Cory Goodrich proudly lived the first fifty-one years of her life as the fourth child of Tom and Ernestine. Then, a mysterious photograph combined with a few comments dropped over the years by her mother like irresistible breadcrumbs revealed the truth. Folksong is at once a remarkable memoir of love and longing, an ode to self-discovery, an emotional ballad of grief and forgiveness, and a heart-stirring look at the lengths to which a family will go to protect themselves and each other.

Goodrich writes the story about the father who took her in, the father who took her away, the father who gave her away, and her 89-year-old mother whose broken heart finally gave out while still protecting the secret to Goodrich’s identity. Sifting through the remnants of a life captured in letters and old Polaroids, Goodrich discovers a secret that sets her on a journey with life-altering consequences. In the era of Ancestry.com, DNA testing, and social media, Goodrich was able to gather together just enough pieces of a puzzle locked away for over fifty years to clearly make out the unfathomable image it depicted.

Throughout, Goodrich reminds us that while things aren’t always what they seem, stunning fortitude and unexpected legacy can rise from the disorganized ashes of a toppled identity.