Finding Mary Smith

A Memoir of Family Secrets, Gray Market Adoption, and the Miracle Reunion with My Mom

Al Isaacs had built a full life—beloved husband, proud father, award-winning comedian, and respected improv teacher. But everything changed after the age of 50, when a life-altering discovery revealed that he had been adopted. What followed was an emotional journey to uncover his roots, reconnect with his past, and come to terms with a truth that had been hidden for decades. With humor, heart, and raw honesty, Al shares the twists and turns of his search for his birth mother, a quest that would reshape his understanding of identity, family, and belonging.

Told through the lens of someone who spent a lifetime making people laugh, Finding Mary Smith blends deeply personal moments with sharp wit and insightful storytelling. Al’s memoir isn't just about adoption—it's about rediscovery, resilience, and the courage it takes to rewrite your story when the pages you thought were written turn out to be just the beginning. It's a moving, unforgettable read for anyone who's ever wondered where they truly come from—and where they go next.

A smiling man with dark hair, wearing a dark button-up shirt over a white T-shirt, sitting indoors near a window with a potted plant in the background.

“If ever a book was worth reading, it would be this one. Al has written his memoir like a identity story like know other. When you find out as an adult that your adopted as Al describes, you can sense that the earth is shifting beneath his feet. It is that heavy! What makes this story so entertaining despite the subject matter is that the author fully takes you along his journey with comical relief. He has been a comedian as one of his professions, so Al uses the language of laughter to its full capacity. It does not take away from the heaviness of what he has gone through, but it helped in a way to inform the reader that Al was taking this big news in stride and utilizing any & all strategies to cope and share his story to the reader in a loving way. Al’s adoptive parents were quite the pair and as you will realize he was so obviously different than them, but it is Al’s personality that wins out and shows his deep love for them even with the secrecy of this discovery. So readers come along for the story of a lifetime (Al’s) that touches on so many things nostalgic including music, film, and anything you can imagine if you too were a kid that grew up in the 70’s! I am not going to give too much away, but Al’s findings are beautifully written about in this book!”
- Alesia Weiss , Founder- NPEN & Creator of This NPE Life on FB

“The Tom Kelly Show” coverage of my book launch event with a special surprise at the end!

PRAISE FOR FINDING MARY SMITH…

“Finding Mary Smith is a beautifully written, heartfelt journey about identity, loss, and the courage it takes to search for the truth. The story unfolds gently but powerfully, drawing you in through authentic emotion rather than shock value. What made it especially meaningful for me is that I found a cousin I never knew I had before reading the book, which gave every page a deeper, more personal connection. A touching reminder that sometimes books don’t just tell stories, they resonate with our own.”
- Marc Mero, WWE/WCW Champion, Founder and CEO of Champion of Choices

“Truly an epic of love, luck and longing for identity, “Finding Mary” is at least a four- or five- (maybe even six-) cry read. Tears of joy, passion, pain, laughter, and ultimately deep satisfaction as one man’s modest life on Long Island turns into a first-person thriller, with all the ups and downs of a classic Hollywood story (complete with an unabashed happy ending). Except this story is achingly real.

The tale is told in a voice as sure as a voice can be — because it’s so authentically his, and clearly the only voice that could be telling this story. Easy, conversational, hilarious, and poignant AF, as the kids say these days, once you start reading, expect to stay up late. I know I did, and I could read it all over again.”
- Robin Steele, Writer / Director