Recommended Reading: Exploring Identity, Self-Empowerment, and Impact of Family Separation
Books have the power to educate, validate, and inspire healing. Whether you are seeking personal insight, historical context, or empowerment through storytelling, the following recommended readings provide valuable perspectives on the realities of adoption, identity struggles, and personal growth.
Memoirs
Memoirs offer powerful firsthand accounts of lived experiences, shedding light on the lifelong impact of being separated from one's origins. These stories illuminate the emotional journey of loss, discovery, identity, and resilience—providing connection and validation for those navigating similar paths.
I Would Meet You Anywhere: A Memoir (Machete) – Susan Kiyo Ito
Ithaka: A Daughter's Memoir of Being Found – Sarah Saffian
Goodbye Again – Candace Cahill
Somebody’s Daughter – Zara H. Phillips
Two Peas In A Separated Pod: A True Story of Adoption – Jeannie Lachman
You Don't Look Adopted – Anne Heffron
The Truth So Far...: a detective's journey to reunite with her birth family – Ms Jennifer Dyan Ghoston
Dear Stephen Michael's Mother: A Memoir – Kevin Barhydt
Born with Teeth – Kate Mulgrew
Twice Born: Memoirs of an Adopted Daughter – Betty Jean Lufton
Colored Threads: Memoir of an Adoptee – Daniel Stedfast
American Bastard – Jan Beatty
Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees – Aselefech Evans, Kassaye Berhanu-MacDonald, Maureen McCauley
I Must Have Wandered: An Adopted Air Force Daughter Recalls – Mary Ellen Gambutti
Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self-Discovery (Truth to Power) – Caroline Clarke
The Gathering Place: An Adoptee's Story – Emma Stevens
A Fire is Coming – Emma Stevens
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Non-Fiction & Historical Perspectives
Understanding the systemic nature of family separation, displacement, and identity erasure is essential to contextualizing individual experiences. These dynamics are not isolated—they are rooted in historical, political, and institutional structures that continue to shape lives today.
The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption – Janine Myung Ja, Rare Adoption Books, Janine Vance
Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption – Rebecca Wellington
Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society – Judy Christie, Lisa Wingate
Adoption: What You Should Know (An Orphan's Research) – Janine Myung Ja, Rare Adoption Books, Janine Vance
American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption – Gabrielle Glaser
The Baby Scoop Era: Unwed Mothers, Infant Adoption and Forced Surrender – Karen Wilson-Buterbaugh
Click the affiliated link(s) to make a purchase. A portion of the proceeds will directly benefit our scholarship fund.
Fiction
Fiction can be a powerful lens for exploring the emotional and psychological effects of family separation and origin loss. Through storytelling, readers can connect to deeper truths, process complex emotions, and find resonance in imagined yet familiar experiences.
Sold on a Monday: A Novel – Kristina McMorris
Before We Were Yours: A Novel – Lisa Wingate
Orphan Train: A Novel – Lisa Wingate
Click the affiliated link(s) to make a purchase. A portion of the proceeds will directly benefit our scholarship fund.
Help Us Grow Our Recommended Reading List!
We strive to provide a diverse and meaningful collection of books that support self-empowerment, identity exploration, and the realities of family separation. If you know of a book that has impacted you and think it should be included on our list, we’d love to hear from you!
Your recommendations help ensure that our community has access to a wide range of voices and perspectives. Email us your book suggestions, and together, we can continue building a valuable resource for those seeking knowledge, healing, and connection.