Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage [Kindle Edition]

Kay Bratt (Author)

Book Description

Irrepressible memories. Vacant eyes. A child being dangled from a third story window. A boy tied to a chair. Children sleeping in layers of clothing to fight off the bitter cold. An infant dying from starvation. Some things your mind will never allow you to forget.

Silent Tears is the true story of the adversity and triumphs one woman faced as she fought against the Chinese bureaucracy to help that country’s orphaned children.

In 2003, Kay Bratt’s life changed dramatically. A wife and mother of two girls in South Carolina, Bratt relocated her family to rural China to support her husband as he took on a new management position for his American employer. Seeking a way to fill her days and overcome the isolation she experienced upon arriving in a foreign country, Bratt began volunteering at the local orphanage. Within months, her simple desire to make use of her time transformed into a heroic crusade to improve the living conditions and minimize the unnecessary deaths of Chinese orphans.

Silent Tears traces the emotional hurdles and daily frustrations faced by Ms. Bratt as she tried to change the social conditions for these marginalized children. The memoir vividly illustrates how she was able to pull from reservoirs of inner strength to pursue her mission day after day, leaving the reader with the resounding message that everyone really can make a difference.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

“An eye-opening account of life in China’s orphanages. Kay Bratt vividly details the conditions and realities faced by Chinese orphans in an easy-to-read manner that draws the reader in to the heart-wrenching moments she has experienced in her work to bring hope to these children.”—Dan Cruver, cofounder and director of Together for Adoption

When her family relocated to rural China in 2003, Kay Bratt was thrust into a new world, one where boys were considered more valuable than girls and poverty and the one-child policy had created an epidemic of abandoned infants. As a volunteer at a local orphanage, Bratt witnessed conditions that were unfathomable to a middle-class mother of two from South Carolina.

 

Based on Bratt’s diary of her four years working at the orphanage, Silent Tears offers a searing account of young lives rendered disposable. In the face of an implacable system, Bratt found ways to work within (and around) the rules to make a better future for the children, whom she came to love. Her story balances the sadness and struggles of life in the orphanage with moments of joy, optimism, faith, and victory. It is the story of hundreds of children—and one woman who never planned on becoming a hero but became one anyway.

Kay Bratt continues to raise awareness and advocate for at-risk children. In China, she was honored with the 2006 Pride of the City award for her humanitarian work. She is the founder of the Mifan Mommy Club, an online organization that provides rice for children in China’s orphanages, and is also an active volunteer for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for abused and neglected children. Kay currently resides in Georgia with her husband and daughter.

About the Author

Kay Bratt is a child advocate and author, residing in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina with her husband, daughter, dog, and cat. Kay lived in China for over four years and because of her experiences working with orphans, she strives to be the voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. She is currently an active volunteer for the non-profit organization called An Orphans Wish (AOW). If you would like to read more about what started her career as an author, and also meet the children she knew and loved in China, read her poignant memoir titled Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage.

Product Details

• File Size: 370 KB
• Print Length: 354 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0982555008
• Publisher: AmazonEncore (March 30, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0031R5JSM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,377 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Ethnic Studies
  • #15 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Chinese
  • #23 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Specific Demographics > Ethnic Studies

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

246 of 260 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You For Our Son July 31, 2008

By Avid Reader

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Kay,
This is Le Men's dad. (Le Men was a heart baby in the orphanage described in this book.)

I wanted to write to you and let you know what an astounding service you have done in the publishing of your book. You have provided a glimpse into a world that many, including myself, are unable to fathom and terrified of realizing really exists. As the father of eight, I love my children more desperately than most people can comprehend. And so, it is difficult for me to comprehend situations of abuse and neglect like you describe. I would not have had the strength and determination that you showed to continue returning. I have great confidence in my skills and ability to succeed in many areas in this world. In the battle you faced, I am ashamed to say I would have failed. My love for children would not have been sufficient to overcome my weaknesses.

You asked in your book how God could let these children suffer. I believe in a loving and compassionate God. But, I also believe that we have free will and that nature will play its role of random change within our lives. The whims of men and culture created the situations you describe, not God. God provides the canvas and the paint. We provide the hand. He gently guides the brush when we ask Him.

As I read your book I started out with anger as I read of the suffering of the children. As I read deeper into your story I began to understand, as you did, that the staff in the orphanage were buffering themselves emotionally in a situation that was largely a no win situation. It brought to mind stories from the Civil War and Vietnam where doctors quickly amputated limbs to save a life because there were not sufficient resources, personnel or supplies to save limbs or lives of all those injured. Better to save something than to lose it all. But, it takes an emotional buffering to operate in such situations as you describe. I do not think I could have faced it.

Until I read your book, I did not understand the linkage my wife and I truly played in adopting our four lovely children from China. People tell us 'what a wonderful thing you have done'. We reply 'we did it out of selfishness, an overwhelming desire to have more children in our lives and our family'. I am sure many think we are being modest, but this is very true for us. We never approached adoption as a means of rescuing a child. We were driven by an incredible need to love children. Frankly, it was a need that neither of us fully understood then or now. We did not know of the desperation of the children other than through fleeting comments or inferences or rumors.

Now, I understand that God was guiding my wife and me in ways we did not recognize. We were definitely responding to your prayers without knowing of you or the influence your prayers were having in our lives. I know in my heart that God spoke to us and guided us even as you spoke to Him. So, have faith that God does listen to prayers and does work in ways we can not fathom.

Thank you for all you did for our lovely Le Men. He is truly an astounding boy and will grow into an amazing man. He is loaded with love and compassion and he continues to teach us and expand us each day. These are things that you made possible through your determination to save a child. We have purchased an additional copy of your book to keep for him until he is old enough to read it and understand your blessings, sacrifices and determination that made his life possible.

Thank you for what you have done and the sacrifices you have made. Your incredible determination resulted in simple acts of love and kindness that can change a world. I am sure the Lord will bless and keep you and yours.

89 of 97 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great topic...average writing January 17, 2009

By Young Bob

Format:Paperback

My wife and I have been blessed with a daughter we adopted from China. I saw this book on Amazon and was looking forward to reading it and gaining some knowledge of a Chinese orphanage.

I received this book for Christmas and started reading it almost immediately upon opening the gift. I made it quickly through the initial chapters but kept waiting for something that never seemed to develop. While the story is moving and the author should be applauded for her efforts to improve the orphange at which she volunteered, it is my opinion her writing style left a great deal to be desired. I guess I was hoping for a better written story with more depth and instead found myself reading a blog of her daily activities.

I would still recommend this book for parents of adopted Chinese chidren or for people with an interest in the story of an orphanage in China. While I'm certain my review will be unpopular, I guess I was simply expecting more and want to let others know my opinion.

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A story that needed to be told July 18, 2008

By reading mom

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As the mother of a child adopted from China, I was very interested in reading this book. When it arrived, I couldn't put it down until I got to the last page and yes, I cried throughout.

Kay Bratt tells an important story about the institutional environment so many of our children were raised in. Understanding the trauma they have been through goes a long way to knowing how to help them recover. While this is the story of one orphanage in one country, I imagine the scenarios could be true in far too many places. A must read for parents adopting from an orphanage.

More About the Author

About the Author
Kay Bratt is a child advocate and author, residing in a cozy lake cottage overlooking Lake Hartwell in South Carolina with her husband, daughter, dog, and cat. Kay lived in China for over four years and because of her experiences working with orphans, she strives to be the voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. She is currently an active volunteer for the non-profit organization called An Orphans Wish (AOW). If you would like to read more about what started her career as an author, and also meet the children she knew and loved in China, read her poignant memoir titled Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage. Her works of fiction include A Thread Unbroken and The Scavenger's Daughters, the first book in the "Tales of The Scavenger's Daughters" series.

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