About this episode

Patsy Brooks-Tallant shares her journey as a Baby Scoop Era adoptee who uncovered family secrets through DNA testing and advocates for adoptee rights.

Our current guest, Patsy Brooks-Tallant, is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee whose private adoption was arranged through falsified legal documents, leaving family secrets hidden for more than six decades. Through years of determined genealogy research and DNA testing, she uncovered both sides of her biological family and now passionately advocates for adoptee rights, open records, and the truth every adoptee deserves to know.

People in this episode

Hosts: Louise Browne, Sarah Reinhardt

Guest: Patsy Brooks-Tallant

Topics covered

• adoption
• genealogy
• DNA testing
• family secrets
• adoptee rights
• open records

Keywords

• adoptee
• DNA
• family history
• adoption
• genealogy
• open records
• family secrets
• advocacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Baby Scoop Era

More episodes of Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

• Adrian: From Survival to Purpose · July 21, 2026 · 54 min
• Christy: Where Healing Takes Root · July 14, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Susan: A Story Rooted in Heritage · June 30, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Jackson: Between Two Worlds · June 23, 2026 · 52 min
• Anne-Grete: The Long Journey Home · June 16, 2026 · 1h 10m

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