Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists by Janine Myung Ja


Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists
Title : Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
Language : English
Format Type : Kindle Edition
Number of Pages : 222
Publication : First published April 8, 2014

Ever wondered what it’s like to be adopted? This anthology begins with personal accounts and then shifts to a bird’s eye view on adoption from domestic, intercountry and transracial adoptees who are now adoptee rights activists. Along with adopted people, this collection also includes the voices of mothers and a father from the Baby Scoop Era, a modern-day mother who almost lost her child to adoption, and ends with the experience of an adoption investigator from Against Child Trafficking. These stories are usually abandoned by the very industry that professes to work for the “best interest of children,” “child protection,” and for families. However, according to adopted people who were scattered across nations as children, these represent typical human rights issues that have been ignored for too long. For many years, adopted people have just dealt with such matters alone, not knowing that all of us—as a community—have a great deal in common.

Contributors: Casper Andersen, Lily Arthur, Trace DeMeyer, Peter Dodds, Arun Dohle, Darelle Duncan, Erica Gehringer, Jeffrey Hancock, Bob Honecker, Cameron Horn, Tobias Hubinette, Sunny Jo Johnsen, Kristina Laine, Lakshmi, Tinan Leroy, Georgiana A. Macavei, Marion McMillan, Khara Nine, Colette Noonan, Cryptic Omega, Vanessa Pearce, Michael Allen Potter, Paul Redmond, Lucy Sheen, Joe Soll, Vance Twins and Daniel Ibn Zayd.

Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists Reviews

  • Lucy Lai-Tuen

    This is a book that shows the diversity and commonality of the adoptees experience.
    Forget the self-help books, the Adoption for Dummies and Everything You Always Wanted to know about Adoption ... usually written by parents for parents or by Adopting Parents for Adopting Parents.
    In Adoptionland:From Orphans to Activists you have a wonderful collection of pieces written from the heart by adoptees and some Mothers and Father from the Baby Scoop era. It was difficult reading, even for me, a transracial adoptee. But one would have to be inhuman not to be touched by the writing and the writers.
    It is painful, humbling, haunting, but also full of personal triumph.
    There is hope but we have to listen to those who know, the adoptees.
    Lucy Sheen

  • Antonio Rossi

    Got it. Now need to read it. But, so far, so profound. read their other books so many times.
    Adoption Stories: Excerpts from Adoption Books for Adults

  • Moon Kim

    Adoptionland compiled my the Vance Twins revolutionized the adoption landscape and gave voices to adopted people from around the world for the first time in history. Throughout time the voices always came from adoption agencies and adoptive parents, Adoptionland voices are from each continent that were scatter to a different continents. Contributors talk about dilemmas, their experiences, and solutions. This is an amazing book of truth and I highly recommend it.

  • Andrea

    The personal experiences shared in this collection are revealing, and I am agreed with the Vance twins that listening to them has a role to play in changing the global adoption industry. But the rhetorical essays in the second half of this book felt intentionally polarizing. I would have appreciated citations and references.

  • Maria

    I am a late discovery adoptee. Once I found out about my adoption I became obsessed with the subject. I was lied too and scammed from the very beginning of my life. This book has validated my situation and the trauma that is inflicted when children are not told the truth of their origins. It makes me sad that adoption is made to be seen as a 'rescue' of some sorts when in reality it is lies and secrets to our rights of knowing our identity and who we came from. Why must this be a secret? I recommend this book for everyone, especially those who are thinking of adopting. This book is amazing with raising awareness and educating. I hope there are more books to come.

  • Brittany

    Did not finish.

    While I believe there is a lot to learn about the dark side of adoption and its ties to human trafficking, I don't know if you will learn it from this book. I read a few of the initial essays, and I found it to be mostly anecdotal. I would have preferred a more fact-based approach, but perhaps that's on me for misunderstanding the intent of the book.