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Somebody's Daughter
’Her story is one that needs to be told and Zara does so with courage, insight and beauty’ – Nicky Campbell
Zara H. Phillips seemed to live a charmed life - backing singer to the stars with an incredible career here and across the Atlantic - but her smile masked a difficult childhood and the reality that she was adopted as a baby in the 60s. Her life soon spiralled and as a teenager she suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, as she struggled to find her birth parents and her true identity.
Somebody's Daughter is a fascinating and revealing account of how a beautiful woman's life has been dominated by her adoption and how it has affected her and those around her. Hard-hitting and emotional, Zara's memoir explores the needs of adopted children, with her characteristic warmth and wit, and the true journey it takes to find where you belong.
- GenresAdoption
288 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2018
11 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Zara H. Phillips
2 books11 followersFrom her auspicious debut, singer-songwriter Zara Phillips has led a charmed musical life. Her engaging and confident style combines strong lyrical themes with powerful melodies to create music that is both thought provoking and entertaining.
Zara Phillips began her professional career working as a backing vocalist for Bob Geldof. Live-Aid creator Geldof recruited Phillips for his first solo projects after he departed the chart-topping UK band The Boomtown Rats. She worked on Geldof’s album “Deep in the Heart of Nowhere,” music videos and television appearances on some of the U.K.’s most highly rated programs. She also toured extensively with Geldof.
Zara’s musical career quickly blossomed from that point. She continued her work on tour, in television and videos with U.K. artists such as Matt Bianco, Nick Kamen, David Essex, and the solo project from Dire Straits’ John Illsley. Additionally, she toured in support of Bananarama, with a ‘Perfect Day’.
Born and raised in London, Zara loved to sing and dance from a young age and enjoyed spending hours in her room writing all the lyrics to musicals and performing each part. She auditioned for school shows but was told her voice was too deep and never got the leads. A boyfriend persuaded her to join a band and soon started playing gigs around London. She also started tinkering with the guitar, asking any musician she knew (including Geldof and Illsley) to teach her a chord.
Zara moved to Los Angeles where she continued writing new songs and performing solo. In 2005 Zara finished work on a new CD entitled “When the Rain Stops” produced by Ted Perlman, winner of 2006 Grammy Award for Burt Bacharach’s CD “At This Time”. Zara’s work with Ted features 14 original tracks written by her (one track is a co-write with Ted).
Zara’s deeply personal song “Secrets” was used on the Emmy Award winning Daytime Soap, NBC’s “PASSIONS.” Two other songs, “My Time” and “Naked Loving You” both are heard on the soundtrack for upcoming films from Organic Digital Productions.
In 2008 Zara finished directing and producing an adoption documentary entitled “ROOTS: UNKNOWN” This educational and informative film focuses on the emotional influence adoption has on the adoptee and their families. Interviews and sound bites with adult adoptees, their families and children are mixed with artistic images of their art and creative expression. The film won Best Homegrown Documentry at The Garden State Film festival in New Jersey.
In addition, Zara is also an author. Her book, ‘Mother Me’ is about Zara’s personal journey to motherhood from an adoptee’s point of view. ‘Mother Me’ was published by BAAF (British Association for Adoption and Fostering) in the UK and was released on March 3rd 2008. This is an intensely personal and compelling memoir in which Zara describes her feelings as an adopted person and explores her relationships with her adoptive and birthmothers, and invites the reader to join her in her own journey to becoming a Mother. “It seems that birthing my children was also a birth for my whole self.”
“Mother Me’ was picked up by Gemma media and an updated version was released on February 14th 2011 in the U.S.A.
Zara and Ted Perlman got back together to record a new album “You, Me and Us” that feature’s ‘I’m Legit’ a song Zara wrote with another adopted person Darryl Macdaniels of DMC. The record has been a big hit withinthe adoption community. Songs from this album can be heard on Passions and Hollywood Heights.
This album is a collection of thought provoking songs with an acoustic and raw feel. The album ‘You, Me and Us” is available now.
“Beneath My Fathers’s Sky“, a one woman show that Zara wrote and performs in, is the winner of Best Direction at NYC United Solo festival in 2014 was also performed in LA, San Francisco, Connecticut, and in London in 2016 “upstairs at The Gate.”
Zara regularly facilitates adoption /addiction workshops with adopted families and their t
Zara Phillips began her professional career working as a backing vocalist for Bob Geldof. Live-Aid creator Geldof recruited Phillips for his first solo projects after he departed the chart-topping UK band The Boomtown Rats. She worked on Geldof’s album “Deep in the Heart of Nowhere,” music videos and television appearances on some of the U.K.’s most highly rated programs. She also toured extensively with Geldof.
Zara’s musical career quickly blossomed from that point. She continued her work on tour, in television and videos with U.K. artists such as Matt Bianco, Nick Kamen, David Essex, and the solo project from Dire Straits’ John Illsley. Additionally, she toured in support of Bananarama, with a ‘Perfect Day’.
Born and raised in London, Zara loved to sing and dance from a young age and enjoyed spending hours in her room writing all the lyrics to musicals and performing each part. She auditioned for school shows but was told her voice was too deep and never got the leads. A boyfriend persuaded her to join a band and soon started playing gigs around London. She also started tinkering with the guitar, asking any musician she knew (including Geldof and Illsley) to teach her a chord.
Zara moved to Los Angeles where she continued writing new songs and performing solo. In 2005 Zara finished work on a new CD entitled “When the Rain Stops” produced by Ted Perlman, winner of 2006 Grammy Award for Burt Bacharach’s CD “At This Time”. Zara’s work with Ted features 14 original tracks written by her (one track is a co-write with Ted).
Zara’s deeply personal song “Secrets” was used on the Emmy Award winning Daytime Soap, NBC’s “PASSIONS.” Two other songs, “My Time” and “Naked Loving You” both are heard on the soundtrack for upcoming films from Organic Digital Productions.
In 2008 Zara finished directing and producing an adoption documentary entitled “ROOTS: UNKNOWN” This educational and informative film focuses on the emotional influence adoption has on the adoptee and their families. Interviews and sound bites with adult adoptees, their families and children are mixed with artistic images of their art and creative expression. The film won Best Homegrown Documentry at The Garden State Film festival in New Jersey.
In addition, Zara is also an author. Her book, ‘Mother Me’ is about Zara’s personal journey to motherhood from an adoptee’s point of view. ‘Mother Me’ was published by BAAF (British Association for Adoption and Fostering) in the UK and was released on March 3rd 2008. This is an intensely personal and compelling memoir in which Zara describes her feelings as an adopted person and explores her relationships with her adoptive and birthmothers, and invites the reader to join her in her own journey to becoming a Mother. “It seems that birthing my children was also a birth for my whole self.”
“Mother Me’ was picked up by Gemma media and an updated version was released on February 14th 2011 in the U.S.A.
Zara and Ted Perlman got back together to record a new album “You, Me and Us” that feature’s ‘I’m Legit’ a song Zara wrote with another adopted person Darryl Macdaniels of DMC. The record has been a big hit withinthe adoption community. Songs from this album can be heard on Passions and Hollywood Heights.
This album is a collection of thought provoking songs with an acoustic and raw feel. The album ‘You, Me and Us” is available now.
“Beneath My Fathers’s Sky“, a one woman show that Zara wrote and performs in, is the winner of Best Direction at NYC United Solo festival in 2014 was also performed in LA, San Francisco, Connecticut, and in London in 2016 “upstairs at The Gate.”
Zara regularly facilitates adoption /addiction workshops with adopted families and their t
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 30, 2018
An extremely honest story that shows so much of what adoptees feel and experience. Also an adoptee, I saw myself on many, many pages. It’s extraordinary how similiar our journeys can be, yet we can feel so alone in them. Loved this book. Couldn’t stop reading.
June 11, 2025
As a fellow adoptee, reading this I feel seen and validated. So many feelings resonated and just made so much sense. I am so happy that Zara had her happy reunion! 🩷
February 15, 2020
I have always been interested in the subject of adoption and found this book a moving read. Emotionally, I was drawn to Zara's journey to find her birth parents. She wrote honestly of the process, which kept me rooting for her from beginning to end. She also described her addiction struggles and recovery which made this both a heartfelt and thought provoking read that stayed with me long after I finished the book.
August 3, 2023
This book was beautifully written and heartfelt. It tells an adoptee story --and reads like a novel. I mean that in the best way.
As an adoptee, I read so much work that is meaningful but not necessarily - entertaining (again, in a good way) and Zara's story had me from the beginning and I walked with her through all the steps of her journey. I'm so happy this book exists to share the depth of adoptee's feelings.
As an adoptee, I read so much work that is meaningful but not necessarily - entertaining (again, in a good way) and Zara's story had me from the beginning and I walked with her through all the steps of her journey. I'm so happy this book exists to share the depth of adoptee's feelings.
May 23, 2022
Well worth your time.
September 21, 2022
Finding family
An honest account of life as an adopted person and the consuming quest to answer the "who am I?" question.
An honest account of life as an adopted person and the consuming quest to answer the "who am I?" question.
May 22, 2024
We lead extremely different lives, and yet so much of what she wrote resonated with me as a fellow adoptee.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews