Review
"A beautifully written autobiography... a generous sharing of the toughest journey any of us will ever do and that is understanding, forgiving and knowing ourselves." --
Australian Adoption Research & Counselling Service, Autumn 1998"A moving, seldom sentimental, always honest personal account--one that sounds a controversial alarm. Dodds forces his readers to look at international adoption in light of the issue of cultural displacement and asks if its worth it." --
Tacoma Reporter, November 5, 1998"A profound and beautiful piece of work, one that everyone interested in the mind and soul of an adopted person should read. This book is about ethnic heritage, and a strong indictment of the practice of snatching children out of their country and culture, whatever it may be." --
American Adoption Congress, Fall 1997"Dodds is a gifted writer, spell-binding his readers with a saga that almost seems the work of a novelist. His life-long quest for belonging includes giving a message of hope. We give Outer Search\Inner Journey a five-star rating." --
People Searching News, Volume III 1997"Much is written about adoption but rarely from the absolute point of view of the person adopted. Poetic and well written and deserves to be read by anyone interested in the psychological aspects of intercountry adoption." --
British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering, Volume 21 Number 3 1997"Thought provoking and brutally honest, this book is a disquieting look into international adoption as well as a glimpse into a tortured soul. Peter's story is a moving examination of a life-long struggle to escape from a cultural no-man's-land." --
German Life, February/March 1998"We urge anyone involved with cultural issues to read this book. Dodds's description of his life is open, honest and painful. He writes smoothly, with no sentiments or regrets or self-pity. Well-written, thought provoking and intelligent." --
Adoption Today, April 1997"Without question, this is an extraordinary moving autobiographical work. The book illuminates the issue of international adoption, particularly the tragic problem of children who suffer the loss of being separated from not only their birth-parents, but also from their ancestral homeland and culture - their entire heritage." --
The German American Journal, January 1997
From the Publisher
Outer Search\Inner Journey is the first book written by a foreign born adoptee on the subject of international adoption and has received critical acclaim in national publications.
With growing numbers of Americans adopting overseas, Peter wrote Outer Search\Inner Journey to show the complexities of international adoption. Written in a flowing, narrative style that vividly illustrates the emotional and psychological aspects of lost language, culture and heritage on the foreign adoptee. Especially valuable for adoption and mental health professionals working with parents who have adopted from Russia, Rumania and other east European countries.
Outer Search\Inner Journey sheds light on the long-term effects of children who have been institutionalized. Peter, relinquished to a German orphanage at age one, spent 17 months in the institution prior to his adoption. The book chronicles his life from age five to 35.
Everyone touched by adoption can benefit from reading the book. Adoptees will know they aren't alone in questioning where they come from and have feelings validated about the need to search for biological parents. Birth mothers will learn how a child surrendered for adoption thought and felt about the woman who brought him in to the world. Parents who have, or are considering, adoption will gain insight on children's trauma stemming from events that took place prior to the adoption.
For the general or non-adoptee reader--Outer Search\Inner Journey is every persons search for belonging. Those who have felt lonely, isolated or abandoned will identify with Peter's story. But the book's most valuable benefit is that it is a moving and inspirational story offering a message of hope to anyone who has suffered the pains of loss and separation.
