An Indispensable Contribution to International Adoption Books
Recommended adoption books validate the experiences of all those who have been outright abused but have found the will to survive, thrive, and share their tale.
Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists
Compiled by Janine and Jenette Vance, AdoptionLand: From Orphans to Activists is an indispensable contribution to adoption literature. The essays, poems, and letters in this compilation reflect the thoughts, feelings, the souls of those who inhabit AdoptionLand — a place of truth and acceptance for the casualties of the demand for children.
Asian Babies Scattered Around the Globe Like Seeds in the Wind.
The anthology brings together twenty-eight men and women. Many are internationally and/or inter-racially adopted. Asian babies are scattered around the globe like seeds in the wind, hoping some will flourish. One taken from Germany and another sent to Germany illustrating the haphazard irrationality of international adoption and begging the question: how could this be in the best interest of the children?
Adopted by a Sexually Abusive Man.
Like the majority of those adopted, many of the contributors were loved and felt great affection for their adoptive parents. One did not know he was adopted until well into adulthood. Another was adopted at ten by a sexually abusive man after being abused by a foster family and a “trial” summer adoption. Regardless of their personal circumstances, many grew up to see the fallacies and failings in the adoption process and now work to create change in the system.
The “Unknown” Culture Club: Korean Adoptees, Then and Now, compiled by the Vance Twins and Katherine Kim, Art by Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom
Kidnapped in South Korea and Adopted to Norway.
Sunny Jo was kidnapped in South Korea and adopted in Norway, where she was often told how lucky she was because of “the assumed benefits” of living “a privileged and affluent life in Norway.” Like DeMeyer, Sunny Jo was “made to feel guilty” for wanting to know about her beginnings.
“There was simply no room for my loneliness and feelings of alienation (as all space was consumed by the happiness of my parents and society’s colour blind conviction of having done ‘something good’ by ‘saving’ me… to show anything but gratitude… would be like slapping the faces of the adoptive parents, who loved me… So I carried my pain alone, wearing a mask for fear I might destroy someone else’s illusion.”
What do the contributors hope to accomplish?
Khara’s (South Korean born, adopted in Norway) dream “is for adoption to end,” while Vanessa Pearce (born in India, adopted in Canada) wants “to end the myth that adoption always leads to a better life.” Peter Dodds (born in Germany, adopted to the US) would like the removal of children from their homeland to be a last resort, and Lucy Sheen (who says she was “made in Hong Kong and exported to the UK”) wants the same for transracial adoption. Arun Dohle (born in India, adopted in Germany) wishes “for justice for all families who have been separated by adoption.”
The Power of Truth, Transparency, and Community.
As the word “activist” in the title indicates, many of the contributors are doing more than dreaming or wishing. Dohle is a co-founder of Against Child Trafficking. Another contributor, Janine Myung Ja, is a co-creator of “Adoption Truth and Transparency Worldwide Information Network.” Tobias Hübinette (born in South Korea and adopted in Sweden) was instrumental in founding Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea. All are actively trying to eradicate the corruption and exploitation that adoption is riddled with.
