Dorothy Benham, Miss America 1977 Reveals Family Secrets In New Book "Bastard Queen"

    NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL, August 30, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dorothy Benham hails from Minneapolis, MN and was Miss Minnesota 1976 and subsequently Miss America 1977. Throughout her life she has been fascinated with genealogy. By mere chance, in 2020, she came across a secret that had been hidden from her for her entire life. Her new book, Bastard Queen, reveals that secret. This is a story of secrets, acceptance and forgiveness.

At 20 years of age Dorothy Benham achieved many little girls' dream of becoming Miss America, but who is Dorothy Benham? Child model, Homecoming Queen, Classical Singer, Broadway Performer, Mother of 6 and the daughter of a mother who kept parts of her past locked away even unto death.

This book is not only an intriguing adventure of genealogical detective work but a testament to the understanding and accepting one's parents for their choices and idiosyncrasies. Told with humor and a sense of self awareness, Ms.Benham chronicles her life growing up in Minneapolis MN, being Miss America, Raising 6 children while maintaining a career and eventually the clues that led her to the truth about her past.

As she writes for the back cover of her book "Mother never had the courage to tell me and she outlived ALMOST everyone who knew the truth. I feel she was ashamed and that later in life thought 'What does it matter?' Well, it matters to me. My children and grandchildren deserve to know their history too"

Bastard Queen is published by Briton Publishing and is available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon Books.

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