By Haley Cohen Gilliand – Simon and Schuster, 2025
In 1976, a military junta took control of Argentina and launched a brutal campaign against anyone it viewed as a threat—journalists, artists, students and their family members. Tens of thousands were kidnapped, tortured or killed. One of the regime’s most disturbing crimes was abducting pregnant women, who gave birth in captivity before being “disappeared.” Their infants were secretly given to families aligned with the dictatorship.
For the women whose daughters vanished, the loss was doubled—their children were gone and their grandchildren had been stolen. Refusing to stay silent, a group of determined grandmothers formed the Abuelas (grandmothers) de Plaza de Mayo. These women became tireless investigators. Their commitment to learning the truth led them to American geneticist Mary-Claire King, who helped develop DNA tests that could confirm biological relationships—groundbreaking science that helped the Abuelas locate dozens of stolen children. (While investigating DNA science for the Abuelas, King discovered familial connections to BRCA gene breast cancer.)
Their efforts have helped identify hundreds of missing grandchildren and brought global attention to the fight for truth and justice. Their story is not just about loss—it is about extraordinary persistence, love and the power of ordinary people to confront injustice.
