With her swollen belly, my classmate reminded me of my own first mother. People expected her to be ashamed, but I wondered, how can someone be ashamed of the mother without also being ashamed of the baby?
“Blood Doesn’t Mean Family”
After reuniting with my birth family and studying in my birth country, I felt closer to my adoptive family than ever.
“What ‘Real’ Means to Me” – An Adoptee’s Story
Being asked who your “real parents” are is part of being an adoptee. Even though I know now what parenting means, those four letters still make me cringe.
Adoptees Speak Out About Adoption, Birth Parents, Race, and More
Adolescent adoptees offer first-person wisdom to fellow adoptees.
“Beating the Odds”
My prison birth could have set me up for a life of failure. But the love of my families has led me to one of resilience and hope.
[Movie Review] Adopted
What is life like for a person adopted internationally? Adopted digs deep into the lives of two adoptive families to find out.
“Growing Up Feeling ‘Chosen'”
Children’s understandings of and personal fantasies about their adoption stories may differ from what you tell them. My version saw my parents wandering the aisles of “Baby Market.”
[Book Review] Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited
A memoir coauthored by reunited twins explores essential questions of identity.
“They Remembered Me”
A Korean adoptee learns that human nature doesn’t always follow perceived “best practices.”
[Book Review] Born in Our Hearts
Together, two anthologies offer a complex, realistic account of adoption.
“Is That Your REAL Brother?”
A Korean adoptee shares her experience growing up in a conspicuous family.
“I Adopted My Parents!” An Adoptee’s Story
A child adopted from Guatemala shares her thoughts on adoption and family.