Books on Adoption
Listed below are some of the books which members have found useful. We welcome information on books you have read and wish to share with others. Send the information to
Info@AdoptionReconnect.org.
The Primal Wound : Understanding the Adopted Child
Nancy Newton Verrier
Nancy Verrier is a psychotherapist and is herself the mother of an adopted daughter and a biological daughter. The book is based upon the master's thesis Ms Verrier did as a part of her work in clinical psychology. She brings enormous insight into the feelings and behaviour of adoptees and the impact of adoption on everyone in the triad. This book should be required reading for all social workers involved in adoption as well as the birth mother/parents and adoptive parents.
Coming Home to Self - The Adopted Child Grows Up
Nancy Newton Verrier
This book follows on from Ms Verrier's first book, The Primal Wound. The first two chapters deal with the neurobiology of the brain. Ms Verrier provides very detailed information on the adoptee and covers topics such as reunion and therapy. While the book is more technical in nature, it is written so that the lay person can understand. Definitely a "must read" book for therapists and counsellors of adoptees and their families.
The Adoption Reunion Handbook
Liz Trinder, Julia Feast and David Howe
A book full of advice on how to search, draft letters and what to expect emotionally. It covers not only the reunion with the birth mother, but also birth fathers and birth siblings and much more.
...advice packed guide to adoption search and reunion...essential information and personal perspectives... (www.adoption net.co.uk, July 2004)
(ISBN: 9780470094228)
On the Other Side of Shame
Joanne Jowell
An extraordinary account of adoption and reunion. This is a story about the power of shame and the strength of forgiveness, a story which crosses borders and generations. It is a non-fiction account of
a Cape Town woman and the son she gave up for adoption. It sets the scene of a conservative era in South Africa which affected so many unmarried women who had to deal with an unplanned pregnancy.
(ISBN: 9781770100831)