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Finding Fernanda: Two Mothers, One Child, and a Cross-Border Search for Truth
The dramatic story of how an American housewife discovered that the Guatemalan child she was about to adopt had been stolen from her birth mother.
Over the last decade, nearly 200,000 children have been adopted into the United States, 25,000 of whom came from Guatemala. Finding Fernanda, a dramatic true story paired with investigative reporting, tells the side-by-side tales of an American woman who adopted a two-year-old girl from Guatemala and the birth mother whose two children were stolen from her. Each woman gradually comes to realize her role in what was one of Guatemala’s most profitable black-market industries: the buying and selling of children for international adoption. Finding Fernanda is an overdue, unprecedented look at adoption corruption—and a poignant, riveting human story about the power of hope, faith, and determination.
Over the last decade, nearly 200,000 children have been adopted into the United States, 25,000 of whom came from Guatemala. Finding Fernanda, a dramatic true story paired with investigative reporting, tells the side-by-side tales of an American woman who adopted a two-year-old girl from Guatemala and the birth mother whose two children were stolen from her. Each woman gradually comes to realize her role in what was one of Guatemala’s most profitable black-market industries: the buying and selling of children for international adoption. Finding Fernanda is an overdue, unprecedented look at adoption corruption—and a poignant, riveting human story about the power of hope, faith, and determination.
312 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2011
12 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Erin Siegal
6 books107 followersErin Siegal's debut book Finding Fernanda (Beacon Press) has been recognized by the Overseas Press Club of America with a 2012 Robert Spiers Benjamin Award Citation (Best Reporting on Latin America), by the Society of Professional Journalists (No. Calif.) with a 2012 James Madison Freedom of Information Award, and by the Independent Publishers Book (Ippy) Award with a 2012 Gold Medal for Best Book on Current Affairs III.
Finding Fernanda is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and various independent bookshops.
About the Author
Erin Siegal is a Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. She was a 2008-2009 Fellow at the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and is a recipient of the 2010 IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) Freelance Fellowship Award, the 2010 Joan Cook Fellowship from Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS), a 2008 Anne O’Hare McCormick Scholarship Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York.
Finding Fernanda is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and various independent bookshops.
About the Author
Erin Siegal is a Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. She was a 2008-2009 Fellow at the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and is a recipient of the 2010 IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) Freelance Fellowship Award, the 2010 Joan Cook Fellowship from Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS), a 2008 Anne O’Hare McCormick Scholarship Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York.
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April 11, 2022
This is an excellent work of investigative journalism about the trafficking of Guatemalan children for adoption in the early 2000s, focusing on one family’s complicated story. This book was referenced in The Child Catchers, which I was glad to have read first, since it provides a comprehensive overview of a wide variety of problems with international adoption and countries where these problems have cropped up, as well as the evangelical Christian connection. Meanwhile, this book provides an in-depth look at a particular human interest story, along with the backdrop of the corruption in Guatemala and among virtually unregulated and sometimes unscrupulous U.S.-based adoption agencies.
The story begins with Mildred Alvarado, a young Guatemalan woman who was dealt a particularly awful hand in life: born to a family of poor laborers in the countryside, she witnessed fighting during the civil war as a child, and was abused by her father and raped by a brother. Mildred eventually cuts ties with her parents and starts her own life with her sister and a boyfriend, which works out until he leaves her without money to pay the rent—with three children and another on the way. Economic desperation and her trauma history lead Mildred to trust people she shouldn’t, who turn out to belong to a child trafficking gang providing adoptees to American families. They take Mildred’s youngest, 2-year-old Fernanda, and even have an affiliated doctor cut the baby from her womb in an early C-section while Mildred is sedated. From there, the book follows the saga of Mildred’s struggle to get the two girls back, as well as the story of a Tennessee mother of 7 (3 biological, 4 adopted) who wants one more and is offered Fernanda. There are a lot of players here as Siegal tries to track down exactly who was responsible for what, and she also follows the larger social and political situation around adoption and violence in Guatemala.
It’s a very compelling story, with a lot of insight into the principals’ lives, though it can be dense with detail. And it’s an insightful look at how the ecosystem of child trafficking works: the author finds and interviews involved people from caregivers to pediatricians, as well as investigating the Guatemalan lawyers and American adoption agencies profiting most from all this. From an American perspective, one of the most appalling things is that the agency in question (the evangelical Celebrate Children International, run by one Sue Hedberg—a quick online search does not turn up any current results, thank goodness), despite being wildly dishonest and unethical, and receiving complaints from prospective adoptive parents and being investigated multiple times, was still allowed to operate with impunity. In Guatemala, however, things were far worse, with mothers who spoke out about the kidnapping of their children even being targeted for assassination. The real heroine of this book is Norma Cruz, the Guatemalan founder of an organization providing legal and other services to women victimized in various ways—which resulted in her requiring round-the-clock security and narrowly evading multiple assassination attempts herself. Damn.
The rest of this review contains SPOILERS – it’s nonfiction, yes, but with enough suspense that you might want to be surprised!
What confuses me, in retrospect, is the amount of time the book spends on Betsy Emanuel, the prospective adoptive mother. From the subtitle (“two mothers, one child, and a cross-border search for truth”), I expected that Betsy and her husband would adopt Fernanda, and then there would probably be a custody battle. But as it turns out, Betsy never meets the girl; Fernanda never leaves Guatemala. Betsy does see an interview with Mildred and tip her off about the scrapped adoption, but while Mildred finds the information encouraging, that isn’t how she finds her children.
Why spend so much time on someone whose role is ultimately so peripheral? I suspect that Siegal just thought American audiences (particularly evangelical adopters) would relate to Betsy, or would feel more favorably toward a story with an American playing some positive role. And that’s perhaps a wise rather than a cynical choice, if Betsy’s siding with Mildred encourages audiences to do so too, but it’s weird for readers who don’t need Betsy as intermediary. I also couldn’t help noticing that while Betsy is passionate about getting to the bottom of a case involving a child she wasn’t able to adopt, she doesn’t seem to show much interest in the provenance of the Guatemalan infant that she later does.
However, in the end, a very compelling story and obviously thoroughly researched, though it could have used a little more copyediting. I especially appreciated the inclusion of pictures! The end is decidedly bittersweet: Mildred does recover her children close to two years after their disappearance, but nothing can make up for those two years: Fernanda doesn’t remember her family, while the baby has serious developmental issues (presumably related to lack of an attachment figure? The book doesn’t suggest a reason). It’s a strong cautionary tale about the perils of international adoption and the corrupting influence of money and power, especially in places where disparities are huge and violence rampant.
The story begins with Mildred Alvarado, a young Guatemalan woman who was dealt a particularly awful hand in life: born to a family of poor laborers in the countryside, she witnessed fighting during the civil war as a child, and was abused by her father and raped by a brother. Mildred eventually cuts ties with her parents and starts her own life with her sister and a boyfriend, which works out until he leaves her without money to pay the rent—with three children and another on the way. Economic desperation and her trauma history lead Mildred to trust people she shouldn’t, who turn out to belong to a child trafficking gang providing adoptees to American families. They take Mildred’s youngest, 2-year-old Fernanda, and even have an affiliated doctor cut the baby from her womb in an early C-section while Mildred is sedated. From there, the book follows the saga of Mildred’s struggle to get the two girls back, as well as the story of a Tennessee mother of 7 (3 biological, 4 adopted) who wants one more and is offered Fernanda. There are a lot of players here as Siegal tries to track down exactly who was responsible for what, and she also follows the larger social and political situation around adoption and violence in Guatemala.
It’s a very compelling story, with a lot of insight into the principals’ lives, though it can be dense with detail. And it’s an insightful look at how the ecosystem of child trafficking works: the author finds and interviews involved people from caregivers to pediatricians, as well as investigating the Guatemalan lawyers and American adoption agencies profiting most from all this. From an American perspective, one of the most appalling things is that the agency in question (the evangelical Celebrate Children International, run by one Sue Hedberg—a quick online search does not turn up any current results, thank goodness), despite being wildly dishonest and unethical, and receiving complaints from prospective adoptive parents and being investigated multiple times, was still allowed to operate with impunity. In Guatemala, however, things were far worse, with mothers who spoke out about the kidnapping of their children even being targeted for assassination. The real heroine of this book is Norma Cruz, the Guatemalan founder of an organization providing legal and other services to women victimized in various ways—which resulted in her requiring round-the-clock security and narrowly evading multiple assassination attempts herself. Damn.
The rest of this review contains SPOILERS – it’s nonfiction, yes, but with enough suspense that you might want to be surprised!
What confuses me, in retrospect, is the amount of time the book spends on Betsy Emanuel, the prospective adoptive mother. From the subtitle (“two mothers, one child, and a cross-border search for truth”), I expected that Betsy and her husband would adopt Fernanda, and then there would probably be a custody battle. But as it turns out, Betsy never meets the girl; Fernanda never leaves Guatemala. Betsy does see an interview with Mildred and tip her off about the scrapped adoption, but while Mildred finds the information encouraging, that isn’t how she finds her children.
Why spend so much time on someone whose role is ultimately so peripheral? I suspect that Siegal just thought American audiences (particularly evangelical adopters) would relate to Betsy, or would feel more favorably toward a story with an American playing some positive role. And that’s perhaps a wise rather than a cynical choice, if Betsy’s siding with Mildred encourages audiences to do so too, but it’s weird for readers who don’t need Betsy as intermediary. I also couldn’t help noticing that while Betsy is passionate about getting to the bottom of a case involving a child she wasn’t able to adopt, she doesn’t seem to show much interest in the provenance of the Guatemalan infant that she later does.
However, in the end, a very compelling story and obviously thoroughly researched, though it could have used a little more copyediting. I especially appreciated the inclusion of pictures! The end is decidedly bittersweet: Mildred does recover her children close to two years after their disappearance, but nothing can make up for those two years: Fernanda doesn’t remember her family, while the baby has serious developmental issues (presumably related to lack of an attachment figure? The book doesn’t suggest a reason). It’s a strong cautionary tale about the perils of international adoption and the corrupting influence of money and power, especially in places where disparities are huge and violence rampant.
November 25, 2011
This is a very good book on the serious issues of child-trafficking and corruption in Guatemalan adoptions. As an adoptive parent of a Guatemalan son, it was hard to face these issues, but in light of the extreme nature and extent of the problem, it was necessary. (Thankfully, back in 2007, I located my son's birth mother before leaving Guatemala and verified his adoption was legitimate.)
I lived in Guatemala for a year, and this book "rings true" to me. I have seen some of the areas of the city mentioned in the book and even met one of the people quoted in the book. This book makes sense to me in terms of the way things happen in Guatemala. I don't mean that judgmentally of the country as a whole; the Guatemalan people that I met and befriended are wonderful, amazing people. But unfortunately, the system in Guatemala makes it difficult to prevent those who are greedy, selfish and craven enough to profit off of stolen children to perpetrate the crimes described in the book. I commend the brave Guatemalans who are working toward reform. And I wish that the United States had a way to prosecute the U.S. citizens who aided and abetted these crimes.
I lived in Guatemala for a year, and this book "rings true" to me. I have seen some of the areas of the city mentioned in the book and even met one of the people quoted in the book. This book makes sense to me in terms of the way things happen in Guatemala. I don't mean that judgmentally of the country as a whole; the Guatemalan people that I met and befriended are wonderful, amazing people. But unfortunately, the system in Guatemala makes it difficult to prevent those who are greedy, selfish and craven enough to profit off of stolen children to perpetrate the crimes described in the book. I commend the brave Guatemalans who are working toward reform. And I wish that the United States had a way to prosecute the U.S. citizens who aided and abetted these crimes.
June 5, 2012
Excellent non-fiction book about international adoption between Guatemala and US. The core story is heartbreaking and shocking. The women, especially Betsy, the US adopting mother, Mildred, the Guatemalan mother, and Norma Cruz, are inspiring. A large portion of the book involves confusing descriptions of how different entities are linked to other entities and how the corruption cycle works between each--and sometimes I wanted to skip over paragraphs because of this, but the human part of the story is heart-gripping. I have seen a few documentaries on this issue and am completely sickened that some adoption agencies take part in these practices. A complex issue tied to proverty, I hope this book enlightens and informs as many readers as possible and encourages more donations to self-sustaining programs that empower women in Guatemala. Thank you Norma Cruz and Betsy Emanuel for your tenaciousness. Thank you Erin Seigel for an important and brave book. Thank you Mildred Alvarado for showing the light and love of a mother's fierce love. My heart goes out to the Alvarado family. I wish them a long life of love and laughter.
September 18, 2015
I stopped and started this book many times, it is extremely triggering. The story is essential, it is a sadly common and horrific documentation of how families are destroyed and children hurt through the adoption industry. It was hard to read. Our family is an adoptive family, and seeing how the power and money of adoption agencies and the stupid but good intentions of Americans come together to traumatize children.
This is harrowing, heart wrenching and not a fun read. But I wish everyone who thinks about adopting reads it and realizes this is not an uncommon story.
Erin Siegal has done her homework, and I applaud her work in this book and in her other publications trying to bring to light the evil truths that lurk under the surface of international adoption.
This is harrowing, heart wrenching and not a fun read. But I wish everyone who thinks about adopting reads it and realizes this is not an uncommon story.
Erin Siegal has done her homework, and I applaud her work in this book and in her other publications trying to bring to light the evil truths that lurk under the surface of international adoption.
September 14, 2011
Erin Siegal found Fernanda. If you want to know how adtoption transformed from an act of good will and into a big business, It's time for you to read this book.
January 13, 2012
Wow - a compelling read! The author really opens our eyes to the realization of child trafficking and the things that have gone on in international adoptions. My heart goes out to both the adoptive parents as well as the birth parents. Great job Erin on your first book!
August 31, 2016
FINDING FERNANDA:
TWO MOTHERS, ONE CHILD, AND A CROSS-BORDER SEARCH FOR TRUTH
A Non-Fiction Review
------------------------------------------
Narration
A review on the front cover of the copy that I read states:
"Reads like a mystery novel, but the facts it reveals are hauntingly true." --Whitney Eulich, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
In my opinion, the book only reads like a mystery novel insomuch as it contains several related "hooks" that pull the reader through the text in order to discover what happens to real families and children. The narration, itself, is far too academic to be likened to a mystery novel, and because the text represents a master's thesis, it is filled with citations, references, and facts.
Having said that, the only narrative problems from my reading perspective are organizational (see below) and editorial in nature. The editorial problems are striking for a book of this type--there are numerous punctuation, grammatical, misspelling, and other errors. However, the errors are not significant enough to prevent the reader from fully reading and understanding the text.
Organization
In my opinion, the book is sometimes difficult to follow. There are at least two reasons for this. First, the author is interweaving many, many stories and the lives and names of what feels like more than fifty people. (I did not actually count names.) There is simply so much information necessary to paint the picture that the author creates that I am not sure how it could be presented better or less confusingly. Second, because of the problem of interweaving events that often happen simultaneously in the narration, the book is not entirely linear. The author attempts to make the book as linear as possible by outlining times in the heading of each chapter, but the narration in each chapter necessarily jumps in time in order to tell the story. These two factors did not stop me from reading the book or from following the bulk of the narration, but I hoped to give potential readers full disclosure that this is not a book that can be read and followed as easily as fiction.
Naughty-Bits
The book contains true accounts of rape, kidnapping, and other traumatic events, but all accounts are tastefully and respectfully written.
Facts and Fiction
The bibliography in this book is beyond impressive, and the amount of source material that the author must have reviewed and collected for this book boggles the mind. It may not be possible to know with one-hundred percent certainty how much of what is presented is true, accurate, and factual, but the author, in my opinion, does a great job of imparting the impression that because of graft, lax record keeping, confusing jurisdictions, lack of laws addressing this type of human trafficking, lying, misinformation, and so on, it is impossible for even her to gather a complete and accurate picture. My impression is that the author only presents information in the book that she feels is true and accurate, and when she is uncertain, she usually includes varying viewpoints, interviews, statements, and so on.
Indeterminacy
Adoption is obviously a hot-button issue. What may seem fairly cut-and-dry, black-and-white, right-and-wrong in other situations becomes far more muddled here.
I think in this book the author does a good job of not telling the reader what to think. As is the case with all writing, much could be said about what the author chooses to include or exclude, but overall, the author seems to provide a rather comprehensive picture while still making the story accessible through individual histories and cases.
Here are a few of the exceptions to comprehensiveness (from my perspective):
1. I would have liked to read about cases of adoption that did not involve Christians and Christian organizations. Did non-Christians also adopt in Guatemala? Are there non-Christian, U.S. organizations that work(ed) with Guatemalan and other adoptions? If so, did they also have similar problems?
2. I would have liked to see numbers for adoptions worldwide. Obviously U.S. citizens tend to adopt on a large scale, but do other countries? I think it could be argued that cultural perspectives on adoption play into how many families pursue adoption both domestically and internationally, and since the U.S. currently has the fourth-largest population, population is also a factor.
3. I am left wondering how geography plays into adoption choices. Do Europeans tend to adopt closer to home? Are U.S. citizens more likely to adopt in Central and South America than elsewhere?
Citations/Credit
Well researched and cited!
Tone
I think that there might have been instances of tone in certain circumstances, but unlike most books, I had to really think before I could bring specific examples to mind. Therefore, I would declare this a non-issue.
Imagery and Interpretation
The author does a great job of conveying how complicated and confusing international adoption law, Guatemalan law, Guatemalan judicial process, and so on is. She also does a great job with imagery of the zones in Guatemala and with describing the women involved in the book.
Overall
Overall, the book is tough to follow, at least in some places, because it is name-heavy and sometimes non-linear, but I was glad to read it.
Notes
This book is probably of most interest to those with connections to and/or interest in international adoption. I think it has the potential to make some people think twice about international adoption or at least signing certain types of contracts with adoption agencies, which is a powerful thing for a book of any kind to do.
There is also the potential for a follow-up book if the author so chooses. As the Hague Convention and laws change, it will be interesting to see which countries start and stop international adoption, if the states and countries gain laws to address cases of "baby trade" (perhaps under child trafficking laws), if domestic adoption increases, and so on.
TWO MOTHERS, ONE CHILD, AND A CROSS-BORDER SEARCH FOR TRUTH
A Non-Fiction Review
------------------------------------------
Narration
A review on the front cover of the copy that I read states:
"Reads like a mystery novel, but the facts it reveals are hauntingly true." --Whitney Eulich, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
In my opinion, the book only reads like a mystery novel insomuch as it contains several related "hooks" that pull the reader through the text in order to discover what happens to real families and children. The narration, itself, is far too academic to be likened to a mystery novel, and because the text represents a master's thesis, it is filled with citations, references, and facts.
Having said that, the only narrative problems from my reading perspective are organizational (see below) and editorial in nature. The editorial problems are striking for a book of this type--there are numerous punctuation, grammatical, misspelling, and other errors. However, the errors are not significant enough to prevent the reader from fully reading and understanding the text.
Organization
In my opinion, the book is sometimes difficult to follow. There are at least two reasons for this. First, the author is interweaving many, many stories and the lives and names of what feels like more than fifty people. (I did not actually count names.) There is simply so much information necessary to paint the picture that the author creates that I am not sure how it could be presented better or less confusingly. Second, because of the problem of interweaving events that often happen simultaneously in the narration, the book is not entirely linear. The author attempts to make the book as linear as possible by outlining times in the heading of each chapter, but the narration in each chapter necessarily jumps in time in order to tell the story. These two factors did not stop me from reading the book or from following the bulk of the narration, but I hoped to give potential readers full disclosure that this is not a book that can be read and followed as easily as fiction.
Naughty-Bits
The book contains true accounts of rape, kidnapping, and other traumatic events, but all accounts are tastefully and respectfully written.
Facts and Fiction
The bibliography in this book is beyond impressive, and the amount of source material that the author must have reviewed and collected for this book boggles the mind. It may not be possible to know with one-hundred percent certainty how much of what is presented is true, accurate, and factual, but the author, in my opinion, does a great job of imparting the impression that because of graft, lax record keeping, confusing jurisdictions, lack of laws addressing this type of human trafficking, lying, misinformation, and so on, it is impossible for even her to gather a complete and accurate picture. My impression is that the author only presents information in the book that she feels is true and accurate, and when she is uncertain, she usually includes varying viewpoints, interviews, statements, and so on.
Indeterminacy
Adoption is obviously a hot-button issue. What may seem fairly cut-and-dry, black-and-white, right-and-wrong in other situations becomes far more muddled here.
I think in this book the author does a good job of not telling the reader what to think. As is the case with all writing, much could be said about what the author chooses to include or exclude, but overall, the author seems to provide a rather comprehensive picture while still making the story accessible through individual histories and cases.
Here are a few of the exceptions to comprehensiveness (from my perspective):
1. I would have liked to read about cases of adoption that did not involve Christians and Christian organizations. Did non-Christians also adopt in Guatemala? Are there non-Christian, U.S. organizations that work(ed) with Guatemalan and other adoptions? If so, did they also have similar problems?
2. I would have liked to see numbers for adoptions worldwide. Obviously U.S. citizens tend to adopt on a large scale, but do other countries? I think it could be argued that cultural perspectives on adoption play into how many families pursue adoption both domestically and internationally, and since the U.S. currently has the fourth-largest population, population is also a factor.
3. I am left wondering how geography plays into adoption choices. Do Europeans tend to adopt closer to home? Are U.S. citizens more likely to adopt in Central and South America than elsewhere?
Citations/Credit
Well researched and cited!
Tone
I think that there might have been instances of tone in certain circumstances, but unlike most books, I had to really think before I could bring specific examples to mind. Therefore, I would declare this a non-issue.
Imagery and Interpretation
The author does a great job of conveying how complicated and confusing international adoption law, Guatemalan law, Guatemalan judicial process, and so on is. She also does a great job with imagery of the zones in Guatemala and with describing the women involved in the book.
Overall
Overall, the book is tough to follow, at least in some places, because it is name-heavy and sometimes non-linear, but I was glad to read it.
Notes
This book is probably of most interest to those with connections to and/or interest in international adoption. I think it has the potential to make some people think twice about international adoption or at least signing certain types of contracts with adoption agencies, which is a powerful thing for a book of any kind to do.
There is also the potential for a follow-up book if the author so chooses. As the Hague Convention and laws change, it will be interesting to see which countries start and stop international adoption, if the states and countries gain laws to address cases of "baby trade" (perhaps under child trafficking laws), if domestic adoption increases, and so on.
June 11, 2012
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway and was really excited about the story. I knew very little about adoption, especially international adoption, and was excited to learn more.
This book is written by a journalist and that is important to keep in mind as you read. Siegal did such a phenomenal job researching this topic that it almost worked against her. There is so much information on the different organizations, policies, historical events, etc. that it is difficult to keep up. Siegal dove in to this wealth of information only to discover that there is a lot of false and murky information in many place and gaping holes in others. It did help you understand the overwhelming battle that mothers faced in Guatemala when trying to stand up for themselves and also the nightmare officials and advocates faced when trying to do the same. However, there is just too much information for the average reader. I found myself getting lost in lengthy paragraphs trying to keep up all the "facts"; eventually, I began to skim these paragraphs to get to the heart of the story- looking for the lost children.
The true heart of the story is really more than finding Fernanda. You also follow the journey of Jennifer and several other "lost" children along the way. Knowing that these are real children and real families affected is heartbreaking. It is unimaginable that people exploit poor and naive woman such as Mildred. I can't imagine a world where someone could just take my children and where I was too uneducated and frightened to know the difference. I was inspired by Mildred's fight for her children; many in her place would have given up. I pray that Mildred is in a place to get her girls psychological help and support as they grow up. I can't imagine what they have been through and as difficult as life was for Mildred, these children suffered greatly. It will be a long time before they are able to understand the fight Mildred put up to regain the girls.
Meanwhile, I felt as if I was on the frustrating journey with Betsy as she learned the shocking truth about the company she was dealing with and the ugly side to some international adoptions. I cheered for her when her efforts to reach Mildred were so instrumental in the return of Fernanda and Ana Cristina. I ached with her over the lack of action against Celebrate Children International and Sue. I had hoped there would be a big meeting of the two families, or perhaps a happy ending involving Jennifer, but I was still left with a sense of hope that things were changing for the better in Guatemala.
I loved that Siegal incorporated pictures, but found that they were difficult to see in black and white and I really wish there had been more photos. However, seeing Fernanda's face served as a constant reminder that this is a true tale of incredible disturbing event, an event which was in no way unique to the time and place.
I'm torn on rating this book. The mother in me would easily give 5 stars for the tale of heroism and survival. The English teacher would give 2 stars because there were several typos and the journalistic style of writing felt like a "data dump" rather than a novel. I'd love to see Siegal republish this with handy timelines, more photos in color and a little more editing. However, I'm so glad that I read this book because I am enlightened. I will do more research and continue to follow the struggle in Guatemala as well as Ethiopia. It was an important topic and I'm impressed by Siegal's bravery and ferocity in exploring it.
This book is written by a journalist and that is important to keep in mind as you read. Siegal did such a phenomenal job researching this topic that it almost worked against her. There is so much information on the different organizations, policies, historical events, etc. that it is difficult to keep up. Siegal dove in to this wealth of information only to discover that there is a lot of false and murky information in many place and gaping holes in others. It did help you understand the overwhelming battle that mothers faced in Guatemala when trying to stand up for themselves and also the nightmare officials and advocates faced when trying to do the same. However, there is just too much information for the average reader. I found myself getting lost in lengthy paragraphs trying to keep up all the "facts"; eventually, I began to skim these paragraphs to get to the heart of the story- looking for the lost children.
The true heart of the story is really more than finding Fernanda. You also follow the journey of Jennifer and several other "lost" children along the way. Knowing that these are real children and real families affected is heartbreaking. It is unimaginable that people exploit poor and naive woman such as Mildred. I can't imagine a world where someone could just take my children and where I was too uneducated and frightened to know the difference. I was inspired by Mildred's fight for her children; many in her place would have given up. I pray that Mildred is in a place to get her girls psychological help and support as they grow up. I can't imagine what they have been through and as difficult as life was for Mildred, these children suffered greatly. It will be a long time before they are able to understand the fight Mildred put up to regain the girls.
Meanwhile, I felt as if I was on the frustrating journey with Betsy as she learned the shocking truth about the company she was dealing with and the ugly side to some international adoptions. I cheered for her when her efforts to reach Mildred were so instrumental in the return of Fernanda and Ana Cristina. I ached with her over the lack of action against Celebrate Children International and Sue. I had hoped there would be a big meeting of the two families, or perhaps a happy ending involving Jennifer, but I was still left with a sense of hope that things were changing for the better in Guatemala.
I loved that Siegal incorporated pictures, but found that they were difficult to see in black and white and I really wish there had been more photos. However, seeing Fernanda's face served as a constant reminder that this is a true tale of incredible disturbing event, an event which was in no way unique to the time and place.
I'm torn on rating this book. The mother in me would easily give 5 stars for the tale of heroism and survival. The English teacher would give 2 stars because there were several typos and the journalistic style of writing felt like a "data dump" rather than a novel. I'd love to see Siegal republish this with handy timelines, more photos in color and a little more editing. However, I'm so glad that I read this book because I am enlightened. I will do more research and continue to follow the struggle in Guatemala as well as Ethiopia. It was an important topic and I'm impressed by Siegal's bravery and ferocity in exploring it.
May 21, 2017
What would you do to bring your child home?
There's a point in this book where an official says off-handedly that, in essence, what's child trafficking to one person is bringing a child "home" to another, and it's easy to fall down the rabbit hole of bringing a child "home" only to find that you have become complicit in child trafficking.
While this story is a long-form journalistic approach to a single dizzying case of a woman who has her children stolen from her and finds that they have been hustled into adoption for profit by an Evangelical international adoption agency (fully licensed in the US, still operational as of this review), the single thing that gnawed at me throughout the book was how much the standard language of adoption culture can twist reality to make bad things seem good. Treating a child as though they were destined to be yours -- are already yours -- before you legally adopt them makes you and the child extremely vulnerable to falling prey to trafficking. After all, wouldn't you do anything to bring your child home? Never mind that the child's original home is not your home; adoption language routinely seems to view the adoptive parents' home as the child's rightful birthplace, as though the child accidentally was born to them but in another place, in another womb, by mistake, and it's all just a big misunderstanding that will be righted when the child is brought "home." Yes, once a child is adopted, their parents are their parents, but not before. By treating all "orphans" as destined for other places, they are reduced to chattel, commodities to be bought and sold until they wind up in the "right" place. By committing to bringing a child "home" by any means necessary, a person can be funneled directly into complicity with trafficking, or at least find themselves extremely vulnerable to it even if they are going at it with eyes wide open and are on the lookout for exploitation.
While not everyone who uses the frequent adoption lingo described above is complicit in trafficking, I believe that language taken as a whole means that the adoption community is primed to view trafficking as the rightful means of getting a child where they are "meant" to be. The groundwork of existing normal adoption-culture language makes trafficking easier for those who wish to do commit it.
Language matters. The Hague Convention matters.
This book is a fantastic read about power, privilege, corruption, complicity, and the most vulnerable. I would recommend it as a read-alike with The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption by Kathryn Joyce.
There's a point in this book where an official says off-handedly that, in essence, what's child trafficking to one person is bringing a child "home" to another, and it's easy to fall down the rabbit hole of bringing a child "home" only to find that you have become complicit in child trafficking.
While this story is a long-form journalistic approach to a single dizzying case of a woman who has her children stolen from her and finds that they have been hustled into adoption for profit by an Evangelical international adoption agency (fully licensed in the US, still operational as of this review), the single thing that gnawed at me throughout the book was how much the standard language of adoption culture can twist reality to make bad things seem good. Treating a child as though they were destined to be yours -- are already yours -- before you legally adopt them makes you and the child extremely vulnerable to falling prey to trafficking. After all, wouldn't you do anything to bring your child home? Never mind that the child's original home is not your home; adoption language routinely seems to view the adoptive parents' home as the child's rightful birthplace, as though the child accidentally was born to them but in another place, in another womb, by mistake, and it's all just a big misunderstanding that will be righted when the child is brought "home." Yes, once a child is adopted, their parents are their parents, but not before. By treating all "orphans" as destined for other places, they are reduced to chattel, commodities to be bought and sold until they wind up in the "right" place. By committing to bringing a child "home" by any means necessary, a person can be funneled directly into complicity with trafficking, or at least find themselves extremely vulnerable to it even if they are going at it with eyes wide open and are on the lookout for exploitation.
While not everyone who uses the frequent adoption lingo described above is complicit in trafficking, I believe that language taken as a whole means that the adoption community is primed to view trafficking as the rightful means of getting a child where they are "meant" to be. The groundwork of existing normal adoption-culture language makes trafficking easier for those who wish to do commit it.
Language matters. The Hague Convention matters.
This book is a fantastic read about power, privilege, corruption, complicity, and the most vulnerable. I would recommend it as a read-alike with The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption by Kathryn Joyce.
October 26, 2014
Wow...
Having lived in Guatemala off and on since 2004 (right now, on again!), I don't know anyone here who (Guatemalan or American) who would say that the adoption process has ever been entirely transparent. Its scope, as Siegal points out, is staggering and has remained shrouded in considerable mystery. I used to routinely see two or three Guatemalan babies with their new adoptive parents on every flight I took to the U.S. until 2007. Until the publication of this book, however, its been difficult to try to piece together through news stories the complexities of international adoption and the ethical issues that surround the practice.
Siegal has produced a well-researched journalistic work that reads like a mystery novel. It is all the more gripping to realize that the events she describes actually happened. This book features both heroes and villains on both sides of the border. Siegal refrains from making sweeping judgements about the adoption process and leaves these prescriptions to the reader to decide.
The book does get complicated in parts, with overlapping agencies, confusing justice systems, and a slew of corrupt people who all appear to be in cahoots with each other. A glossary or a list of characters and agencies would have been helpful.
My only criticism of this otherwise fine book (besides the numerous typos), is that Siegal does not address one of the core issues that creates the corruption that she describes: the U.S. demand for adoptable children. I am in no way suggesting or advocating that unwanted Guatemalan children are better off in orphanages, foster care, or on the streets rather than with loving adoptive families. Nevertheless, the rising U.S. demand for Guatemalan children creates the ideal conditions for the growth of corruption and the commodification of children. The astounding amounts of money that American couples pay for international adoptions remain nearly unimaginable to most people in a country where fully half the population exists on less than two dollars a day and socio-economic inequality remains among the worst in the Western hemisphere, if not the world.
Overall, a compelling read for anyone interested in human rights, human trafficking, international adoption, Guatemala, or justice.
Having lived in Guatemala off and on since 2004 (right now, on again!), I don't know anyone here who (Guatemalan or American) who would say that the adoption process has ever been entirely transparent. Its scope, as Siegal points out, is staggering and has remained shrouded in considerable mystery. I used to routinely see two or three Guatemalan babies with their new adoptive parents on every flight I took to the U.S. until 2007. Until the publication of this book, however, its been difficult to try to piece together through news stories the complexities of international adoption and the ethical issues that surround the practice.
Siegal has produced a well-researched journalistic work that reads like a mystery novel. It is all the more gripping to realize that the events she describes actually happened. This book features both heroes and villains on both sides of the border. Siegal refrains from making sweeping judgements about the adoption process and leaves these prescriptions to the reader to decide.
The book does get complicated in parts, with overlapping agencies, confusing justice systems, and a slew of corrupt people who all appear to be in cahoots with each other. A glossary or a list of characters and agencies would have been helpful.
My only criticism of this otherwise fine book (besides the numerous typos), is that Siegal does not address one of the core issues that creates the corruption that she describes: the U.S. demand for adoptable children. I am in no way suggesting or advocating that unwanted Guatemalan children are better off in orphanages, foster care, or on the streets rather than with loving adoptive families. Nevertheless, the rising U.S. demand for Guatemalan children creates the ideal conditions for the growth of corruption and the commodification of children. The astounding amounts of money that American couples pay for international adoptions remain nearly unimaginable to most people in a country where fully half the population exists on less than two dollars a day and socio-economic inequality remains among the worst in the Western hemisphere, if not the world.
Overall, a compelling read for anyone interested in human rights, human trafficking, international adoption, Guatemala, or justice.
January 14, 2016
2.5 stars. This is an investigation into child trafficking for the purposes of adoption in Guatemala, with the narrative revolving around two little girls who were abducted from their mother to be sold via adoption to families in the United States. The 2-year-old girl, Fernanda, disappeared from her babysitter's house (the sitter is accused of being in on the abduction) while her younger sister was cut from her mother's womb early via a C-section and disappeared from the hospital. Meanwhile a family in the United States started adoption proceedings for Fernanda after seeing her photo on an adoption website, not having any idea that the children were stolen.
The idea that this sort of criminal activity could be widespread is terrifying. The book points out that there's a huge campaign in Guatemala to search for missing children whose families never agreed to give them up. Apparently there were also trafficking scandals in Vietnam, Haiti, Nepal, and India. There's huge money to be made in selling children to families who either can't have babies or who believe it's a Christian imperative to discourage abortion by adopting as many children as possible.
But although the subject matter was interesting (and horrifying), the book read like a legal brief. The author's intent was to expose everyone she could, with a particular target on the woman who handled the US end of the adoptions for a Florida-based company. Every phone call, every email, every legal proceeding involving every judicial department in both Guatemala and the US were painstakingly detailed. I finally just flipped through the book to find out if the girls were going to be okay. Of all the children investigated, some were found and some weren't.
Anyone who wants to adopt a child internationally needs to read this book and to make absolutely sure they're not contributing to the child trafficking problem, either directly or indirectly. Everyone else...consider reading The Child Catchers instead.
The idea that this sort of criminal activity could be widespread is terrifying. The book points out that there's a huge campaign in Guatemala to search for missing children whose families never agreed to give them up. Apparently there were also trafficking scandals in Vietnam, Haiti, Nepal, and India. There's huge money to be made in selling children to families who either can't have babies or who believe it's a Christian imperative to discourage abortion by adopting as many children as possible.
But although the subject matter was interesting (and horrifying), the book read like a legal brief. The author's intent was to expose everyone she could, with a particular target on the woman who handled the US end of the adoptions for a Florida-based company. Every phone call, every email, every legal proceeding involving every judicial department in both Guatemala and the US were painstakingly detailed. I finally just flipped through the book to find out if the girls were going to be okay. Of all the children investigated, some were found and some weren't.
Anyone who wants to adopt a child internationally needs to read this book and to make absolutely sure they're not contributing to the child trafficking problem, either directly or indirectly. Everyone else...consider reading The Child Catchers instead.
August 12, 2012
This book deserves 5 stars not because it is exceptionally well written (although the writing is more than adequate), but because it covers such an important topic for anyone whose life has ever been touched by adoption.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever adopted internationally or is considering international adoption. The book is well researched and documents the unethical practices sometimes found in international adoption, where the vast sums of money paid by adoptive parents are sometimes used to fund corrupt adoption practices.
It's extremely sad that anyone would coerce poor parents to relinquish their children, and yet that clearly takes place. It's also extremely sad that children are kidnapped and then placed for international adoption.
Siegal does an outstanding job explaining the perspective of birth parents and the reasons why international adoption involves many troubling ethical dilemmas. She provides touching accounts of the struggles of many families in Guatemala. Adoptive parents need to understand the perspectives of birth families, and Siegal does a great job bringing these stories to life.
As a parent who adopted internationally, I wish I'd been more aware of these concerns and engaged in a more careful assessment of the agencies we worked with and the type of international adoption we pursued. We were ignorant of these issues when we pursued international adoption. The book is a wake up call to adoptive parents.
Not all international adoptions involve corruption, like the stories told in Siegal's book, yet everyone involved in international adoption should be aware of what can occur when unethical people get involved in order to make a profit.
I applaud Siegal for writing this book.
My only complaint was that sometimes Siegal went into too much detail to make her point.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever adopted internationally or is considering international adoption. The book is well researched and documents the unethical practices sometimes found in international adoption, where the vast sums of money paid by adoptive parents are sometimes used to fund corrupt adoption practices.
It's extremely sad that anyone would coerce poor parents to relinquish their children, and yet that clearly takes place. It's also extremely sad that children are kidnapped and then placed for international adoption.
Siegal does an outstanding job explaining the perspective of birth parents and the reasons why international adoption involves many troubling ethical dilemmas. She provides touching accounts of the struggles of many families in Guatemala. Adoptive parents need to understand the perspectives of birth families, and Siegal does a great job bringing these stories to life.
As a parent who adopted internationally, I wish I'd been more aware of these concerns and engaged in a more careful assessment of the agencies we worked with and the type of international adoption we pursued. We were ignorant of these issues when we pursued international adoption. The book is a wake up call to adoptive parents.
Not all international adoptions involve corruption, like the stories told in Siegal's book, yet everyone involved in international adoption should be aware of what can occur when unethical people get involved in order to make a profit.
I applaud Siegal for writing this book.
My only complaint was that sometimes Siegal went into too much detail to make her point.
March 5, 2012
Siegal's investigative journalism takes us deep inside the horrors of foreign adoption fraud, specifically in U.S. adoptions of Guatemalan children. This extremely well-researched book follows two families as they both try to uncover what has happened to the same young girl--stolen from her mother? sold by her mother? up for adoption? retrieved by her mother? It is quickly apparent that the truth is hard to come by, and there are few resources these women can trust in a system overwhelmed by corruption. It seems that most of this fraud and corruption stems from a government that never really recovered post-war alongside widespread poverty. A human life becomes a commodity. Siegal does a terrific job connecting the pieces while weaving in personal touches. This book has made me even more concerned about foreign adoption, and I'm left questioning if anyone benefits from something that, at surface level, appears so philanthropic.
April 24, 2012
Wow! I picked this up at the library and, given the length and small type, figured it would be a slow read. Two days later . . .
We were adopting domestically in 2007, during the time that the U.S. Guatemelan adoption program was shutting down. I was aware that there were concerns with Guatemelan adoption and with international adoption in general but this book was eye-opening. Erin Siegal managed to convey the complexities of the adoption industry and the emotions of all involved. Mildred Alavarado's story is heartbreaking and, although it has a happy ending, I am haunted by the thought that so many other Guatemelan mothers are still waiting for the return of their children, like the case of "Karen Abigail Monahan."
I was a little bothered to see a couple of paragraphs repeated in multiple chapters, but I'm a picky backseat editor. Overall a fascinating book and an important topic that needs more attention.
We were adopting domestically in 2007, during the time that the U.S. Guatemelan adoption program was shutting down. I was aware that there were concerns with Guatemelan adoption and with international adoption in general but this book was eye-opening. Erin Siegal managed to convey the complexities of the adoption industry and the emotions of all involved. Mildred Alavarado's story is heartbreaking and, although it has a happy ending, I am haunted by the thought that so many other Guatemelan mothers are still waiting for the return of their children, like the case of "Karen Abigail Monahan."
I was a little bothered to see a couple of paragraphs repeated in multiple chapters, but I'm a picky backseat editor. Overall a fascinating book and an important topic that needs more attention.
March 29, 2014
Sometimes non-fiction can be hard to get into, but despite the quantity of 'facts' in this book, it read like a narrative. I really enjoyed it - if Dateline or 20/20 is one of your guilty pleasures, you'll probably like this book - although the issues discussed can be pretty heart-wrenching.
May 1, 2012
A great book- the story is absorbing and the reporting is excellent. An interesting look at international adoptions, I would highly recommend this to all of my friends.
August 6, 2024
A totally engrossing, well-written journalistic investigation into child trafficking from Guatemala to the US in the form of adoptions. I stayed up late reading this book - it was a total page turner. This book really showed the experience of one mother whose children were stolen from her. I appreciated how detailed the account was and how one could understand how someone in such a vulnerable and insecure situation could be tricked by horrible people. I also appreciated how detailed Siegel was in her investigation of the legal aspects of the case and how immensely difficult it is to pursue justice in a country so deeply infected with corruption.
It goes without saying how absolutely horrific and heartbreaking it is for both the mothers and the children to be treated so inhumanely. This book definitely opened my eyes to the corruption that is sadly present in the adoption world. Now I am reading "The Child Catchers" by Kathleen Joyce which looks more at the other side of adoption corruption - that of the adopters who believe they are saving children who might actually be separated from families that are still in the picture.
It goes without saying how absolutely horrific and heartbreaking it is for both the mothers and the children to be treated so inhumanely. This book definitely opened my eyes to the corruption that is sadly present in the adoption world. Now I am reading "The Child Catchers" by Kathleen Joyce which looks more at the other side of adoption corruption - that of the adopters who believe they are saving children who might actually be separated from families that are still in the picture.
January 17, 2021
Lovely book! I hope netflix turnd this into a documentary or film.
February 22, 2021
Amazing! Well documented and presented. A must read to see a layer of Guatemala and the corruption that flows below the surface.
August 25, 2022
This book had me hooked immediately. It’s an incredible story that leaves me asking why all of those people aren’t in jail right now. We need updates on everyone involved.
August 27, 2012
Excellent account of corruption in international adoptions in Guatemala. Very interesting and fast paced. Having worked in child welfare for many years, I'm definitely a proponent of adoption. However, this book made me consider a lot of issues in international adoption that I was not aware of. It also really underscores the need to chose a reputable agency if you are thinking about international adoption. I did a search for Celebrate Children International, the agency featured in this book, and was surprised to see that it is still operating and still involved in international adoptions with Sue Hedberg (the director with very questionable ethics and practices also featured in the book) as it's director. That's really an outrage. It's also interesting to me that so many of these so called adoption do gooders who are actually corrupt and participating in very shady dealings label themselves as "good Christians." Yet another example of religious hypocrisy, although it's not the main point of the book. Although certainly, Sue Hedberg did (and still does, from the looks of the website) use her so called "good Christian-ness" to manipulate people. In any case, this is an interesting and informative book that will make you think about the corruption in the international adoption world and how this impacts children and families.
May 13, 2014
First of all, let me say I think adoption is a wonderful thing. I know several families that have adopted, and my mother-in-law was adopted as a baby. That being said, I think we need to take a good look at adoption practices in this country and what really seems to be willful ignorance on the part of adoptive parents sometimes.
This book was engaging and compelling. There were a few places where the grammar or punctuation was incorrect, but that very well may have been because I was reading it as an eBook rather than a printed copy. I first became aware of this story when they did a 48 Hours on it back in January, and I bought the book soon after. It's amazing how much corruption there can be in the adoption industry (though it totally makes sense). The thing that disturbed me was how often the American adoptive parents dismiss any reports of corruption and fraud in other countries as those countries being "anti-adoption". Wouldn't you want to know that the child you are adopting is legitimately adoptable? Some of them honestly didn't seem to care that there was a possibility that "their" child had been kidnapped and there was a family desperately searching for them. I don't know what I would do if my child was stolen from me.
Overall, a very good book, and one I would recommend to others.
This book was engaging and compelling. There were a few places where the grammar or punctuation was incorrect, but that very well may have been because I was reading it as an eBook rather than a printed copy. I first became aware of this story when they did a 48 Hours on it back in January, and I bought the book soon after. It's amazing how much corruption there can be in the adoption industry (though it totally makes sense). The thing that disturbed me was how often the American adoptive parents dismiss any reports of corruption and fraud in other countries as those countries being "anti-adoption". Wouldn't you want to know that the child you are adopting is legitimately adoptable? Some of them honestly didn't seem to care that there was a possibility that "their" child had been kidnapped and there was a family desperately searching for them. I don't know what I would do if my child was stolen from me.
Overall, a very good book, and one I would recommend to others.
March 8, 2016
Yikes. Recommended because I so enjoyed The Child Catchers, this one takes on the child trafficking - adoption link from the other end - the traffickers, lawyers, agencies.
On its own, a lovely piece of journalism that started as a thesis, well-researched, and I imagine that Siegal will do great things in her career. Glad I read it, and it did give the positive spin of the people fighting this, and a few success stories, while being totally cognizant of the fact that this is the exception.
In some ways, this is less interesting reading than The Child Catchers because it is a documentation of organized crime, basically no different than any kind of lucrative smuggling. The motivation is purely financial, whereas The Child Catchers addresses a more interesting and murkier set of motivations that make for more fun reading - the idea that an American Christian childhood is by default better than any other..."rescuing the orphans," and of course, abortion policy. Also, since that end of things takes place on American soil and in American courts, it feels like there might be more that could be done to remedy it, as opposed to dealing with desperate poverty and widespread corruption in the poorest places in the world.
I probably would have enjoyed it Finding Fernanda more had I not read that first. Still worth a read.
On its own, a lovely piece of journalism that started as a thesis, well-researched, and I imagine that Siegal will do great things in her career. Glad I read it, and it did give the positive spin of the people fighting this, and a few success stories, while being totally cognizant of the fact that this is the exception.
In some ways, this is less interesting reading than The Child Catchers because it is a documentation of organized crime, basically no different than any kind of lucrative smuggling. The motivation is purely financial, whereas The Child Catchers addresses a more interesting and murkier set of motivations that make for more fun reading - the idea that an American Christian childhood is by default better than any other..."rescuing the orphans," and of course, abortion policy. Also, since that end of things takes place on American soil and in American courts, it feels like there might be more that could be done to remedy it, as opposed to dealing with desperate poverty and widespread corruption in the poorest places in the world.
I probably would have enjoyed it Finding Fernanda more had I not read that first. Still worth a read.
February 4, 2017
Finding Fernanda is an incredible piece of work. Author Erin Siegal's writing is so fluid and comprehensive that it reads just like a mystery thriller, but everything is even more intense because it's rooted in fact. There's a LOT contained within these pages, but I never felt overwhelmed by the information or characters, which is a testament to Siegal's ability to be thorough without losing track of the story.
I'm not a parent, so I can't even imagine the despair of having not one, but two young children taken away from you. And it's remarkable to think that thousands of miles away in another country, a woman could come across those children and work to change the very system she was using for adoption. There's a ton of intrigue, emotion, and heart-wrenching moments, but there's also some hope that there are great people out there in the world. When all of those are combined, they create a book that's very hard to put down.
I have two cousins who were adopted from Guatemala, which made this book even more eye-opening to me. I'm sure similar corruption goes on in countries throughout the world, and it's just heartbreaking. Whether you're a parent or not, this is a must read.
I'm not a parent, so I can't even imagine the despair of having not one, but two young children taken away from you. And it's remarkable to think that thousands of miles away in another country, a woman could come across those children and work to change the very system she was using for adoption. There's a ton of intrigue, emotion, and heart-wrenching moments, but there's also some hope that there are great people out there in the world. When all of those are combined, they create a book that's very hard to put down.
I have two cousins who were adopted from Guatemala, which made this book even more eye-opening to me. I'm sure similar corruption goes on in countries throughout the world, and it's just heartbreaking. Whether you're a parent or not, this is a must read.
Read
February 9, 2014Sifting through the narrative report of the terrible mess that was involved with Celebrate Children International adoptions and likely related to so many other adoption and child kidnapping scenarios in Guatemala in the past years reflects just how much of a mess the corruption has been. Siegal's reporting effectively raises more questions that remain unanswered. I cannot imagine the difficulty of her investigation and I appreciated learning more about the intricacies of tracing the ethical path of international adoption. Also, the fact that the Florida DCF can continue to give the CCI agency a clean rating in spite of continued complaints and reports coming in is deplorable.
I could have done without Siegal's efforts to give editorialized descriptions of the different people involved. It read awkwardly and frustrated me as I felt she was inadvertently (or maybe it was purposefully?) trying to create mystery and doubt along the way (as though these were characters instead of real people) rather than simply report the timeline, facts, and basic observations of her investigations.
I could have done without Siegal's efforts to give editorialized descriptions of the different people involved. It read awkwardly and frustrated me as I felt she was inadvertently (or maybe it was purposefully?) trying to create mystery and doubt along the way (as though these were characters instead of real people) rather than simply report the timeline, facts, and basic observations of her investigations.
September 8, 2016
This book will haunt me forever. My feelings ranged from extreme sadness to aggravation to rage. Evilness of so many, no thought to the children or parents, both birth & adoptive, only money, money, money. International adoption is a billion dollar business and so many involved, from adoption agencies to government officials, are just in it because of greed. After seeing a program on TV based on the book, I wanted more details. Even though I know a great deal about the ethics, no, the unethical garbage, in international adoption, this book with all it's details about adoption in Guatemala, broke my heart.
Being the grandmother of an internationally adopted child, this is a topic that disturbs me so much. But I would recommend this book for anyone that cares about children, parents, and right and wrong.
Being the grandmother of an internationally adopted child, this is a topic that disturbs me so much. But I would recommend this book for anyone that cares about children, parents, and right and wrong.
June 13, 2012
This book tells the story of Mildred Alvarado, a poor woman who lost her both daughters and Betsy Emanuel, a adoptive mother who faced two nightmares, on the verge to adopt robbed kids. This read WAS AMAZING, I'm not always picking up this type of books but I got this book from a giveaway here thinking I should give it a try. It's very pushing and the reality on the eyes of two different type of mothers was so disturbing in a way that couldnt be better to point out reality. Finding Fernanda is a roller coaster of emotions, from saddness, angriness to happiness. It leaves you thinking deeply. I really encourage everybody to give this book a try, since seems that not much people know about it. This book deserves justice.
*MUST-READ
*MUST-READ
August 21, 2012
A book well worth reading. Interesting accounts of several lives involved in the adoption agencies described. The reader can become aware of problems in adopting children of other countries and what can happen.
The book was too wordy and jumped too much but still was very interesting.
I highly recommend it for book Clubs.
I won this and am thankful to the author for donating it but rather than keep it, I am donating it to my local library t share with many others.
It is 'cleanly' written so safe for Young Adults as well.
The book was too wordy and jumped too much but still was very interesting.
I highly recommend it for book Clubs.
I won this and am thankful to the author for donating it but rather than keep it, I am donating it to my local library t share with many others.
It is 'cleanly' written so safe for Young Adults as well.
July 4, 2012
I won this book through a GoodReads giveaway. This moving non-fiction story portrays the darker side of international adoption, particularly in Guatemala. Although not the best writing style, this tale is an expose of how illegal adoptions occur due to corrupt officials and crime rings which profit from the "sale" of children. It relates the true story of Mildred Alvarado, the birth mother, and Betsy Emanuel, the American adoptive mother.
March 9, 2014
A horrifying but important account of international adoption gone wrong. My 3 stars don't reflect my dislike of the topic (although, of course I found it detestable) so much as the difficulty I had in following the many concurrent story lines and overwhelming number of players involved. If I hadn't had an understanding of the Guatemalan adoption system going in, I'm not sure I would have been able to get through the book. The number of spelling errors was also a distraction for me.
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