Junkyard Girl

A Memoir of Ancestry, Family Secrets and Second Chances

By: Carlyn Montes De Oca

Narrated by: Carlyn Montes De Oca

Carlyn Montes De Oca grew up surrounded by secrets. She never knew her dad was a Marine during World War II or that her grandmother hired kidnappers to bring her mother back home after her parents eloped. Her mom and dad took an even bigger secret to their graves… Carlyn’s identity.

In 2019, at age 57, a consumer DNA test taken for fun revealed that Carlyn’s mom and dad, immigrants from Mexico, were not her biological parents and that most of her extended family, including 63 first cousins, knew the truth but never told her. In that instant, the reality Carlyn had lived with her entire life shattered. This revelation fueled her year long journey to find the answers to “Who the hell am I and where do I belong?” Questions that led her to unearth a truth she could never have foreseen.

Junkyard Girl explores the powerful impact of long-held secrets and the complex relationships between immigrant mothers and their native-born daughters. This is a coming-of-age story later in life, a tale about loss and discovery, betrayal and forgiveness, and the true meaning of an American family.

Junkyard Girl is the recipient of eight awards including the International Book Awards, Reader's Favorite Gold Medal and the IAN Book of the Year Awards.

©2022 Carlyn Montes De Oca (P)2025 Carlyn Montes De Oca

Excellent Story

I loved this story. I read it because it was a book club selection and the author is local to me. She attended our book club and it was a wonderful conversation. I can’t imagine discovering as an adult that you’re not who you thought you were for your entire life. I love the way she wrote her story. I highly recommend you read it.

Complex, insightful, informative, thought provoking a good read.

I read the book when it first came out and had perplexed feelings about the story. Now that it’s been several years I was curious about the audio book and if I still felt the same as I did when I first read it… I have a sister that I found out about and met in my early teens. While I have had a long journey I am ever so grateful for her in my life. This book stirred emotions about my protectiveness of my mother and how she has longed for love and connections. This is a complex story of family, family connections and how genetics can spark curiosity about one self… it gives a perspective and experience navigating through complex relationships. I think I enjoyed it more this time around especially hearing the author narrate her own story.

real and raw

I have never cried as much or laughed as much while "experiencing" a book. I say experiencing because that is exactly what it was. The author's realization/adoption story told in her own voice, with her own brutally honest feelings made evident with each word. I, too, am adopted, and while it was never a surprise (I always knew), there were more than a couple times when the parallels in our experiences brought me to my knees. While I realize that every single adoptee's story is truly individual, there is a comfort in knowing that, at the end of the day, we're all more alike than we realize or give ourselves credit for.