Still, the Abuelas pushed on, developing ingenious strategies to continue their search. They passed information at fake birthday parties at cafes (where large groups attracted less suspicion), posed as mourners at cemeteries to gather intelligence, pretended to be “saleswomen promoting a new baby product,” and went for “pedicures to extract information from salon owners who had also polished the toenails of suspected kidnappers.” In one case, a grandmother arranged to be committed to a psychiatric hospital to gather intel.
If Gilliland had solely focused on the true stories of the Abuelas, her book would still be a noteworthy achievement. But she goes further, guiding the reader through Argentina’s complex political history — and illuminating the many ways the United States was complicit in Argentina and beyond, as, she writes, when “Kissinger backed the assassination of a prominent Chilean general in hopes of facilitating a military takeover of socialist president Salvador Allende.”
Despite the brutality Videla’s junta inflicted upon its own citizens, A Flower Traveled in My Blood is not without hope. Their quest led the Abuelas to Mary-Claire King, the geneticist who discovered the inheritability of breast cancer and who later helped the women apply DNA in their searches. In fact, “King herself posits that she and the Abuelas were among the pioneers of genetic genealogy,” Gilliland writes. Their efforts ultimately result in dozens of grandchildren being located.
It’s unfortunate, but understandable, that some of these reunions created a new set of complications. In certain cases, children had been adopted by loving families who believed the children had been abandoned. Others did not want to provide DNA to confirm their lineage.