She was found abandoned in the lavatory of a cafeteria in Bogota, Colombia. The police who picked her up named her Maria Consuelo. From a stack of would-be parents, Colombia's welfare agency chose Valerie Kreutzer's application, and the toddler quickly bonded with her new mom in Washington, DC. At school Maria struggled with severe learning disabilities despite a superior I. Q., but also blossomed into an award-winning young artist. Her impulsive behavior led to fits and false starts during adolescence, until she found happiness at twenty-one with David and his extended family. Their love and lives ended in the curve of a rural road in Florida. A Girl Named Maria chronicles an adopted daughter's struggle with identity and her yearning for a birth family that may have included a twin brother. Maria's legacy lives on in this poignant personal story of one mother's unconditional love for her adopted daughter. I loved this book This story, although carrying the deep sorrow of a daughter's death, will give parents of transnational adoptions a guideline for their own experience. This book is a much needed addition to the adoption literature. Nancy Verrier, The Primal Wound; Coming Home to Self www. nancyverrier. com | A Girl Named Maria by Valerie S Kreutzer, Paperback | Indigo Chapters