NPE Surprise, My Birth Mother was Famous

Updated On: October 16, 2026

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Our guest this episode is Edward De Gangi, author of the book "The Gift Best Given: A Memoir." Ed's family twist arose when he was 70 years old. Ed was adopted as an infant, a private adoption, but he never had a conversation with his adoptive parents about it. He found out when rummaging through his parents things. In 2016, Ed did an Ancestry DNA test out of an interest in ethnicity. Ed's birth father was married five times, and Ed is convinced he never had any knowledge of his existence. The bigger twist comes with the discovery of his mother's identity. Ed's story gave us goosebumps!

About "The Gift Best Given": Set in the 1940s, as America emerged from the Great Depression and went to war, Ed's book recounts the search for his family and tells the story of a young woman's courage as she overcame obstacles to achieve her dreams.

Edward De Gangi's website

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