Ever After: Fathers and the Impact of Adoption [Paperback]

Gary Coles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2006

Ever After: Fathers and the Impact of Adoption is the first book to integrate one father's personal experience with more general accounts of how men have reacted to losing a child to adoption. Informed by first-hand knowledge and research, it is an account of the impact of adoption on birth fathers and the influence of birth fathers on adoption.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gary Coles is a man with an adoption experience. He has a son, who has, since his birth, lived with another family. Like his first born son, Gary was born, raised and educated in New Zealand. Since 1969, he has been a resident of Australia. For fifteen years he was an exploration geologist, which allowed him to journey into the remote regions of the island continent. After 1985, he moved into managerial and process improvement roles in the resources and energy industries. He has never lost his passion for discovery, travelling to many countries in Europe, Asia and North America. Gary began exploring his adoption experience in 1992. As he has come to understand what it means to be the father of a child he has never seen, he has shared his insights with the public. Since 1998, he has presented papers at international adoption conferences, had over thirty articles published, is a past member of the board of the Melbourne-based state post-adoption services organisation, and, most recently engaged audiences as a speaker at seminars. He wrote and published his first book in 2004. Ever After: Fathers and the Impact of Adoption was considered by reviewers to be a landmark, because it articulated the perspectives of the men who hitherto had been scarcely considered in discussions and writings about post-adoption experiences. With Ever After: Fathers and the Impact of Adoption, his primary objective was to inform readers about how birth fathers are affected by adoption. In his second book, Transparent: Seeing Through the Legacy of Adoption, Gary brings the birth father into the mainstream, as a member of the family (mother, father and child) separated by an adoption. For the first time in adoption literature, the father is acknowledged as a significant contributor to the healing of the emotional wounds suffered by three adults - the mother, the adopted person and himself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Gary Coles (April 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0646431935
• ISBN-13: 978-0646431932
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,015,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More self absorption, June 22, 2009

By 

reader "reader" (australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ever After: Fathers and the Impact of Adoption (Paperback)

this book is about a biological father's experience of loss of a child. The premise of his circumstance is being self absorped and selfish in what he wanted - to not take any responsibility or have concern for others. In middle age when he has a mid-life crisis, he once again puts his own needs above that of his son. It is hypocritical, and demonstrates that he has learned nothing over the 20 years. Coles does make some interesting observations about self and development, but overall, his lack of generosity and his "stalking" of his son lead to a disappointing story.