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The award-winning journalist and co-host of CBS Saturday Morning tells the candid, and deeply personal story of her mothers abandonment and how the search for answers forced her to reckon with her own identity and the secrets that shaped her family for five decades.Though Michelle Miller was an award-winning broadcast journalist for CBS News, few people in her life knew the painful secret she carried: her mother had abandoned her at birth. Los Angeles in 1967 was deeply segregated, and her mother—a Chicana hospital administrator who presented as white, had kept her affair with Michelles father, Dr. Ross Miller, a married trauma surgeon and Comptons first Black city councilman—hidden, along with the unplanned pregnancy. Raised largely by her father and her paternal grandmother, Michelle had no knowledge of the woman whose genes she shared. Then, fate intervened when Michelle was twenty-two. As her father lay stricken with cancer, he told her, “Go and find your mother.”Belonging is the chronicle of Michelles decades-long quest to connect with the woman who gave her life, to confront her past, and ultimately, to find her voice as a journalist, a wife, and a mother. Michelle traces the years spent trying to make sense of her mixed-race heritage and her place in white-dominated world. From the wealthy white schools where she was bussed to integrate, to the newsrooms filled with white, largely male faces, she revisits the emotional turmoil of her formative years and how the enigma of her mother and her rejection shaped Michelles understanding of herself and her own Blackness.As she charts her personal journey, Michelle looks back on her decades on the ground reporting painful events, from the beating of Rodney King to the death of George Floyd, revealing how her struggle to understand her racial identity coincides with the nations own ongoing and imperfect racial reckoning. What emerges is an intimate family story about secrets—secrets we keep, secrets we share, and the secrets that make us who we are.

In Michelle Miller's poignant and transformative memoir, "Belonging: A Daughter's Search for Identity Through Loss and Love", she embarks on a profound journey of self-discovery, healing, and the unwavering bonds of family. Through a series of deeply personal essays, Miller explores the complexities of identity, grief, and the enduring power of love in the face of adversity.

As a young girl, Miller grappled with a sense of alienation and displacement, searching for a place where she truly belonged. The unexpected death of her beloved father shattered her world, leaving her reeling from the profound loss and the realization of her own mortality. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Miller found solace and strength in the unwavering love of her mother and sister, who became her anchors during a time of unimaginable pain.

With raw honesty and vulnerability, Miller delves into the complexities of grief, exploring the myriad emotions that accompany loss. She reflects on the lingering presence of her father's absence, the longing for his guidance and support, and the gradual process of learning to live with the void left behind. Through her poignant prose, Miller captures the universal experience of grief, offering comfort and empathy to those who have also experienced the loss of a loved one.

As Miller navigates the tumultuous waters of grief, she embarks on a quest for self-discovery, seeking to understand her own identity and purpose. She explores the intricate tapestry of her family's history, delving into her ancestral roots and the stories of those who came before her. Through this journey, she discovers a deeper connection to herself and a renewed sense of belonging.

With eloquence and grace, Michelle Miller weaves a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. "Belonging: A Daughter's Search for Identity Through Loss and Love" is a testament to the transformative power of love, resilience, and the enduring bonds of family. It is a story of heartache, healing, and the profound journey towards finding one's place in the world.