What happens when an adoptee decides to locate a birthparent or a birthparent wants to find a child given up long ago? How does one search for people whose names one does not know? And what happens during a reunion? In 1983, Jean A. S. Strauss was faced with these questions when she began her search for her birth-mother, and in this inspiring new handbook, she shares her experience. Strauss will help you map out a step-by-step journey that will empower and support you throughout this significant time. Brimming with important reference sources and dozens of true-life stories, this valuable resource will guide you in:
Jean Strauss is a New York Times best-selling author, legislative activist, and documentary filmmaker. With her film, "ADOPTED: for the life of me", she marries her twin passions of adoption reform and filmmaking.
A graduate of UC Berkeley and USC, wife of a college president and mother of two grown sons, she began making documentary films at the age of 50. Her short films won numerous award and accolades, and were included in prestigious screenings from American Cinematheque's annual "Women in Shorts" which displays emerging women directors, to the San Diego Cinema Society's "A Year in Shorts." Her books include Penguin's "Birthright: the Guide to Search and Reunion", and the NYTimes bestseller, "Forever Liesl: a memoir of The Sound of Music".
She is currently working on two new films, as well as a novel, that has been 'in progress' for several years.
