Customer Reviews

Bones That Float, A Story of Adopting Cambodia

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
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From page one this book will grab your heart and not let go. It will move you to think about international adoption and the critical bridges that are being built between our nations and cultures, and learn of one woman's amazing work to build a school in a remote Cambodian village. Kari tells of heart-wrenching stories of Cambodian loss, courage, and triumph during the Khmer Rouge era. This book opened my eyes to what happened in Cambodia during the Vietnam era and the devestating impacts of that war. But, the beauty of this book is that it is not just a historical account, nor just a story of adoption, it weaves all together so beatifully, so humanly, that when you turn the last page, you just might feel, as I do, that you've read one of the best books of your life.

I thoroughly enjoyed the individual stories woven throughout this book. The life stories of the main Cambodian characters were so powerful I couldn't stop reading about their lives. As a parent to children adopted transracially and internationally I could relate to many of the emotions and questions that Grossman raises. However, I do not believe this is a book that will resonate with most adoptees, birth/first parents or astute adoptive parents. Grossman takes liberties where she shouldn't frequently stating opinion as fact. There are no references listed or sources cited in this book. For example, she states that half of adoptees choose to search for birthparents and half do not. However, there are no references to back up that statement. Most troubling was the following on page 140 where she talks about the US ban on adoptions from Cambodia stating, "Yet after more than four years of State Department investigations and ample gossip of brokering stories, no birthmother has come back to reclaim an illicitly procured child. The women of Cambodia are poor, not stupid." Again, no citations or references are provided. As it turns out the first statement is not true, birthmothers did return to reclaim their children thankfully before they left Cambodia. Anyone can read about it in official public documents. The second statement is so offensive, Grossman owes an apology to all birthmothers globally who have been duped out of raising their children. One only need to attend a CUB meeting or with human rights organizations in countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, India and elsewhere to discover that intelligent women have in fact lost their children to adoption following empty promises from unscrupulous facilitators. While I enjoyed much of the story, in the end I was disappointed.

With unflinching honesty and well-researched facts, Ms. Grossman details the plight of Cambodia's children as well as her personal story of advocacy for them. This book emphasizes that heartfelt, direct action addresses what meaningless political rhetoric cannot.

This book will prick your conscience and will have you asking "what's *my* Cambodia?"

Very highly recommended.

This is beautifully written captivating story and a must read for all! It's the story an American family that learns about the history and culture of Cambodia when they adopt a child. This fascinating story weaves the struggle of a Cambodian family who escape a repressive government and make their way to the U.S.and an American couple looking to adopt a child and end up adopting a country as well. A great read!

Once I started Bones that Float, I really couldn't put it down. The author, Kari Grady Grossman, has woven her journey, along with the personal stories of others, into a tapestry that reveals a picture of life in Cambodia and Cambodian culture. She followed her dream for motherhood and then--as every mother experiences--her life is shaken up from the known world of "before motherhood." But she was compelled to take it further. Her journey took her to explore a culture, country, and history; and what she finds is not lovely or comfortable. In an open and honest way, Grossman shares her own life experiences of self-discovery as she explores her adopted son's birth country, Cambodia. There are many painful realities of life in Cambodia and the story she tells is told to her from first hand experiences of people who she's adopted as extended family.

There are many inspirational elements to this award-winning book and the author did a wonderful job of integrating her experiences into a well-crafted read. This book is not just about adoption. It's not just about Cambodia either. And it's not just about the stories. It's also about how one woman took what she discovered and is taking responsibility to leave the world a better place, which, without a doubt, she is accomplishing.

Our book group was lucky to have Kari Grady Grossman attend our discussion of "Bones That Float."

Even though our group is known for our lively discussions, I have to say that the discussion of "Bones That Float" was probably the most passionate meeting we have ever had. She made us think and feel and examine our obligations as citizens of a world community and it was uncomfortable, revealing and empowering. For each one of us, this story brought out a myriad of powerful emotions and opinions that some of us have never expressed in public before. To my mind, that is the mark of a good book crafted by a good writer. Thank you, Kari.

-Paige

My husband and I have four beautiful children who joined our family through international adoption. One of our children is from Cambodia. I bought this book to learn more about Cambodian adoption, but came out learning a lot more.

I truly enjoyed this book on many different levels. Bones That Float is an amazing story of Kari Grossman's adoption experiences in Cambodia, and how she embraced the history and culture of her son's first country. The book really spoke to my heart. It is so important in our family for both parents and children to learn about the children's first countries (China and Cambodia) and to try to understand the circumstances that led to their adoptions. As an adoptive mom, I found this book invaluable. I also think it would be appropriate for parents of children of other countries - my friends with children from China are eager to read it too.

The book really has three stories - the adoption story, a story of how the Khmer Rouge harmed/hurt/almost destroyed a family in Cambodia (and their ultimate survival), and the story of Kari's driver, who yearns for a better life. Because of Kari's personal connection with the latter two stories, they are quite real and affecting.

Finally, Kari was able to establish a school in a rural mountainous area of Cambodia. This book is also about the ability for all of us to make a difference in this world.

This book is a very well-written account of three large topics - international adoption, Camboadian history and a successful sustainable, replicable education change project. It's a quick read in spite of the ambitious content. A great book for a book club review, especially since Kari will join your group by phone for a discussion.

I love books in which the author incorporates storytelling to convey a message. "Bones that Float: A Story of Adopting Cambodia," does that exceptionally well. In this riveting non-fiction book that reads like a novel, author Kari Grady Grossman--a documentary producer--brings the fabric of life in Cambodia alive through word pictures.

While it's officially the story of Kari and her husband George's journey to adopt an 8-month-old boy from Cambodia in 2001, "Bones that Float" is much, much more than that. Kari weaves two additional, fascinating storylines through the book, helping us to better understand the era between the Cambodian war in the early 1970s to the Khmer Rouge reign of terror to the reality of life in modern-day Cambodia. Kari narrates through the eyes of two Cambodians who grew up during the Khmer Rouge regime--one who later immigrated to the United States, and one who still lives in Cambodia.

Distressing and deeply moving, "Bones that Float" raises the bar for adoption-related memoirs. Add it to your "must read" list.

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As an adoptive parent of a daughter from China I am both fascinated and daunted by the prospect of trying to keep her connected to her history and let her be a girl growing up in the United States. Kari does a beautiful job of exploring the complexity of these issues and the brutal realities of modern Cambodia. Gaining understanding of another family's adoption story, a Cambodian refugee family's history, and a Cambodian taxi driver who cannot leave, provide me much greater insight to engage in conversations with my daughter about her life. Thank you Kari for broadening my perspectives.