THE LITTLE DARK ONE
A True Story of Switched at Birth by Shirley Muñoz Newson.
My life was flipped upside down the day before my 43rd birthday on April 7, 2001.
I had just received the DNA test results. This test answered questions that I had always had. Up until this point, my life had been a big question mark.
Everything – and I mean everything – I thought I knew about myself wasn’t true.
THE LITTLE DARK ONE
A True Story of Switched at Birth by Shirley Muñoz Newson.
My life was flipped upside down the day before my 43rd birthday on April 7, 2001.
I had just received the DNA test results. This test answered questions that I had always had. Up until this point, my life had been a big question mark.
Everything — and I mean everything — I thought I knew about myself wasn’t true.
The Little Dark One
This book will give hope to the hopeless. It will help those who have questioned whether life is worth living. I’ve been there and came out the other side stronger, grateful, and courageous enough to tell my story so that others can heal too.
Pictured with my son Austin — He’s been my biggest advocate. He pushed me to write this book for years.
The Decision to Share My Story
In the 13 years between 1995 and 2008, only 8 cases of being switched at birth were reported in the U.S.
Everyone has heard of being switched at birth, but it just doesn’t happen to people you know. This couldn’t have happened to me. But it did.
For the longest time, I felt ashamed. I had opportunities to share my story but all I wanted to do was hide and be invisible. I was afraid to open myself up to ridicule or criticism.
Thanks to years of therapy, healing, an unshakable faith in God, and the encouragement of my family, I found the courage to tell my story, “The Little Dark One.”
This book will give hope to the hopeless. It will help those who have questioned whether life is worth living. I’ve been there, and came out the other side stronger, grateful, and courageous enough to tell my story, so others can too heal.
Shirley Muñoz Newson
The Morgan Family
Left to Right: Vicky, Bill, and Shirley
Left to Right: (Back Row): Hilda, Gerey, Larry, Tom (in front of Larry) | (Second Row) Susan, a neighbor, Vicky, Lynda | (Front Row): Donny and Shirley
Left to Right: (Baby in the swing was a neighbor), Tom, Vicky, another neighbor, Susan holding Bill and Shirley
The Muñoz Family
Polly Muñoz at approximately 22 years old
Polly (Left) and Shirley (Right) at approximately 18 years old
Polly, Shirley, Aunt Mary, and Jon
Featured Videos
Watch the video book trailer from publisher New Degree Press for The Little Dark One — with audio from author Shirley Muñoz Newson.
Author Shirley Muñoz Newson shares her experience in her first podcast interview with an Emmy-winning TV producer based in Los Angeles.
Switched at birth. Gillette woman shares her story to inspire others facing difficult situations. — By Cary Littlejohn, Gillette News Record, April 30, 2022
Shirley Newson was born Shirley Muñoz but grew up Shirley Morgan. She felt ill at ease as a Morgan, as if she didn’t belong. And she didn’t. She wasn’t a Morgan. But she wasn’t really a Muñoz, either. She was both. And she was neither.
She searched for belonging by looking to the past, and what she found failed to sustain her. So she forged ahead, despite an unknown nature and unforgiving nurture, to build a life of her own. After ups and downs, she succeeded, and therein lies her story’s happy ending.
*Requires a subscription to gillettenewsrecord.com.
Podcast
Missing Pieces – NPE Life
This podcast curates stories of and about people who find out their father isn’t who they thought. NPE stands for Not Parent Expected or Non-Paternity Event. The host, Don Anderson, found out in 2021 that his dad wasn’t his dad. It changed his life. All of a sudden, the missing pieces fell into place.
Don reached out to Shirley about telling her story — the day she submitted her manuscript to her editor. After 20 years, she was finally ready to talk about her story. Check out Missing Pieces — NPE Life, Season 1, Episodes 5 and 6.
