Books

Memoirs/Personal Accounts

Andersen, Robert. Second Choice: Growing Up Adopted. Badger Hill Press, 1993. : The author explores his own illegal adoption.

Andersen, Robert and Rhonda Tucker. A Bridge Less Traveled, Twice Visited. Badger Hill Press, 2000. : The authors, both adoptees, explore the consequences of relinquishment in their own lives.

Ballard, Robert L. Pieces of Me: Who Do I Want to Be. EMK Press: 2009 : An anthology(YOUNG ADULT)

Brooks, Thomas. A Wealth of Family: An Adopted Son’s International Quest for Heritage, Reunion and Enrichment. Alpha Multimedia, Inc.: 2006.Champnella, Cindy. The Waiting Child. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2004. : The story of a Chinese girl and the little boy she looked after in her orphanage.

Cox, Susan Soon-Keum, ed. Voices From Another Place: Collection of Works From a Generation Born in Korea and Adopted to Other Countries. St. Paul: Yeong & Yeong Book Company, 1999. : Stories, poems and artwork from adult Korean adoptees, mostly adopted in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Cross, June. Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away. Viking Adult: 2006. : The story of a mixed-race girl ho was sent by her white mother to live with a Black couple.

Desetta, Al, ed. The Heart Knows Something Different: Teenage Voices from the Foster Care System: Youth Communication. Persea Books, 1996. An anthology of 57 essays by teenagers living in the foster-care system.

Dodds, Peter F. Outer Search, Inner Journey: An Orphan and Adoptee’s Quest. Aphrodite Publishing Company, 1997. : The autobiography of a man relinquished by his German parents as an infant and adopted by American parents in the aftermath of World War II.

Eldridge, Sherrie. Twenty Life Transforming Choices Adoptees Need to Make. Pinon Press, 2003. : Interviews with more than 70 adoptees detailing their own stories and experiences, and how adoption can be both challenging and transformative.

Eldridge, Sherrie. Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew. Delta, 1999. : Written by an adoptee, this book delves into the complex emotions that adopted children may experience, and presents adoptive parents with suggestions as to how best to deal with these emotions.

Evans, Karin. The Lost Daughters of China: Adopted Girls, Their Journey to America, and the Search for a Missing Past. Tarcher, 2008. : Written by an adoptive mother, this book takes a personal look at the social and political climate in China that has contributed to the abandonment of Chinese girls.

Fisher, Antwone Q. Finding Fish: A Memoir. Harper Paperbacks: 2001.

Gowan, Barbara Ann. Blending In: Crisscrossing the Lines of Race, Religion, Family and Adoption. iUniverse, Inc.: 2007.

Green, Tim. A Man and His Mother: An Adopted Son’s Search. HarperCollins, 1997. : Former NFL star and now novelist and commentator on National Public Radio. This book recounts his search for, and meeting with, his biological mother and father.

Hamner, Kasey. Whose Child? : An Adoptee’s Healing Journey from Relinquishment through Reunion … and Beyond. Triad Publishing (CA), 2000. : Written by an adoptee, this autobiography details the author’s journey from relinquishment all the way through to reunion.

Harris, Perlita. In Search of Belonging: Reflections by Transracially Adopted People. British Association for Adoption and Fostering: 2006.

Hoffman, Denise M. Ocultando No Mas / Hiding No More: Unmasking Adoption and Reunion.

Hopgood, Mei-Ling. Lucky Girl: A Memoir. Algonquin Books: 2009.

Howe, David and Julia Feast. Adoption Search and Reunion: The Long Term Experience of Adopted Adults. The Children’s Society: London, 2000. : This work asks the question, “Why do some adopted adults decide to search for their birth parents while others do not?” Using a sample of approximately 500 adults, the researchers examined potential correlates with search, including: the adoptees adoption experience; their sense of belonging or difference in their adoptive families; when and how much they were told about their birth origins; transracial or same-race adoption; and their gender.

Jeong Trenka, Jane. Fugitive Visions. Graywolf Press, 2009. The second memoir by the author, detailing her attempts to make a life for herself in Korea, from learning the language to building ties with her birth family, and reflecting on her past challenges of growing up in the United States.

Jeong Trenka, Jane. The Language of Blood. Graywolf Press, 2005. A memoir of a Korean adoptee that reflects on growing up in Minnesota, dealing with questions of race and identity and eventually returning to Korea to meet her birth mother.

Jeong Trenka, Jane, Julie Chinyere Oparaha and Sun Yung Shin, ed. Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption. South End Press, 2006. : Essays, studies, poems and artwork by transracial adoptees detailing the complexities of international adoption, the structures that surround it, and the various tolls it takes.

John, Jaiya. Black Baby White Hands: A View From The Crib. Soul Water Rising, 2005. : A memoir set against a backdrop of an America divided between White and Black, this book details the author’s experiences as perhaps the first Black child to be adopted by White parents in New Mexico.

Kim, Elizabeth. Ten Thousand Sorrows. Bantam Books: 2002. : The story of a mixed-race Korean girl.

Kim, Sunee. Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Home. Grand Central Publishing: 2008.

Lee, Ellen, Marilyn Lammert and Mary Anne Hess, ed. Once They Hear My Name: Korean Adoptees and Their Journeys Toward Identity. Tamarisk Books, 2008. A compilation of oral narratives from nine adult Korean adoptees focusing on how they dealt with being seen as foreigners in their home country, and how returning to Korea to find their roots fit into the process of finding their identity.

Lifton, Betty Jean. Twice Born: Memoirs of an Adopted Daughter. Other Press, 2006. : The author’s autobiography in which she describes her own experience learning about her adoption at seven years old and struggling with questions for decades thereafter until she finally met her birth mother.

McKinley, Catherine E. The Book of Sarahs: A Family in Parts. Counterpoint Press: 2002.

Miro, Asha. Daughter of the Ganges: A Memoir. Atria: 2006. : The memoir of an Indian woman adopted at age 6 by a Catalan couple.

Mustard Reed, Mary. Oceans Apart: A Voyage of International Adoption. JKD Enterprise: 2008. : The story of a Vietnamese adoptee.

Park Clement, Thomas. The Unforgotten War: Dust of the Streets. T.P. Clement: 1998.

Pool, Hannah. My Father’s Daughter. Hamish Hamilton Ltd.: 2005. : A story about a woman adopted as a child from Eritrea.

Register, Cheri. Are Those Kids Yours? : American Families With Children Adopted From Other Countries. Free Press, 1990. : An exploration by an adoptive mother of both practical and ethical issues in cross-cultural adoption, from adoptive parents’ responsibilities to their child/children’s birth country/countries to the issue of wealthy nations’ sense of “entitlement” to raising foreign children.

Register, Cheri. Beyond Good Intentions. St. Paul: Yeong & Yeong Book Company, 2005. : Written by an adoptive mother, the ten essays in this book address the various choices adoptive parents need to make in parenting their children.

Rhodes-Courter, Ashley. Three Little Words: A Memoir. Atheneum, 2009. (YOUNG ADULT) : The author tells her story of being taken from her birth mother and growing up in the foster care system.

Robinson, Katy. A Single Square Picture: A Korean Adoptee’s Search for Her Roots. Berkley, 2002. A memoir written by a Korean American adoptee about leaving Korea as a seven-year-old, being raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and eventually returning to Korea to search for her birth parents.

Scheeres, Julia. Jesus Land: A Memoir. Counterpoint: 2006. : A memoir about a white girl growing up with two adopted Black brothers.

Schein, Elyse and Paula Bernstein. Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2008. : The story of identical twins separated at birth, and reunited as adults, and their journey for answers about their origins.

Simon, Rita J. and Rhonda M. Roorda. In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories. Columbia University Press, 2000. : Interviews with twenty four black and biracial young adults adopted by white families.

Strauss, Jean. Beneath A Tall Tree: A Story About Us. Arete Publishing USA, 2001. : A memoir about the author’s journey to find out her past.

Vance, Jeannine. Twins Found in a Box: Adapting to Adoption. 1^st Books Library: 2003.

Wadia-Ells, Susan, ed. The Adoption Reader: Birth Mothers, Adoptive Mothers, and Adopted Daughters Tell Their Stories. Seal Press, 1995. : Essays from more than thirty birth mothers, adoptive mothers and adopted daughters that offer a unique perspective on all types of adoptions.

Wilkinson, Sook and Nancy Fox, ed. After the Morning Calm: Reflections of Korean Adoptees. Sunrise Ventures, 2002. : A collection of essays and poetry by Korean adoptees from across the age spectrum who reflect on their memories and experiences growing up as adoptees.

Adoption History, Policy and Practices

Babb, L. Anne. Ethics in Adoption. Praeger: 1999. : An examination of the values and ethics underlying adoption practices in the US.

Berebitsky, Julie. Like Our Very Own: Adoption and the Changing Culture of Motherhood, 1851-1950. University Press of Kansas: 2001. : An examination of the changes in adoption practices over time, and how these reflect changes in definitions of motherhood.

Bergquist, Kathleen Ja Sook, M. Elizabeth Vonk, Dong Soo Kim and Marvin D. Feit (Editors): International Korean Adoption: A Fifty-year History of Policy and Practice. Routledge: 2007. : A collection of research and writings on international adoption from Korea, including discussions of adoption from the Korean perspective, historical origins of Korean adoption in the US, ethnic identity, sociological approaches to race and identity and much more.

Billingsley, Andrew. Children of the Storm: Black Children and American Child Welfare. Harcourt College Publishing: 1972.

Carp, E. Wayne. Adoption in America: Historical Perspectives. University of Michigan Press: 2004. : Essays on the history of adoption and orphanages in the US, dealing with issues ranging from conceptions of adoption in late-nineteenth-century novels to the construction of birth mother and adoptee identities.

Carp, E. Wayne. Adoption Politics: Bastard Nation and Ballot Initiative 58. University Press of Kansas: 2008. : The history of the efforts of Bastard Nation, a radical adoptee rights organization, to restore the legal right of adoptees in Oregon to request and receive their original birth certificates.

Carp, E. Wayne. Family Matters: Secrecy and Disclosure in the History of Adoption. Harvard University Press: 2000. : The history of changes in social attitudes towards adoption and issues of family history, including management of adoption records, over time.

Crumbley, Joseph. Transracial Adoption and Foster Care: Practice Issues for Professionals. CWLA Press: 1999. : A discussion of specific ways that professionals can help transracial families in developing their children’s racial and cultural identities.

Dorow, Sara. Transnational Adoption: A Cultural Economy of Race, Gender and Kinship. NYU Press: 2006. : An ethnographic study of Chinese adoption in the US, including interviews with officials, orphanage workers, adoption agencies and adoptive families in both China and the US.Fessler, Anne. The Girls Who Went Away. Penguin Press, 2006 : The stories of single women in the United States who, in the years between the end of World War II and the passing of Roe v. Wade, were forced to give up their newborn children. (website: http://www.thegirlswhowentaway.com/)

Haslanger, Sally and Charlotte Witt, eds. Adoption Matters: Philosophical and Feminist Essays. Cornell University Press: 2005. : A collection of essays exploring the intersection between adoption and relationships of race, ethnicity, culture and class.

Herman, Ellen. Kinship by Design. University of Chicago Press: 2008. : A detailed account of modern adoption history in the US, starting in the 1900s.

Howell, Signe. The Kinning of Foreigners: Transnational Adoption in a Global Perspective. Berghahn Books: 2007. : Written by a Norwegian adoptive parent who also brings an anthropological insight to an exploration of adoption policies, laws and interests worldwide, as well as the cultural, psychological and legal complexities that exist therein.

Jackson, Timothy, ed. The Morality of Adoption: Social-Psychological, Theological and Legal Perspectives (Religion, Marriage and Family). Wm. B. Erdman’s Publishing Company: 2005. : Contributors from across religious lines examine issues of family ties, cross-cultural adoption and parenting.

Jacobson, Heather. Culture Keeping: White Mothers, International Adoption, and the Negotiation of Family Difference. Vanderbilt University Press: 2008. : A comparative analysis of mothers of children adopted from Russia and China navigate “culture keeping,” trying to integrate aspects of their children’s culture into their children’s identities.

Johnson, Kay Ann. Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son. St. Paul: Yeong and Yeong Book Company, 2004. : Groundbreaking research on the societal pressure and government policies that contribute to the abandonment of infant girls in China, and how multifaceted the practices of abandonment, population planning and adoption really are.

Marre, Diane and Laura Briggs, eds. International Adoption: Global Inequalities and the Circulation of Children. NYU Press: 2009. : An examination of the perspectives of the countries that send children into international adoptions, and the tension that exists over beliefs about the motivations of international adoption.

Melosh, Barbara. Strangers and Kin: The American Way of Adoption. Harvard University Press: 2006. : A history of modern adoption, starting in the early 20^th century, written by an adoptive mother.

Miller Wrobel, Gretchen and Elsbeth Neil, eds. International Advances in Adoption Research for Practice. Wiley: 2009. : A compilation of cross-cultural and international attitudes towards adoption research and outcomes.

Modell, Judith S. A Sealed and Secret Kinship: Policies and Practices in American Adoption. Berghahn Books: 2002. : Written by a professor of Anthropology, History and Art, this book examines the debate around adoption, including issues of adoption reform, the experience of searching, and changes in political climate and welfare policy.

Modell, Judith S. Kinship with Strangers: Adoption and Interpretations of Kinship in American Culture. University of California Press: 1994. : An examination through an anthropological lens of symbols of kinship in American culture and how adoption challenges those symbols.

Nelson, Claudia. Little Strangers: Portrayals of Adoption and Foster Care in America 1850-1929. Indiana University Press, 2003. : An examination of representations of adoption and foster care and how those representations changed along with social attitudes towards issues such as immigration, citizenship, and family. The texts examined range from children’s fiction to academic works on child psychology.

Novy, Marianne. Reading Adoption: Family and Difference in Fiction and Drama. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2007. : Equal parts memoir and literary scholarship, this book is written by an adoptee and explores how adoption is represented in works ranging from ancient Greek plays to contemporary literature.

Patton, Sandra. Birthmarks: Transracial Adoption in Contemporary America. NYU Press: 2000. : Written by an adoptee, this book explores social constructions of race, identity, gender and family, and how these interact with public policy on adoption.

Pertman, Adam. Adoption Nation. Basic Books, 2000. : Written by an adoptive father and journalist, this book explores the recent rise to prevalence of adoption in mainstream American society, the negative stereotypes of adoption that still remain, and the need for adoption reform.

Quiroz, Pamela Anne. Adoption in a Color-Blind Society. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.: 2007. : An examination of the intersection of the political economies of private domestic adoption and racism.

Raymond, Barbara Bisantz. The Baby Thief. Carroll & Graf Publishers: 2007: The story of Georgia Tann, a woman who was lauded for her work in adoption, while behind the scenes she was abducting babies.

Rojewski, Jay W. and Jacy L. Rojewski. Intercountry Adoption from China: Examining Cultural Heritage and Other Postadoption Issues. Praeger, 2001. : A multi-disciplined approach towards exploring post-adoption issues for families with children adopted from China, issues ranging from acknowledging the children’s Chinese heritage to identity development.

Steinberg, Gail and Beth Hall. Inside Transracial Adoption. Perspectives Press: 2000.

Tessler, Richard. West Meets East. Praeger: 1999. : An examination of Chinese adoption in the US.

Volkman, Toby Alice et al. Cultures of Transnational Adoption. Duke University Press, 2005. : A collection of essays that aim to explore how transnational adoption is changing ideas about race, nation, kinship and belonging. (not enough adopted voices?)

Wegar, Katarina, ed. Adoptive Families in a Diverse Society. Rutgers University Press: 2006: A wide-ranging collection of essays examining many aspects of adoption, from the impact of the recent popular fascination with genetics to cultural assumptions about race and class.

Wilkinson, Hei Sook. Birth is More Than Once: The Inner World of Korean Adopted Children. Sunrise Ventures, 1985. : Findings from the author’s doctoral research on Korean adopted children. The author herself is a Korean immigrant.

Wolf Small, Joanne. The Adoption Mystique. Authorhouse, 2004: An examination by an adopted woman of the paradigms of adoption and how, because they so often have been set by people who aren’t adopted, they don’t reflect the realities of adoption and its impacts on people who are adopted. (author’s website: http://www.jwsmall.com/index.htm)