If you enjoy true stories of faraway places and family drama, you'll love Born during the difficult era of post-war Germany, Inge Gertz was in an orphanage until she was two-and-a-half years old before being adopted by an American couple. In her early childhood adventures while living in Saudi Arabia and Libya, where her geologist father worked in the oil industry, the lifestyle of an ex-patriot family proved exciting in many ways and included extensive travel. But when Inge was twelve, the family returns to Westport, Connecticut. With that change, her parents' unhappiness and personal struggles emerged, ultimately leaving Inge and her two younger sisters to fend for themselves. With unflinching honesty, Inge gives voice to the much too common ordeal of coping with her parents' alcohol abuse, and denial. For Inge, that also meant experiencing the consequences of an act of violence that changed the course of her life. Through both good and painful days, Inge found her greatest joys and solace in her loyal friends and companions, her beloved dogs. When Charles comes into her life, followed by her five wonderful sons, giving her the family she'd always dreamed about but never had, she shares her happiest years of motherhood, filled with animals, too, from birds to horses to dogs. Her search for her birth mother brings a new dimension to her already full life. Despite the difficulties she's faced, Inge has had good fortune and happiness come her way. Her memoir examines so many challenges, but emphasizes the positive in equal measure. Readers everywhere will find themselves inspired by this story of one woman's well-lived journey. Inge's is a story of a life lived to its fullest. From growing up in foreign lands, to living with alcoholism and its consequences, to searching for her birth mother, to finally finding happiness with a family and pets of her own. You'll want to experience this true story of love, adoption, motherhood, alcohol abuse, and moving forward.