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