Coming in June 2021
Unacknowledged is the story of my great-grandmother, Emma, a prostitute and probable biological mother of someone famous. According to family members, soon after Emma gave birth, she relinquished her child to his father. Through DNA, family documents, interviews, and genealogical research, I have discovered secrets my family has harbored for over a hundred years. Unacknowledged combines a past and present storyline that partly fictionalizes Emma’s life and recounts my factual saga of discovering the secrets. My book provides a plausible explanation of how this rich, mysterious person may have come from humble, even illicit, beginnings. It is a deeply researched re-creation of the life of a poor Texas prostitute who lived at the turn of the century. Unacknowledged is also about discovering identity when searching for the clues in family history. It is a compelling narrative of an impoverished woman who had to make difficult choices in her brief life.