Birthright: The Guide to Search and Reunion for Adoptees, Birthparents, and Adoptive Parents

by Jean A.S. Strauss, Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Foreword by)

What happens when an adoptee decides to locate a birthparent or a birthparent wants to find a child given up long ago? How does one search for people whose names one does not know? And what happens during a reunion? In 1983, Jean A. S. Strauss was faced with these questions when she began her search for her birthmother, and in this inspiring new handbook, she shares her experience. Strauss will help you throughout this significant time. Brimming with important reference sources and dozens of true-life stories, this valuable resource will guide you

· Making the difficult decision to search
· Navigating through the emotional turbulence of a reunion
· Dealing with the impact of the search on the adoptive parents

Compassionate and insightful, Birthright is for anyone seeking to connect with someone long lost.

Genres: Adoption, Nonfiction

363 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1994

Reviews

[LeMira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anyone affected by adoption or anyone who is searching for their parents/grandparents. Strauss talks about an adoptee's innate desire to know her roots as well as the feelings that come with the anticipation of reunion and the reunion itself. Using personal and other people's experiences, she talks about the different perspectives of reunion (adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoptees). For those who are considering reunion, or for those adoptive parents who are still concerned about open adoption, this book is a must read. Strauss provides many resources and many perspectives.

On a personal note, this book wasn't one that I felt I really needed. Our family has an open adoption, and our son knows his mother. We don't have any inhibitions when it comes to him meeting and knowing his birth family. However, I appreciated the many perspectives and experiences in the book.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life -- before I found Jean's essential book in 1994, I hadn't heard about Search or Reunion and I didn't know birthparents could search for their sons and daughters. I tore through the book in a few days and then started over from the beginning to take notes. I'd go on to meet the great Jean Strauss in person, marvel at her films and come to think of her as a friend. This book led me to so much joy, I will always treasure it.

[Suzanne Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the early books on the topic and like anything new it was viewed as dangerous and simultaneously dismissed. It's a book that gets the last laugh because it's psychological truth makes it stand today, after the harsh welcome and in a much more crowded field. Well written, engaging, crisp.