The Adoption Reader: Birth Mothers, Adoptive Mothers, and Adopted Daughters Tell Their Stories [Paperback]

Wadia-Ells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 1995

Adoption has always been a woman's issue. With eloquence and conviction, more than 30 diverse birth mothers, adoptive mothers and adoptees tell their adoption stories and explore what is a deeply emotional, sometimes controversial, and always compelling experience that affects millions of families and individuals.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Educator, writer, and adoptive mother Wadia-Ells has put together an enthralling set of essays from birth mothers, adopted mothers, and adopted daughters. Each story reveals a different facet of the adoption process and of family life in general. Wadia-Ells has chosen her contents carefully, and it shows. Stories of adoptions of all sorts?closed, international, private, and state-sanctioned?are included here, as are stories of a variety of women and from times throughout the last half of this century. Some adoptions were good for all parties involved, and some were not. Either way, the autobiographical compositions in this reader are consistently fascinating and poignant, and the broad spectrum of the writers' experience makes the book particularly worthwhile. This work is recommended for all public libraries, and academic libraries that support a women's study program would also do well to purchase it.?Pamela A. Matthews, Missouri Western State Coll., St. Joseph
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (September 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878067656
• ISBN-13: 978-1878067654
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tear-jerker for anyone touched by adoption, June 4, 1999

By 

Mindy Elliott-Adelman ([e-mail]) (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adoption Reader: Birth Mothers, Adoptive Mothers, and Adopted Daughters Tell Their Stories (Paperback)

This is one of the few books written about adoption that has brought tears to my eyes with the emotional intensity shared by the writers in their stories from all perspectives of adoption. I would recommend this book to anyone touched by adoption, or who is considering entering into the world of adoption, whether through adoptive parenting, placement, counseling, or reunion.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening views of adoption, February 7, 2001

By 

Courtney L. Lewis "Sassy Librarian" (Kingston, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Adoption Reader: Birth Mothers, Adoptive Mothers, and Adopted Daughters Tell Their Stories (Paperback)

This compilation of essays - beginning with birth mothers, then adoptive mothers, and finally the adopted daughters - goes above and beyond the usual "magazine style" articles on the quirks or perils of the adoption process. I was incredibly pleased and impressed by the diversity of Wadia-Ells' collection. Lesbian women, multi-racial families, and a variety of socio-economic backgrounds all lend to this book a wealth of perspectives. The contributors are thoughtful, often in emotional pain, honest about their experiences, and each one is a talented writer.

The one thing that did emerge most clearly from this work was the overall tone that adoption was an incredibly painful thing for all parties involved. The more positive essays were from the adoptive moms - birth moms and adopted daughters were obviously struggling to make sense out of their experiences. I suspect that there are numerous people on all sides of the fence with incredibly positive adoption stories, but pain often prompts us to find an outlet and for many women, writing is the answer. I do not regret for a moment reading this wonderful collection, but at the same time I seriously wonder whether adoption is something I'm able to emotionally tackle after experiencing Wadia-Ells' book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings a feeling of authenticity,unusual in adoption stories, February 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Adoption Reader: Birth Mothers, Adoptive Mothers, and Adopted Daughters Tell Their Stories (Paperback)

PACT PRESS: "The Adoption Reader brings together thirty-two autobiographical writings of birth mothers, adoptive mothers, and adopted daughters. Readers are taken on a journey into a world of women's deepest challenges to identity - traveling from the isolated plains of separation to the fertile grounds of connection -- offering a beneath the surface look at the discovery, excavation and assimilation of inner experiences. This is a book about women connecting with many parts of themselves through the lens of adoption. The collection presents a case for redefining what joining and separating mean and discovering new sources of adoption pride."