Synopsis for "Faded Genes:Memories of a Motherless Daughter

For most, childhood is a carefree time. But for Donna Jean, childhood is
anything but carefree. Her mother dies in childbirth in 1961, leaving seven-year-
old Donna Jean and her 10 brothers and sisters to be raised in poverty by
their overwhelmed father. Growing up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she
and her siblings struggle to overcome their grief. Donna Jean vows never to
have children of her own, fearful that her strong resemblance to her mother
means that she, too, will die in childbirth.

This portrait of her journey from grief-stricken child to wife and eventually
mother is profoundly moving. Whether or not you've dealt with loss,
Donna Jean’s story will strike a chord within you.
Faded Genes: Memories of a Motherless Daughter is the second volume
in Donna Jean’s tale, following If Mama Were Here: Living Without Mama.