Adoptee Reading List

I stumbled across an excellent site today with a curated list of 205 books related to adoption written by or recommended by adoptees.  Several are already in my library and several more are in my to read pile, but this is really an embarrassment of riches.

Reading people’s individual narratives as well as more scholarly work about the adoption experience, especially when it is well done, can be a great help in coming to terms with being adopted.  They can help to normalize the vast array of emotions and experiences adoptees go through.  As adults, finding community where you can share those experiences can be hard.  Maybe you know other family members who were adopted, but it is possible that, if you haven’t gone out to search for community, other adopted people do not make up part of your support network and social circle.  There is no substitute for live supportive people, whether in an adoptee support group or a more casual meetup for socializing (New York sports a great one by the way, join Meetup.com and search for the Adoptee Meetup Group), or actually having adopted friends.  However, books (also known as “bibliotherapy”) make a great addition to the arsenal of adoptee support.  And while the books that touch us may vary, for adoptees it is a great idea to take a look at some of these titles and see if there are any you want to explore.

I love that this resource is also adoptee-centric.  The books are all written by or recommended by adoptees.  So while they explore a variety of perspectives, they all carry an implicit recommendation.   And many of them, the ones I am familiar with, are ones I have and will continue to recommend.

This is definitely worth pursuing for your summer–hey, why wait?–spring reading list. Inspiring to see so many perspectives, and to browse this beautiful site with an adoptee-centric approach.

I’m thinking about adoptee support these days, and possibly starting a support group.  Maybe an adoptee book group?  More in the works.  If you want to be on the mailing list for New York area groups, send me an email through my contact me form on the sidebar.

Happy reading!