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Dear Wonderful You, Letters to Adopted & Fostered Youth
"Dear Wonderful You, Letters to Adopted & Fostered Youth" is a powerful book filled with thoughtful and inspiring letters. This anthology was written by a global community of adult adoptees and adults who were fostered. Each letter was penned to the upcoming generation of adopted and fostered youth.
The literary mission of "Dear Wonderful You" is for all adopted or fostered youth to feel embraced and guided by the incredible letters contained inside. The contributors want every young reader to know they have a network of support who "get it," "get them," and have been in their shoes.
DEAR WONDERFUL YOU CONTRIBUTORS
JoAnne Bennett,Thomas Park Clement, Brenda M. Cotter, Charlotte Cotter, Laura Dennis, Peter Dodds, Mei-Mei Akwai Ellerman PhD, Ming Foxweldon, Suzanne Gilbert, Rosita Gonzalez, Lynn Grubb, Lee Herrick, Soojung Jo, Jeff Leinaweaver PhD, J.S. London, Dan Matthews, Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, Kaye S. Pearse, Karen Pickell, Jasmine Renee, Matthew Salesses, Liz Semons, Lucy Chau Lai-Tuen, May Silverstein, Joe Soll LCSW, Julie Stromberg, Amanda H.L. Transue-Woolston, Angela Tucker
The literary mission of "Dear Wonderful You" is for all adopted or fostered youth to feel embraced and guided by the incredible letters contained inside. The contributors want every young reader to know they have a network of support who "get it," "get them," and have been in their shoes.
DEAR WONDERFUL YOU CONTRIBUTORS
JoAnne Bennett,Thomas Park Clement, Brenda M. Cotter, Charlotte Cotter, Laura Dennis, Peter Dodds, Mei-Mei Akwai Ellerman PhD, Ming Foxweldon, Suzanne Gilbert, Rosita Gonzalez, Lynn Grubb, Lee Herrick, Soojung Jo, Jeff Leinaweaver PhD, J.S. London, Dan Matthews, Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, Kaye S. Pearse, Karen Pickell, Jasmine Renee, Matthew Salesses, Liz Semons, Lucy Chau Lai-Tuen, May Silverstein, Joe Soll LCSW, Julie Stromberg, Amanda H.L. Transue-Woolston, Angela Tucker
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2014
7 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Diane René Christian
10 books74 followersDiane René Christian is an award winning short story writer turned
novelist. Her work has appeared in various print and electronic publications.
Diane René Christian was raised in Pennsylvania and spent her childhood years playing in the fields of Valley Forge Park. She now resides in the Pacific Northwest.
Christian's family tree has been shaped by adoption in many ways. Her paternal grandfather and her father were both adopted. She is also an adoptive mother to two children.
In 2005 she traveled to China to adopt her youngest daughter. A year and a half later she returned to China to adopt her oldest daughter. Christian's novel 'An-Ya and Her Diary' is dedicated to her children.
novelist. Her work has appeared in various print and electronic publications.
Diane René Christian was raised in Pennsylvania and spent her childhood years playing in the fields of Valley Forge Park. She now resides in the Pacific Northwest.
Christian's family tree has been shaped by adoption in many ways. Her paternal grandfather and her father were both adopted. She is also an adoptive mother to two children.
In 2005 she traveled to China to adopt her youngest daughter. A year and a half later she returned to China to adopt her oldest daughter. Christian's novel 'An-Ya and Her Diary' is dedicated to her children.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 4, 2015
I'm one of the contributing authors, but I had no idea how this anthology would turn out. Except that having contributed to a previous AN-YA publication Perpetual Child I just knew it would be a quality publication.
So being able to read the full manuscript was very exciting. Being able to read the other contributors letters, to hear all the different voices connected by one vital thread, that of adoption and fostering.
I kept thinking back to when I was 13, 14 years old. If only I had had such a book, perhaps things might had gone a little easier, a little smoother? Maybe the ride wouldn't have been so tough and uneven? Who can say.
Reviewing this piece is a bit like standing in front of a masterpiece with a blindfold on. You have to "see" the work in other words you have to read it. Each person will take from this book what they need, what they see as being there, what they identify with, what they empathise with or what draws them in. It will resonate in deep into the frame of the adoptee and fostered person. It will touch those who are affected by adoption and fostering be they parents, careers or professionals.
It is an beautiful, touching, courageous anthology that has been compiled with care and respect. It is for me everything that I could have hoped for as a child, teenager and sadly did not have.
I am full of admiration at the courage and truth that the contributors have written into every page.
This anthology may not be for everyone. But it is definitely there for those who need it. Each letter speaks to the reader on a one to one basis. With unique, sometimes sad, reflective, hopeful and uplifting messages, from one adoptee to another.
What this anthology shows is adoptees as a group are as varied and diverse as any other group in society. This Anthology accurately reflects the diversity within the adoption community.
I urge everyone to read Dear Wonderful You because we all know, have or are close to, a "Dear Wonderful You..."
So being able to read the full manuscript was very exciting. Being able to read the other contributors letters, to hear all the different voices connected by one vital thread, that of adoption and fostering.
I kept thinking back to when I was 13, 14 years old. If only I had had such a book, perhaps things might had gone a little easier, a little smoother? Maybe the ride wouldn't have been so tough and uneven? Who can say.
Reviewing this piece is a bit like standing in front of a masterpiece with a blindfold on. You have to "see" the work in other words you have to read it. Each person will take from this book what they need, what they see as being there, what they identify with, what they empathise with or what draws them in. It will resonate in deep into the frame of the adoptee and fostered person. It will touch those who are affected by adoption and fostering be they parents, careers or professionals.
It is an beautiful, touching, courageous anthology that has been compiled with care and respect. It is for me everything that I could have hoped for as a child, teenager and sadly did not have.
I am full of admiration at the courage and truth that the contributors have written into every page.
This anthology may not be for everyone. But it is definitely there for those who need it. Each letter speaks to the reader on a one to one basis. With unique, sometimes sad, reflective, hopeful and uplifting messages, from one adoptee to another.
What this anthology shows is adoptees as a group are as varied and diverse as any other group in society. This Anthology accurately reflects the diversity within the adoption community.
I urge everyone to read Dear Wonderful You because we all know, have or are close to, a "Dear Wonderful You..."
November 11, 2014
While I am a contributor to this project, there are far more letters that I hadn’t seen until now. This is a collection of letters that each adoptee, tween/teen/adult, will hold dear to oneself. It will be the book adoptees will turn to for comfort and support. Each letter is honest and true. Each letter writer has penned a letter from the heart and provided the reader a way of contacting. Books rarely create the community that builds worldwide friendships. This one will build the adoptee community where each person has a different narrative, but each person is respected for that narrative. #flipthescript on #NationalAdoptionMonth
October 26, 2014
It was an honor to serve as Co-editor and Publisher of "Dear Wonderful You, Letters to Adopted & Fostered Youth". Each piece in this book was written with heart— and as a collection it has an uplifting and supportive soul. This will be a special read for anyone who has been touched by adoption or foster care. It is a book which offers readers many starting points for important conversations.
August 30, 2020
This is a five-star book for the premise alone. It's a collection of letters written by adult adoptees to younger adoptees. It's the equivalent of the "It Gets Better" movement for LGBT youth and I wish I read it when I was 14. I'm especially pleased that a majority of the authors are transracial and from Asian countries.
The message is not unique. Letter after letter assures youth: "You're not alone. Your story is unique. Find other adoptees to talk to. It's not your fault. You're whole as you are." It's not the letters that are important, but the multiplicity - seeing a name, seeing the literal text of an experience you also experienced. The back of the book contains bios, blogs, and personal emails where the authors encourage people to reach out. Those opportunities for connections alone are worth a lot that no other book has offered me.
Two letters stood out to me above all others. They weren't written to the reader. They didn't assume the reader was lonely and depressed, as the other letters had. They offered new insights and were beautifully written.
1. Matthew Salesses' letter about paradigm shifts (excerpt below):
"This is what I was doing: I was testing what I knew about myself in terms of the paradigm I had. But the old rules don't fit anymore. The material is the same, but the sense I made of it has been completely called into question, and I will spend the next whatever number of years, decades, or forever, figuring out how all of me fits the paradigm that recognizes adoption at the center of it..."
2. J.S. London's short story called "The Inspiration Ice Cream Café and Tea Parlour" about a girl who happens upon a magical café inside a small box where you can meet the lost people in your life (excerpt below):
"I will tell my grandchild that the most magical things in the world happen in ordinary places, small places like this special café that was (like me) almost never born. I will tell them about how we met and shared ice creams and views of the Eiffel Tower and walked along the Siene. I will tell them about your stories, your dreams. Inspiration Ice Cream will be a part of their history, theirs to share, too. It will be a place where we can all meet, even those of us who never meet, the place where we will all remember, especially those of us who cannot remember."
Both of those excerpts deserve a lot more context and mulling over. They stood out because they offered unique ways for people of all ages to process grief, even those who are not adopted.
I hope it's obvious that you shouldn't read this book unless you are a 14-year-old transracial adoptee or someone who works with/knows 14-year-old adoptees. I just wanted to share the good this book is giving to the world.
The message is not unique. Letter after letter assures youth: "You're not alone. Your story is unique. Find other adoptees to talk to. It's not your fault. You're whole as you are." It's not the letters that are important, but the multiplicity - seeing a name, seeing the literal text of an experience you also experienced. The back of the book contains bios, blogs, and personal emails where the authors encourage people to reach out. Those opportunities for connections alone are worth a lot that no other book has offered me.
Two letters stood out to me above all others. They weren't written to the reader. They didn't assume the reader was lonely and depressed, as the other letters had. They offered new insights and were beautifully written.
1. Matthew Salesses' letter about paradigm shifts (excerpt below):
"This is what I was doing: I was testing what I knew about myself in terms of the paradigm I had. But the old rules don't fit anymore. The material is the same, but the sense I made of it has been completely called into question, and I will spend the next whatever number of years, decades, or forever, figuring out how all of me fits the paradigm that recognizes adoption at the center of it..."
2. J.S. London's short story called "The Inspiration Ice Cream Café and Tea Parlour" about a girl who happens upon a magical café inside a small box where you can meet the lost people in your life (excerpt below):
"I will tell my grandchild that the most magical things in the world happen in ordinary places, small places like this special café that was (like me) almost never born. I will tell them about how we met and shared ice creams and views of the Eiffel Tower and walked along the Siene. I will tell them about your stories, your dreams. Inspiration Ice Cream will be a part of their history, theirs to share, too. It will be a place where we can all meet, even those of us who never meet, the place where we will all remember, especially those of us who cannot remember."
Both of those excerpts deserve a lot more context and mulling over. They stood out because they offered unique ways for people of all ages to process grief, even those who are not adopted.
I hope it's obvious that you shouldn't read this book unless you are a 14-year-old transracial adoptee or someone who works with/knows 14-year-old adoptees. I just wanted to share the good this book is giving to the world.
March 17, 2019
As co-editor and contributor to this special anthology, I highly recommend it both for young readers [age 12 up] and their parents. The shared personal experiences and stories of adoptees and fostered youth of all ages, will resonate with readers for their challenging and inspiring nature. Contributors have written with open hearts, telling hard truths as well as uplifting tales.
All the writers listed their contact information and are open to be contacted, an unusual option.
All the writers listed their contact information and are open to be contacted, an unusual option.
January 6, 2021
Numerous adoptees write letters to younger adoptees, to give advice, hope, laughs, coping mechanisms, and a sense of belonging. It’s such a smart way to create community- each writer leaves their contact info so the reader can make a true connection with them. Some of the letters are beautifully written poetry or descriptive storytelling. Many of these writers created change in the world that they wanted for themself. LOVE THAT! I highly recommend this book to anyone adopted. It’s fairly short and an easy read.
April 4, 2015
A very special book that I will present to each of my daughters. Parts were hard to read, making it even more important for adoptive families to read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews