A Flower Traveled in My Blood

“Inspiring…A triumphant saga of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the face of pure malevolence.” —Hampton Sides • “Enthralling…Written with the nail-biting verve of a thriller.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) • “Extraordinary...A harrowing and timely reminder of what happens when democracy succumbs to despotism.” —Adam Higginbotham • “A heartbreaking and humane story of devotion and moral courage.” —Robert Kolker • “Piercing, emotional...Will resonate for generations.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)A remarkable new talent in narrative nonfiction delivers the epic true story of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo—grandmothers who fought to find their grandchildren who were stolen during Argentina’s brutal dictatorship.

“[An] astonishing story . . . Powerful . . . Harrowing . . . Absorbing and lucid . . . You would have to harden your heart to be unmoved by the Abuelas’ quest.” —Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

“An enthralling history of a human rights movement whose mission remains as urgent as ever . . . A Flower Traveled in My Blood reads like a Cold War thriller. . . . Gilliland interrogates what it means to pursue—and ultimately find—justice for the victims of these crimes against humanity.” —The Nation

“Immaculately researched and endlessly readable, this unforgettable debut is a testament to ruthless and unchecked far-right military control and the power of collective strength, courage, and protest to overcome it.” —Ms. Magazine

“A Flower Traveled in My Blood is an unflinching playbook of what happens when a government’s tyrannical impulses are fed as well as a heartbreaking, immersive account of what it means to stand up against injustice and demand that those who allow it move out of the way.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Gilliland’s first book (of many, we should hope) tells the remarkable story of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. . . . Grandmothers came together across social divides to fight for their families, sometimes discovering reserves of strength they didn't know they had. The Abuelas remain united in their struggle to this day and Gillibrand does a masterful job conveying their extraordinary story.” —NPR

“[Gilliland] conveys the complicated, heart-wrenching fullness of her characters’ individual stories and shades their backdrop with compulsively readable history of geopolitical tension and the emerging DNA science that fueled the Abuelas’ fight. Gilliland’s work, exhaustively and compassionately researched, offers a crucial counterbalance to the dark legacy of Argentina’s desaparecidos, injecting the light of a model resistance movement that lay the groundwork for future international human rights investigations. Her humility and respect for the fraught journeys her subjects made toward each other and for the vital questions their journeys raised—about power, identity, family, and collective memory and healing—ensure the text will resonate for generations the world over. A piercing, emotional tribute to the value of persistent resistance.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Enthralling . . . Written with the nail-biting verve of a thriller, this spotlights relentless perseverance in the face of unthinkable brutality.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)