A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children

On March 24, 1976, a military junta seized control of Argentina, launching El Proceso—a campaign to crush the political left and impose "Western, Christian" values. The junta held power until 1983, decimating a generation through disappearances and killings. Among their most brutal acts was kidnapping hundreds of pregnant women. After giving birth in captivity, these women were "disappeared," and their infants were secretly given to other families, often headed by police or military officers. Grandmothers lost both their children and their grandchildren. A group of grandmothers formed the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo to find the stolen children and seek justice. At great personal risk, they confronted military officers, organized protests, and reached out to international diplomats and journalists. They became investigators, using disguises to observe suspected grandchildren, and partnered with an American scientist to develop genetic testing methods. Haley Cohen Gilliland's account draws on years of archival research and original reporting to tell the story of how these grandmothers fought against a regime intent on terrorizing the nation. The narrative explores themes of memory, identity, and family.