Here are some simple reviews of Adoption Themed Biographies/Novels that I have read. These are my opinions, and always, if you have read these books, I’d love to hear your opinion too. For more detailed reviews, check out my reviews on Instagram @adoption.books
Dear Wonderful You: Letters To Adopted And Foster Youth, edited by Diane Rene Christian and Mei-Mei Akwai Elderman, PhD – This is an excellent adoptee centric resource. This books includes entries from various adoptees and former foster youth in a wide variety of genres. Recommended for teens and adult readers.
Beyond Two Worlds: An Taiwanese American Adoptee’s Memoir and Search for Identity, by Marijane Huang – Adoptee centric, autobiography by a Taiwanese adoptee. Details her childhood, discovery of adoption documents and search for bio family. Written in an easy to read, blog style format.
Umbilicus: An Autobiographical Novel, by Paula Guben – This is an autobiography written by a South African adoptee in reunion. It contains remembrances of her childhood thoughts on her adoption situation, as well as conversations and letters between her and her family.
All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir, by Nicole Chung – A domestic, transracial adoptee shares her life story beginning with her adoption and childhood as an only child and her journey of becoming a parent sparking her search for the whole truth about who she is and where she came from. This is a unique and powerful story of our deep connection to family.
Lion: A Long Way Home, by Saroo Briarly – This facinating memoir follows an Indian adoptees path from rural India, to Australia and back again as he recounts his early childhood and his search for the home and family he lost. You will not be able to put this book down!
Choosing to See: A Journey Of Struggle And Hope, by Mary Beth Chapman – Christian faith-based autobiography of a mom’s adoption of her daughters from China and loss of a child. This is a book about faith and grief. It is AP centric and contains some adoption-as-saviorism leaning comments.
The Lucky Few: Finding God’s Best in The Most Unlikely Places, by Heather Avis – Christian faith-based autobiography by adoptive mom who adopts 3 children through domestic adoption, one who is a transracial adoptee, and two of whom are children with downs syndrome. Very AP centric, includes discussion of events with birth families and honours them, however, the book really centers on the thoughts, feelings and fears of the APs.
Wait No More: One Family’s Amazing Adoption Journey, by Kelly and John Rosati – Christian faith-based autobiography of parents adopting their children though foster care in Hawaii. Uses some old adoption language that I don’t like. It is AP centric, and does not guard the privacy of the children or the biological families well.
Treasury of Adoption Miracles: True Stories Of God’s Presence Today, by Karen Kingsbury –This is a collection of true, miraculous events around adoption, from a Christian-faith based perspective. Sadly, the language is NOT up to date, and doesn’t acknowledge the complexity of adoption well. The book uses some very AP (adoptive parent) centric language, but includes stories from all members of the adoption triad retold by an AP.
Kirabo: A Journey Of Faith, Love & Adoption, by Kveta Rose – This is an AP centric, biography written about a young single mother’s adoption of son from Ethiopia. Christian faith based and focused on the mother’s obedience to God. I love the insistence on ethical international adoption practices, but the privacy of the adoptee is not well protected.
Open: An Adoption Story in Three Voices, written by Alaina O’Connell, Alex Porter & Sara O’Connell. This is an account of domestic infant adoption told between two people- an adoptive mom and an expectant mom (turned first mom) during their process of deciding to adopt/place, meeting each other, loosing/gaining a daughter, and finishes off with a very short conclusion by the adult adoptee- the central character whose fate is determined by the women who adopted and relinquished her. It is told primary by the AP, secondly by the first mother and a brief portion by the adoptee. It is honest and raw (to the point where I was often uncomfortable with what the AP shared) and definitely focuses the most on the thoughts, feelings and desires of the AP. I found the most value in the voice of the first mom.
Through Adopted Eyes: A Collection Of Memoirs From Adoptees, written and compiled by Elena S. Hall, published 2018. This book is full of submissions from adult adoptees who have all different types of adoption experiences, with the intent of elevating the adoptee voice and promoting adoption. The first fifth of the book is thoughts from the author, and the remainder is made up of 50 other people answering a set of questions from the author. Great resource to learn from a wide variety of adult adoptee voices! Highly recommended.