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  • Illegitimately yours, Michael and Me: A memoir of secrets, adoption and DNA

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Catherine Taylor
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Illegitimately yours, Michael and Me: A memoir of secrets, adoption and DNA Kindle Edition

by Catherine Taylor (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars (532)
The story of two siblings, two 'illegitimate' children bonded with love, ambiguous origins and a destiny determined to keep them apart.
Author Catherine Taylor takes time out from writing erotic fiction to relate her true-life story of growing up as an adopted child with her foster brother Michael. This often harrowing tale reveals their lives in the sixties and seventies, and through to Mother's Day 1985 when Michael suddenly becomes a 'missing person.'

In 2017, Catherine set out to resolve the facts surrounding her adoption by taking a DNA test. The results are not what she expects. An ambitious undertaking follows using genealogy records, DNA-matched relatives and the construction of a family tree of over three thousand people. As pieces began to fall into place, her search takes an unexpected turn.

While seeking an elusive parent, Catherine is vastly unprepared to receive news of Michael. The closed door of an unsolved mystery is suddenly thrown wide open and Catherine is faced with the aftermath affecting many more lives than her own.
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  1. Print length
    180 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    August 6, 2019
  5. File size
    5.5 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07V4QG8PW
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 6, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5.5 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 180 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank: #417,054 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars (532)

About the author

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Catherine Taylor

Catherine Taylor

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Living in the South Island of New Zealand, Catherine Taylor has been writing for nearly fifty years, but only published her first book in 2012 to enormous success. All her books have been Amazon top 100 in erotic thrillers and three of them have hit #1. Her adult thrillers are sexy, action-packed stories, where the explosive and the explicit combine to create unique plots filled with romance, sex, twists and turns.

Her most recent publication is her true-life memoir about growing up as an adopted child while trying to solve the mysteries of her origins and that of her brother's disappearance in 1985.

Proudly independent, Catherine encourages other writers to self-publish, and mentors and supports aspiring authors with self-publishing tutorials in her hometown. When she isn't writing, Catherine is a wife of 37 years, a mother of four and a grandmother to eight. Her other passions include genealogy, film-making and acting, and she has appeared in two feature films and worked on film sets alongside such greats as Anthony Hopkins.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
532 global ratings

Customers say

Customers enjoy reading this memoir, with one mentioning it's a book that adopters should read. The book is emotionally engaging, with one customer describing it as a touching genealogical memoir.
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6 customers mention content, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers enjoy reading this memoir, with one customer noting how interesting it is to hear about other lives.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Equally sad and fascinating yet sprinkled with gentle humour and populated by a cast of unforgettable characters.Read more
Good read. Some of it got very technical in genealogy jargon that I didn't understand. It's a great memoire....Read more
I enjoyed reading this memoir. There were a couple of places that were confusing for me, but it's still a good account of the author's life....Read more
I enjoyed it very much! It was well written. It wasn’t what I expect but good. It was a pleasure to readRead more
5 customers mention emotional, 5 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book emotionally engaging, with one mentioning how it evokes shared experiences and feelings, while another describes it as a touching genealogical memoir.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Equally sad and fascinating yet sprinkled with gentle humour and populated by a cast of unforgettable characters.Read more
...It's a great memoire. Entertaining in finding who each person truly is.Read more
...She has been able to communicate the deep feelings that an adoptive child has regarding one’s parentage and the struggle it takes to find the answers.Read more
As an adopted child with my own family of secrets, this book was panacea to my soul....Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Marcy Anderson-Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars A book all adopters should read....
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    As an adopted child with my own family of secrets, this book was panacea to my soul. It is wonderful to know that much of our thoughts and feelings and longings for the truth is universal. Very well written, I often found myself tearing up over shared experiences and feelings.
    One person found this helpful
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  • TGoodwin
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed reading this memoir. There were a couple of places that were confusing for me, but it's still a good account of the author's life. It's very interesting to hear/read about other lives.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Terri Stewart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is such an interesting story. It truly is a small world and discovering where our place in it Is can be quite the wild ride!
    Helpful
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  • Avid reader
    3.0 out of 5 stars Depressing and confusing
    Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2022
    Format: Kindle
    The author keeps referring to her parents as so wonderful. They were alcoholics who drank so much they didn’t even know what dangerous situations their daughter was putting herself into. At 14, she’s going to bars alone, is assaulted, and has affairs with married men. Really? She writes as if those behaviors are no big deal. Very sad.
    Helpful
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  • cynthia j greene
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed it very much! It was well written. It wasn’t what I expect but good. It was a pleasure to read
    Helpful
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  • Mary Schmidt
    5.0 out of 5 stars DNA can cause grief and love
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Taylor has written a touching genealogical memoir. Having had my own DNA checked, twice, I found a lot of relatives and three new first cousins and we interact regularly. I believe in what this uthor did, her research, her tenacity to know who her family was, the whole bit. With DNA, a can or two of worms are opened. Not all people want to know the familial tree, some are gutted without this type of information. Sometimes, a family line gets complicated, but I've not seen any family line that was perfect. No one is perfect. I felt the author's anguish in my heart. Five stars.
    One person found this helpful
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  • avid reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars page turner
    Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    What a great story that’s been told so well by this amazing author. She has been able to communicate the deep feelings that an adoptive child has regarding one’s parentage and the struggle it takes to find the answers.
    Helpful
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  • fabulouschrissie
    4.0 out of 5 stars Michael and me
    Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2019
    Format: Kindle
    Storm gets a shock on Christmas Day when she's five years old that will have repercussions for her whole life and her whole family. A story of secrets and revelations that I enjoyed reading.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Julie Haigh
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing book.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This was a beautifully written memoir. So interesting, and fascinating with all the genealogical research and revelations. This is quite a short review from me-but I really don't want to give anything away, so as not to spoil the read for anyone-there are just so many things going on, and many totally unexpected. I was totally immersed in this.

    A gripping memoir of family secrets and lies, a tangled web, beautifully woven by Storm Catherine Taylor's writing. Photos are included, and an actual letter from her brother, Michael.
    Report
  • Patricia AC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Family secrets, and more
    Reviewed in Spain on September 7, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Glad the author was finally able to get the answers she was looking for and thanks for sharing the story. Rather harrowing. Well written.
    Report
  • Cleopatra
    4.0 out of 5 stars Part Memoir, Part Genealogy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Storm Catherine Taylor investigates the truth about her beginnings with the backdrop of a complicated family. Michael is her foster brother who she loved sharing their childhood and difficult weekly visits to their Grandmother and aunt.

    Storm learnt that she was adopted but what this meant for her, her birth family and her adoptive family was often in conflict, as I suspect it often is.

    The book was well-written and covers a lot of ground of missing people, adoption, prejudice alongside a more memoir style of a young girl growing up in Australia.
    Report
  • Tracey B
    4.0 out of 5 stars What a journey!
    Reviewed in Australia on October 19, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I added this book to my reading list simply due to my interest in genealogy, dna and the search for unknown family members. A few pages in, I realised the book was much more than I had expected - half biography, half adoption/family history journey. The very first thing that caught my attention was that the author had grown up in my own city of Adelaide, making the locations very clear in my mind. Catherine’s story and her openness about the very personal and oftentimes tragic circumstances of her life caused me to shed more than a few tears for the vulnerable little girl growing up in situations that I found difficult to read about. The strength of the author to share this story, as well as her subsequent search for answers, was an eye opening window into a life that has turned out far better than you would have expected. It’s a heavy read at times, but definitely worthwhile if you are interested in real life family stories and adoptees seeking information about birth parents .
    Report
  • SA
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and emotional read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    So much detail and history. Had it all.
    So many brave people facing such difficulties but determined to fight on with life and make the best of it. Look forward to reading the second book.
    Report
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