makes me think the author does not know very much about "adoption" as a system, which is often violent, punitive, and reflective of social oppressions. the author also exclusively uses "appropriator" in place of "mother/father/parent" for the stealing/adoptive parents-- nevertheless, these people did raise their abducted children for the first 10-40 years of their lives. i would be curious what language the grandchildren themselves continue to use, and what diversity is there. for my part, and again, i am not a custody judge, i think there is not a hard cap on how many parents a person can have, and not all parents are good, but i understand that this linguistic trick perhaps makes it feel simpler.
i know it's crazy i'm giving it 4 stars after all this but it really was a great and very informative read, i just also had my thoughts.
but can i just say. i am by no means an argentinian custody judge in the 1990s. the grief and impossible choices herein are not mine to negotiate. but as the book's narrative focus shifts to the issues rippling out from actually finding the grandchildren-- if the children are minors, should their custody be transferred immediately and fully to their biological grandparents, whom they do not remember, from the people they have always known as their parents, some of whom knowingly took them from torture centers, and some of whom instead suspected a horrible history and concealed or did not investigate it? if the children are adults, and outside evidence points to the fact that they may be the children of the disappeared, but they do not want to be blood tested, particularly because a confirmed childhood abduction means the parents who raised them will be jailed, but maybe also because they do not want to know, should they be forced to be tested, against their will? if their underwear is stolen from their homes by cops, if they are made to strip naked in a judge's office, will they later be grateful they did it, because this was a choice too overwhelming for them to make, and therefore it is the domain of the state?
the book argues yes! it does not seem to think these are overly difficult arguments! and i think that's simply crazy. the families the book chooses to focus on are all families who echo this line of thinking-- in the main narrated family, he is found by his biological family in his 20s and embraces them completely as his real family; his kidnapping father was a military torturer and domestic abuser, and his mother was violently domestically abused his whole childhood and they had a complex and painful relationship in his adulthood that he "came to see was unhealthy." in some smaller narrative families, the discovered children have similar narratives-- they perhaps initially resist "being found" but come to embrace their true families, with whom they also have better emotional relationships-- particularly the abuelas are universally adored, and one of them is noted to have "instantly forgiven" her grandchild for avoiding blood testing for years even though she DID NOT HAVE LONG ON THIS EARTH. there are a couple mentioned grandchildren who state that they continue to love the families who stole/adopted* them, because love is complicated, and these stories we do not learn more about-- maybe these people were less willing to participate in interviews.
i obviously found all of this unbelievably frustrating-- not because i think there needs to be more sympathy for the dictatorship military men & their associates for systemically stealing the babies of those they murdered, but because i think those grandchildren (now adults) deserve more complexity than is rendered here, in their multiple forms of identity, in their multiple different worlds, in their multiple different rights, and as people who are themselves people-- not people with a static "good" identity that can be restored to them in place of the "false" one, and not only as truth meant to be administered to a nation, nor the the reward to comfort an old woman from her grief over her murdered adult child.
all this to say-- i think there are many threads of much richer and more interesting stories of aftermath buried here, thornier stories which required perhaps more emotional curiosity and tolerance to uncover, and i hope people will continue to write those.
*there's a note in the afterward that the author uses "adopted" in an early text about this history and that now, knowing more, she would say "stolen"-- this makes me think the author does not know very much about "adoption" as a system, which is often violent, punitive, and reflective of social oppressions. the author also exclusively uses "appropriator" in place of "mother/father/parent" for the stealing/adoptive parents-- nevertheless, these people did raise their abducted children for the first 10-40 years of their lives. i would be curious what language the grandchildren themselves continue to use, and what diversity is there. for my part, and again, i am not a custody judge, i think there is not a hard cap on how many parents a person can have, and not all parents are good, but i understand that this linguistic trick perhaps makes it feel simpler.
i know it's crazy i'm giving it 4 stars after all this but it really was a great and very informative read, i just also had my thoughts.
August 4, 2025
I have many mixed feelings after completing this one, but it has nothing to do with Haley Cohen Gilliland coverage of this 50 year span of events.
This half century of history covers the Junta purge during the Argentinian Dirty war, the founding of Asociación Civil Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and then finally the reclamation of Argentine grandchildren who were stolen from the families of political opposers of Jorge Rafael Videla's state terrorism in the 70s.
In the 70's, Argentinian death squads in the military had rounded up men and women of a certain political pedigree, jailed & tortured them, and then dumped them in mass graves. Some of these individuals had children or were pregnant at the time, and the military decided to redistribute these children within and outside of Argentina. Mothers and grandmothers who spent the 80s submitting information requests to find their lost children and grandchildren to an uncaring bureaucracy had decided that they had enough and organized together as a single force to oppose the current government until they had answers. If their children were death, they would find their tempest tossed grandchildren to undo the Junta's grave deeds.
Gilliland's coverage of these events is elegant. There are so many elements to this story - the timeline she provides at the beginning had me worried that I would drown into all the details - but she seamlessly integrates all of these elements (people, political groups, scientific progress) into a single path which is impossible to stray from.
No, the part of this read that had left me with a bad taste in my mouth was the events themselves, and how the pursuit of justice conflict with and individual's rights to remain ignorant of their identity.
Throughout these decades, scientific methods were developed to be able to trace the grand-parentage of suspected kidnapped children in the absence of their lost parents.
On paper, it seems like justice will be unilaterally served, but as time had passed, these children had grown into adults who would barely remember their past lives.
If you were raised by one set of parents (who may have not been aware that you were a kidnapped child when you came into their family) were being asked, and then government-forced to submit DNA to have the truth hoisted upon you, how would you feel?
How would you feel if you were told you had to leave your current family for your genetic one that you did not even know existed?
How would you feel, especially, if your current parents could face jail time (whether it was proven or not that they were aware of your origins).
Unfortunately, history does not promise easy answers.
It also does not provide happily ever after scenarios, as evidenced by the epilogue.
This half century of history covers the Junta purge during the Argentinian Dirty war, the founding of Asociación Civil Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and then finally the reclamation of Argentine grandchildren who were stolen from the families of political opposers of Jorge Rafael Videla's state terrorism in the 70s.
In the 70's, Argentinian death squads in the military had rounded up men and women of a certain political pedigree, jailed & tortured them, and then dumped them in mass graves. Some of these individuals had children or were pregnant at the time, and the military decided to redistribute these children within and outside of Argentina. Mothers and grandmothers who spent the 80s submitting information requests to find their lost children and grandchildren to an uncaring bureaucracy had decided that they had enough and organized together as a single force to oppose the current government until they had answers. If their children were death, they would find their tempest tossed grandchildren to undo the Junta's grave deeds.
Gilliland's coverage of these events is elegant. There are so many elements to this story - the timeline she provides at the beginning had me worried that I would drown into all the details - but she seamlessly integrates all of these elements (people, political groups, scientific progress) into a single path which is impossible to stray from.
No, the part of this read that had left me with a bad taste in my mouth was the events themselves, and how the pursuit of justice conflict with and individual's rights to remain ignorant of their identity.
Throughout these decades, scientific methods were developed to be able to trace the grand-parentage of suspected kidnapped children in the absence of their lost parents.
On paper, it seems like justice will be unilaterally served, but as time had passed, these children had grown into adults who would barely remember their past lives.
If you were raised by one set of parents (who may have not been aware that you were a kidnapped child when you came into their family) were being asked, and then government-forced to submit DNA to have the truth hoisted upon you, how would you feel?
How would you feel if you were told you had to leave your current family for your genetic one that you did not even know existed?
How would you feel, especially, if your current parents could face jail time (whether it was proven or not that they were aware of your origins).
Unfortunately, history does not promise easy answers.
It also does not provide happily ever after scenarios, as evidenced by the epilogue.
January 14, 2026
Haley Cohen Gilliland’s A Flower Traveled in My Blood is impossible to read in isolation. The story it tells—of Argentina’s military dictatorship, its campaign of terror, and the systematic theft of children—falls into a grim historical line that runs from Nazi Germany through South America’s dirty wars and feels uncomfortably present today. The mechanisms are chillingly familiar.
At first, I found the sheer volume of names, relationships, and political actors overwhelming. But as the book increasingly centers on the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo—and their extraordinary collaboration with an American geneticist to develop scientific methods for identifying stolen grandchildren—the narrative becomes gripping. What emerges is not just a history of atrocity, but a story of persistence, ingenuity, and moral courage.
Gilliland writes with the control and momentum of a novelist, but never loses sight of the human cost at the center of the story. This is investigative journalism at its most urgent, showing how love, memory, and truth can survive even the most brutal attempts to erase them.
A devastating, fascinating, and necessary book.
At first, I found the sheer volume of names, relationships, and political actors overwhelming. But as the book increasingly centers on the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo—and their extraordinary collaboration with an American geneticist to develop scientific methods for identifying stolen grandchildren—the narrative becomes gripping. What emerges is not just a history of atrocity, but a story of persistence, ingenuity, and moral courage.
Gilliland writes with the control and momentum of a novelist, but never loses sight of the human cost at the center of the story. This is investigative journalism at its most urgent, showing how love, memory, and truth can survive even the most brutal attempts to erase them.
A devastating, fascinating, and necessary book.
August 17, 2026
📚🧪🩸👶👵NOVEL THOUGHTS👵👶🩸🧪📚
4.5⭐⭐⭐⭐
Before there was CeCe Moore of DNA Detective fame, there was Mary-Claire King, who in 1984 while looking for familial ties to breast cancer, came in contact with the Argentinian grandmothers (known as the Abuelas) to help them identify their stolen grandchildren through the process known as mitochondrial dna sequencing. Their grandchildren were the offspring of men and women who were activists who opening and covertly, protested the dictatorship led by a military junta under General Jorge Rafael Videla. These people, known as Los Desaparecidos or the Disappeared, were taken and never seen or heard from again but their children, especially babies born while in captivity, were given away to anyone and false ID,the circumstances of their births were made up and these children growing up, never knew they weren't biological children of their "parents." Once the dictatorship toppled, the Abuelas began to search for them and especially the children. These is where Mary-Claire King came in. She used her science to bypass parental DNA and use grandparent DNA to match the now grown children, to an Abuela who was desperate to find them.
This is such a remarkably well researched book which follows several of the Abuelas who founded this amazing program as well as several of the missing children. In addition, the author has given an in depth history lesson as to the continual changes of government starting with the Peróns. The constant political upheaval was a shock. I can't image how the citizens of Argentina ever felt at peace, never knowing if there would be a coup or another dictatorship or what. But the take over by the junta that led to the kidnapping of at least 20,000 people, is so horrible, it's hard to fathom. There was one quote in the book by one of the military who was involved in that time period said something like, "first there were the Nazis and then there was this." Ummm yeeaahhh!! While it was a slow go finding these now adult grandchildren, there were about 135 who were discovered, some willingly and others not so much. Once the Abuelas cause was known to the world in the 2000s, many of these men and women who had some kind of feeling they weren't the natural children of the people who raised them, came forward to see if their instincts were right; in most cases, they were. As of 2023, there were only a handful of Abuelas still living (amazing! must be the mate [mah-tay] tea!) but many could leave this world at peace knowing they had fulfilled a promise-- to find their disappeared grandchildren. Not so much with the bodies of those kidnapped, tortured brutally and killed and those who were finally prosecuted for these horrific practices, weren't telling. The most shocking for me was how many were taken in helicopters, drugged, stripped and pushed out of the aircraft over the ocean to die. There are no words!!!
This is not a book for the weak of heart but just like the Holocaust, it is something the world needs to know about so it might never happen again. However, in the Author's Notes, she does share all of the ways, in different countries in different governments, the killing rampages that go on. Why why why are human beings so bent on power at all costs even if that means killing people who just have a different opinion!??
4.5⭐⭐⭐⭐
Before there was CeCe Moore of DNA Detective fame, there was Mary-Claire King, who in 1984 while looking for familial ties to breast cancer, came in contact with the Argentinian grandmothers (known as the Abuelas) to help them identify their stolen grandchildren through the process known as mitochondrial dna sequencing. Their grandchildren were the offspring of men and women who were activists who opening and covertly, protested the dictatorship led by a military junta under General Jorge Rafael Videla. These people, known as Los Desaparecidos or the Disappeared, were taken and never seen or heard from again but their children, especially babies born while in captivity, were given away to anyone and false ID,the circumstances of their births were made up and these children growing up, never knew they weren't biological children of their "parents." Once the dictatorship toppled, the Abuelas began to search for them and especially the children. These is where Mary-Claire King came in. She used her science to bypass parental DNA and use grandparent DNA to match the now grown children, to an Abuela who was desperate to find them.
This is such a remarkably well researched book which follows several of the Abuelas who founded this amazing program as well as several of the missing children. In addition, the author has given an in depth history lesson as to the continual changes of government starting with the Peróns. The constant political upheaval was a shock. I can't image how the citizens of Argentina ever felt at peace, never knowing if there would be a coup or another dictatorship or what. But the take over by the junta that led to the kidnapping of at least 20,000 people, is so horrible, it's hard to fathom. There was one quote in the book by one of the military who was involved in that time period said something like, "first there were the Nazis and then there was this." Ummm yeeaahhh!! While it was a slow go finding these now adult grandchildren, there were about 135 who were discovered, some willingly and others not so much. Once the Abuelas cause was known to the world in the 2000s, many of these men and women who had some kind of feeling they weren't the natural children of the people who raised them, came forward to see if their instincts were right; in most cases, they were. As of 2023, there were only a handful of Abuelas still living (amazing! must be the mate [mah-tay] tea!) but many could leave this world at peace knowing they had fulfilled a promise-- to find their disappeared grandchildren. Not so much with the bodies of those kidnapped, tortured brutally and killed and those who were finally prosecuted for these horrific practices, weren't telling. The most shocking for me was how many were taken in helicopters, drugged, stripped and pushed out of the aircraft over the ocean to die. There are no words!!!
This is not a book for the weak of heart but just like the Holocaust, it is something the world needs to know about so it might never happen again. However, in the Author's Notes, she does share all of the ways, in different countries in different governments, the killing rampages that go on. Why why why are human beings so bent on power at all costs even if that means killing people who just have a different opinion!??
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September 5, 2025It really is a 4 or 5 star book at the least, but I can't rate it because it was too horrific for me to read. Possibly at another time but just not now. I only got about 1/3rd through these hideous regimes and horrendous practices. Worse than most any I have read. Argentina's history is violence in cycles that are rapid and often.
One extremely sad aspect is that those who have had DNA matches (after decades) in several (not more than a few to most of them) want little to do with their birth families or blood histories at all. Carefully, carefully taught.
The bravery of the seekers is legend. And also their demise too at times.
One extremely sad aspect is that those who have had DNA matches (after decades) in several (not more than a few to most of them) want little to do with their birth families or blood histories at all. Carefully, carefully taught.
The bravery of the seekers is legend. And also their demise too at times.
February 5, 2026
A timely look at the results of a fractured country, the Argentinian junta of the late 70s/early 80s, and the decades long fight by desperate grandmother's to find the children of the Disappeared.
Reviewers are not wrong to compare it to the science in Henrietta Lacks and the dynamic narrative of Say Nothing. This is equally as compelling and equally as important as either of those books.
Highly recommend.
Reviewers are not wrong to compare it to the science in Henrietta Lacks and the dynamic narrative of Say Nothing. This is equally as compelling and equally as important as either of those books.
Highly recommend.
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