Gathering the Missing Pieces in an Adopted LifeBroadman & Holman, 1995 - 201 pages The author's successful search for her birthfamily brought answers to questions she had asked since childhood. Gathering the Missing Pieces in an Adopted Life guides anyone who might have some connection to the adoption process: adopted individuals who wonder whether finding missing relatives is right for them, adoptive parents who struggle with how to share information with their children, and birthfamily members who wonder whether they have the right to know children from whom they were once parted. Although the book is partially autobiographical, it includes stories of at least sixty other individuals who have some adoption connection. While highlighting the positive outcomes of adoptive searches, Moore also references the various challenges and pitfalls that can occur during this emotionally charged process. For adoptive parents, the book helps explain why some adoptees must search: they have an insatiable need that evades most persons who have grown up knowing their biological families. For birthparents, the book features the stories of several who have been found and how the process filled in important gaps for them as well. It shows how the sometimes lonely, staggering decisions that they made earlier impact their lives for years to come. Each chapter concludes with a handy reference on how the various members of the adoption "triad" -- birthfamily, adoptees, and adopted persons -- can relate to and use the information. Moore also gives attention to the rapidly changing laws, regulations, and expectations surrounding adoptions, and she includes a thorough listing of references, agencies, and other adoption resources. |
From inside the book
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... situation don't try to go it alone . Seek help from your agency or from books on the subject like this one or others referenced in this book's appen- dix that will truly give you all the pros and cons and hows and wherefores of each ...
... acceptance , and affirma- tion is the best foundation possible if a child searches for birth family and learns of unpleasant circum- stances . In a reunion situation , be sensitive to the feelings 91 The Aftermath : On Being Made in Secret.
... situation , the spouse who is the birth child does not un- derstand these new family members ' style or jargon or body language . Carolyn Wells said that husband Ray was good - na- tured about acquiring not only two but three sets of in ...