Adoption and Loss: The Hidden Grief (Revised Edition) (Paperback)

by Evelyn Burns Robinson (Author) "I was born (towards the end of 1949) and raised in Renfrew, a small town on the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland..." (more)
Key Phrases: lost children through adoption, many natural mothers, adoption counsellor, South Australia, United Kingdom, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I have read this book and found it excellent. In my opinion it is the best Australian book ever on adoption issues. -- Barb Maison, Origins Newsletter, Victoria, April, 2000.

I highly recommend this book as a wonderful addition to adoption literature. -- Nancy Verrier, author

The book is far more than a sensitive account of one person’s experiences: it challenges our thinking about the practices of adoption. -- Lea Stevens, MP, Member of South Australian State Parliament, April, 2000.

To lay yourself and your family out bare like that takes courage. I'm very proud of her and honoured to be called her son. -- Stephen Ferguson, natural son of Evelyn Robinson, message to Book Launch, April, 2000. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
This book poignantly and thoroughly describes the losses experienced by all of those whose lives have been affected by adoption separation and the grief that they suffer. The book is based on the author's personal experience as a mother who lost a child through adoption and her experience as a social worker who has worked extensively in the area of post-adoption counselling with adults. The book graphically describes the disenfranchised grief associated with adoption and suggests ways in which that hidden grief can be acknowledged and confronted. The author explains how both her personal and her professional experiences have led her to the conclusion that alternative care for children in need must no longer include adoption.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Clova Publications; Rev. edition (September 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0646435329
• ISBN-13: 978-0646435329
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #676,597 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True Insight into the Adoption Process, March 16, 2003

By	Dave Perren (Adelaide South Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adoption and Loss - The Hidden Grief (Paperback)

Evelyn's book provides a rare insight into the mind of a mother who has given her child to adoption. It details the tremendous pain suffered because of this action and the life long grief it leaves. The book records the life of the author from the time of her birth till the present, and it is an honest and candid exposé of her thoughts and feelings about the conception, gestation, birth, and finally the reunion with her son Adam (later renamed Steven by the adoptive parents). Evelyn's story is one that has, in many ways, mirrored the experiences of many other women who have lost their children to adoption. It is a story that needs to be told and one that needs to be heard.

Evelyn raise the question of `acquiescence' for the natural mother and then dispels it by revealing the truth about the coercion involved in gaining consent for adoption. Evelyn also acknowledges the pain and hidden grief suffered by adopted people and lifts the veil of secrecy that surrounds adoption. She examines adoption's dark underbelly and the [idea] of silence that often works to maintain the spiritual, intellectual and physical separation between natural mother's and their children.

This book is highly recommended and a `must read' both for professionals working in the area of adoption and all of those many millions of people, worldwide, who have been touched by adoption. This book will be especially valuable to adoptive parents because it provides an account of the (often unacknowledged) experiences of birthmothers and their children. Many of these individuals have in the past, and will continue in the future, to be consumed by adoptions unresolved grief.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book., January 1, 2006

By	D. Ackles - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a mother who relinquished her son to adoption in 1973, I found this book extremely helpful and interesting. All of the emotions and questions I have lived with for the past 32 years were addressed in a manner which gave my feelings validity and reassurance. It is remarkable how similar my experience is to that of Ms. Robinson. From pregnancy to reunion I feel like I have lived a parallel life on the other side of "the pond", or the world as it turns out. I particularly enjoyed her "Part Three, What does it all mean?". I can certainly ruminate about my life quite well on my own, without the book, but this third part offered me empowerment to say, "Hey, I'm not the bad guy here, what was society thinking?" It's not a transfer of blame, but it is a challange to take another look at established adoption and ask some pretty important questions. I certainly would recommend this book to any natural mother separated from her child at birth, no matter where they are in their grieving process, as well as adoptees, as a means of trying to understand why they came to be adoptees. Adoptive parents should also read this in an effort to offer "our" children support for their whole person, and to become aware that the adoption story is not as simple as they might believe.

Thank you Evelyn Burns Robinson, your book is great!!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, December 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Adoption and Loss - The Hidden Grief (Paperback)

Excellent book. I am an adoptee, and this helped me understand as best as I can the experience from a birthmother's perspective. Highly recommended reading.