THE DISAPPEARED
Inspired by the real mothers and grandmothers who spoke out against Argentina’s military dictatorship, The Disappeared is an award-winning debut about identity, family secrets, and those who endured decades of hardship to expose the truth.
In 1976 Buenos Aires, Lorena Ledesma is a housewife with dangerous secrets living under Argentina’s rising military dictatorship. When she and her husband are torn from their home by the paramilitary in the middle of the night, their two-year-old son is left behind with Lorena’s mother, Esme. There’s never any record of the arrest. Desperate to locate Lorena, Esme joins an underground group of mothers who are investigating the disappearances of their own missing children.
Inspired by the real mothers and grandmothers who spoke out against Argentina’s military dictatorship, The Disappeared is an award-winning debut about identity, family secrets, and those who endured decades of hardship to expose the truth.
In 1976 Buenos Aires, Lorena Ledesma is a housewife with dangerous secrets living under Argentina’s rising military dictatorship. When she and her husband are torn from their home by the paramilitary in the middle of the night, their two-year-old son is left behind with Lorena’s mother, Esme. There’s never any record of the arrest. Desperate to locate Lorena, Esme joins an underground group of mothers who are investigating the disappearances of their own missing children. But when they make a devastating discovery–that several of their kidnapped daughters have given birth in prison–a new kind of pursuit begins: the search for their stolen grandchildren.
Nearly three decades later, thousands of miles away, American adoptee Rachel Sprague learns she has a biological brother from another country–somewhere she has never visited. But the truth goes far deeper than the results of a DNA test, and revealing her origins will expose painful family secrets that could put Rachel’s loved ones in jeopardy.
A heart-wrenching drama that spans thirty years, The Disappeared is inspired by the true stories of the mothers and grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an extraordinary group of women who, for more than forty-five years, have been searching for children of the “disappeared”–those captured as dissidents during Argentina’s Dirty War.
- Blackstone Publishing
- Paperback
- April 2025
- 294 Pages
- 9798212638036
Buy the Book
$18.99
About Rebecca J. Sanford
Rebecca J. Sanford is the author of The Disappeared, recipient of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Award, the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award, and the IPPY Award Gold Medal in Literary Fiction. She received her MA in international affairs from the New School. Originally from New York, Rebecca now lives in Florida with her family.
Praise
“The prose is naturalistic, aching, and apprehensive…A tumultuous wartime saga, The Disappearedfollows mothers and daughters as they fight for personal and political truth.” —Foreword Reviews
“As Sanford links the story lines, she portrays Rachel’s cathartic discoveries in commanding and poetic prose. It’s a resonant and historically rich tale.” —Publishers Weekly
“The devastation caused by Argentina’s ‘Dirty War’ has no foreseeable end. The trauma lives on in the children of the disappeared, the mothers and grandmothers of the disappeared, and the society at large. Rebecca Sanford’s compelling book, The Disappeared, reminds us there is no ‘over.'” —Diana Taylor, author of ¡Presente! The Politics of Presence
“Carolina Hoyos gives a powerful performance…Hoyos convincingly conveys anxiety, panic, and fear, captivating listeners.” —AudioFile
“An engrossing lesson in the consequences of venal politics and an illustration of how trauma can move down through generations. It should serve as a wake-up call for any nation flirting with putting a strongman in–or back in–power.” —Washington Independent Review of Books
Discussion Questions
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In The Disappeared, we meet three very different mothers: Esme, Lorena, and Vivian. Which one of these women do you relate most to, and why?
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Esme believes that Claudio put Lorena’s life at risk. What role do you think Claudio played in Lorena’s life?
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The Disappeared explores the relationships between biological parents, adoptive parents, and children. Do you think adoptive children should know about their biological identity?
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Vivian feels that it’s a selfish indulgence to pry into her husband’s secrets. Why do you think she refrains from asking him important questions?
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How did the author explore themes of motherhood in the novel? Do you think motherhood is a universal experience?
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Esme believes that faith is belief in the absence of proof. How do the different characters in The Disappeared exhibit Esme’s definition of faith?
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Do you think Rachel’s behavior toward Jonathan at the end of the book was justified? How do you think Rachel will navigate her relationship with Jonathan in the future?
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The book explores themes of identity and truth. How would you react if you learned that part of your own biological identity was not what you thought it was?