Chosen cover

Chosen

Living with adoption

£10.00

This thought provoking anthology brings together essays and poetry by over 50 adopted adults. As these writers look back across their lives, we learn about the variety of ways they have found to live, and sometimes struggle, with adoption. The themes of identity and belonging, loss and grief, roots and searching, family and “post-reunion” relationships permeate these accounts, as does the power of acceptance and healing, encouragement and hope.

This group of authors, born between 1934 and 1984, capture a broad range of perspectives: adoption within the extended family, late-discovery adopted adults, transracial and transnational adoption, those who have searched for birth family, and those who did not search but who were found by a relative.

This fascinating collection allows a detailed insight into how adopted people really think and feel.

Who is this book for?

Anyone who is interested in adoption, whether professionally or personally.

What you will find in this book

This edited collection brings together written material from over 50 adopted adults. Topics include:

  • Who am I?
  • Challenges and opportunities of adoption
  • Rites of passage
  • The meaning of family
  • The lifelong impact of adoption

The collection is supplemented with an insightful introduction by Perlita Harris, the book’s editor.

Editor

Perlita Harris was a lecturer in social work at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she was the course director of the BA in Social Work. She worked in adoption support and wrote and edited a number of books on the subject.

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Reviews

Chosen should be read by anyone whose life is touched by adoption. Whether you have an adopted son or daughter, niece or nephew, friend or colleague, whether you are a social worker or a government minister, this book will give you crucial insights on the legacy of adoption.

Hannah Pool

This book makes a valuable contribution in helping those touched by adoption, at any level, to appreciate the lifelong impact and implications of decisions that are often taken at a very early stage in a child’s life. Overall, this is a welcome addition to the adoption library and one which I would happily recommend to anyone involved in or contemplating adoption.

Eddie O’Hara, independent social worker, Professional Social Work

As an adoptive mother, I continually search for reading material that helps me understand what my children might be going through or why they grieve. Chosen provided me with several lightbulb moments as I listened to the stories from over 50 adopted adults – and yes, the writing was so honest and clear, I could hear the writers’ voices. Moving, educational and wonderfully honest, it’s all here in this bursting-with-life book. A collection of diverse and extraordinary voices, Chosen is highly recommended for anyone touched by adoption.

M. Gallagher, five stars, Amazon.co.uk