The Girl with Three Birthdays: An Adopted Daughter’s Memoir of Tiaras, Tough Truths, and Tall Tales by Patti Eddington
Memoir, Nonfiction, 240 pages
Published May 7, 2024 by She Writes Press
Patti Eddington always knew she was adopted, and her beloved parents seemed amenable enough to questions—but she never wanted to hurt them by expressing curiosity, so she didn’t. The story of her mother cutting off and dying her hair when she was a toddler? She thought it was eccentric and funny, nothing more. When she discovered at fifteen that her birthday wasn’t actually her birthday? She believed it when her mother said she’d changed it to protect her from the “nosy old biddies” who might try to discover her identity.
It wasn’t until decades later, when a genealogy test led Patti to her biological family (including an aunt with a shocking story) and the discovery of yet another birthday, that she really began to integrate what she thought she knew about her origins. Determined to know the truth, she finally petitioned a court to unseal records that had been locked up for almost sixty years—and began to put the pieces of her past together, bit by painstaking bit.
Framed by a brief but poignant 1963 “Report of Investigation” based on a caseworker’s one-day visit to Patti’s childhood home, The Girl With Three Birthdays tells the story of an adoptee who always believed she was the answer to a couple’s seventeen-year journey to become parents, until a manila envelope from a rural county court arrived and caused her to question . . . everything.
My thoughts about The Girl with Three Birthdays ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First line—"For more than fifteen years, I believed the tale I was told by an older half-sister I didn't meet until I was in my forties."
I used to read a lot of biographies and autobiographies but have not really read them for quite a few years. I think I'm going to have to start again. It's always interesting to me to read and understand what other people have lived through and how they are able to process their trauma, drama, and love.
The Girl with Three Birthdays is the true story of Patti as we watch her discover her true adoption story. I couldn't help but feel that a lot of adoptees would find themselves on the same roller coaster that Patti found herself on as she uncovered each little bit of her truth.
This is a well written, enjoyable memoir that I became very invested in. I was right there along with Patti as she unraveled her family tree and began to understand her past. I love the title of this story—it drew me in and had me wanting to know the answer. How does a person end up with three birthdays?
I received a copy of The Girl with Three Birthdays from the publisher and this is my honest opinion of the book.
About the author
Patti Eddington is a newspaper and magazine journalist whose favorite job ever was interviewing the famous authors who came through town on book tours. She never dreamed of writing about her life because she was too busy helping build her husband’s veterinary practice, caring for her animal obsessed daughter—whose favorite childhood toy was an inflatable tick—and learning to tap dance.
Then fate, and a DNA test, led her to a story she felt compelled to tell. Today, the mid-century modern design enthusiast and Jazzercise instructor enjoys being dragged on walks by her ridiculous three-legged dog, David, and watching the egrets and bald eagles from her deck on a beautiful bayou in Spring Lake, Michigan. ~ Amazon
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