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Articles
The Death of the Family Secret “Ancestry and other DNA-testing companies are bringing old family secrets to light. These friends are now dealing with the truth about their fathers.”
Letters: ‘My Dad Was Not My Biological Father “Readers share their experiences receiving surprising results from a genetics test.”
Not All DNA Revelations Produce a Happy Ending “For growing numbers, the result is rejection, sadness and emotional hurt, and there’s few places to find support”
Surprise DNA Results Are Turning Customer-Service Reps Into Therapists “How Do You Tell Someone That Her Brother Is Not Her Brother?”
When a DNA Test Shatters Your Identity How Catherine St Clair discovered the shocking truth that she was an NPE and how she came to create a private Facebook group
When a DNA Test Surprises You “As DNA tests become more inexpensive and popular, people increasingly find that a lifetime of identity can be turned on its head.”
Your Father’s Not Your Father: When DNA Tests Reveal More Than You Bargained For “Genetic tests are seen as harmless fun. But the secrets they can reveal can split families and leave users traumatised.”
Blogs
Books
Black Lotus: A Woman’s Search for Racial Identity, by Sil Lai Abrams “Author and activist Sil Lai Abrams was born to a Chinese immigrant mother and a white American father . . . . At fourteen, the man she knew her entire life as her birth-father divulged that Abrams was not his biological child, but instead the daughter of a man of African descent who didn’t know she existed.”
Exposed by DNA: A Path to Reveal Family Secrets, by K.S. Hopkins A search for the truth after a DNA test delivers shocking results
Go Ask Your Father: One Man’s Obsession with Finding His Origins Through DNA Testing, by Lennard J. Davis The “account of one man’s quest to find out the truth about his genetic heritage — and confront the agonizing possibility of having to redefine the first fifty years of his life”
If You Only Knew: Navigating DNA Surprises & The NPE World, by Lezlee Liljenberg Stories and guidance for those on an NPE/MPE journey.
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, by Dani Shapiro After discovering that she was donor-conceived, the acclaimed author has written a deep exploration of identity , bioethics, and the toxicity of family secrets.
The Lost Family: How DNA is Upending Who We Are, by Libby Copeland.
NPE* A Story Guide for Unexpected DNA Discoveries, by Leeanne Hay The first guidebook about the NPE experience, it’s a resource for people uncovering a new identity, their loved ones, and genealogists who encounter NPEs in a family tree.
The Stranger in My Genes, by Bill Griffeth After a DNA test delivers a stunning surprise, a genealogy buff “undertakes a quest to solve the mystery of his origins, which shakes his sense of identity.”
The Survivors: A Story of War, Inheritance, and Healing, by Adam Frankel “A memoir of family, the Holocaust, trauma, and identity, in which Adam Frankel, a former Obama speechwriter, must come to terms with the legacy of his family’s painful past and discover who he is in the wake of a life-changing revelation about his own origins.”
Who Even Am I Anymore: A Process Journal for the Adoptee, Late Discovery Adoptee, Donor Conceived, NPE, and MPE Community, by Eve Sturges, MA, LMFT An indispensable resource for people who’ve had shocking family discoveries.
Facebook & Other Groups
Film & Video
Little White Lie “A personal documentary about the legacy of family secrets, denial, and the power of telling the truth.”
Open Secret A film by Steve Lickteig that asks the question, “What if everything you knew about yourself was a lie? And everyone knew the truth except you?”
Stories We Tell Canadian actress and writer Sarah Polley’s exploration of family secrets and her discovery that her dad isn’t her father
Organizations
Coalition for Genetic Truth (CGT) An organization that aims to educate and advocate for adoptees, NPEs, donor conceived people and others fighting for their genetic truth
NPE Friends Fellowship A non-profit organization that “provides emotional, educational, and practical support to those who have discovered that one or both parents were not their biological parent(s).”
Right To Know An advocacy and education organization that believes laws related to genetic information, identity, and family dynamics need to be updated to reflect the changing technology and social dynamics of the times
Podcasts & Radio
Therapy and Counseling
Eve Sturges, LMFT: a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles.
Jodi Klugman-Rabb, LMFT: a licensed marriage and family therapist and creator of Parental Identity Discovery (see NPE Counseling Training below).
MPE Counseling Collective: group of therapists specializing in best therapeutic practices for the NPE community.
Parental Identity Discovery Training in a unique and comprehensive approach to working therapeutically with NPEs.
