Bones That Float, A Story of Adopting Cambodia (Hardcover)

by Kari Grady Grossman (Author)
Key Phrases: head plonk, sour fish soup, bamboo bed, Khmer Rouge, Phnom Penh, Viet Nam (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Impossible to put down and haunting long past its end... Violeta Garcia-Mendoza, Rainbow Kids E-Magazine.

A literary gem that employs sumptuous prose... Cathryn Alpert, author of the novel Rocket City.

The universal story of every human on this earth... --Arn Chorn-Pond, musician, human rights activist, and star of the award winning PBS documentary film The Flute Player

This rare book, despite its harrowing truths, is an effective and hopeful call to action a nudge to your social conscience that will have you asking, What's my Cambodia? --Angel Limb, Artsline Editor WCVE-FM 88.9 Public Radio, Richmond, Virginia

This rare book, despite its harrowing truths, is an effective and hopeful call to action a nudge to your social conscience that will have you asking, What's my Cambodia? --Angel Limb, Artsline Editor WCVE-FM 88.9 Public Radio, Richmond, Virginia

Impossible to put down and haunting long past its end... --Violeta Garcia-Mendoza, Rainbow Kids E-Magazine.

A literary gem that employs sumptuous prose... --Cathryn Alpert, author of the novel Rocket City.

The universal story of every human on this earth... --Arn Chorn-Pond, musician, human rights activist, and star of the award winning PBS documentary film The Flute Player

Told with fierce honesty and an affecting voice, Bones That Float is a love story of mother for her child, and a testimony of how love can change the world. --Loung Ung, author of First They Killed My Father and Lucky Child

Product Description
2008 Awards for Bones That Float:



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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wild Heaven Press; 1st edition (April 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979249309
• ISBN-13: 978-0979249303
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #726,131 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read book for all Americans, May 20, 2007

By	Holly Copeland - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Powerful stories, but disappointing, November 28, 2007

By	A's Mom (Overseas) - See all my reviews

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "read-in-one-sitting"-book, August 30, 2007

By	Bookish-Angel "Bookish-Angel" - See all my reviews

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.