Recommended Reading: Exploring Identity, Self-Empowerment, and Adoption

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 firsthand accounts of lived experiences, shedding light on the lifelong impact of being adopted and separated from one's origins. These stories capture the emotional journey of loss, discovery, and resilience.

I Would Meet You Anywhere: A Memoir (Machete) – Susan Kiyo Ito

Goodbye Again – Candace Cahill

Somebody’s Daughter – Zara H. Phillips

You Don't Look Adopted – Anne Heffron

Born with Teeth – Kate Mulgrew

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

A Fire is Coming – Emma Stevens

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Non-Fiction & Historical Perspectives

Understanding the systemic aspects of adoption, forced separations, and identity erasure is crucial in contextualizing individual experiences.

The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption – Janine Myung Ja, Rare Adoption Books, Janine Vance

Adoption: What You Should Know (An Orphan's Research) – Janine Myung Ja, Rare Adoption Books, Janine Vance

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 way to explore the emotional and psychological effects of being adopted, helping readers connect to deeper truths through storytelling.

Sold on a Monday: A Novel – Kristina McMorris

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.

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