The Pieces of Mind were a popular group, from Newport, South Wales in the 1960s. This book looks at my early life; how I started playing guitars in groups, in the early 60s and went on to form the Pieces of Mind, in 1963, with a childhood friend. 50 years later, in 2013, I organised a reunion of most of the group members who played in the different versions of the group. The trials and tribulations I faced, in the months leading up to the gig, were outweighed by the extreme pleasure I got in seeing all my old friends playing on stage to numerous other old friends in the packed audience.
In this practical book, Michelle McColm takes the adoptee and birth parent carefully through the process of adoption reunion; drawing on extensive interviews and the experience of her own reunion.
When a mother-child relationship is strained, it's usually not the mother's fault. The causes of the disruptions are often accidental, the result of physical separation at birth or emotional preoccupation on the part of the mother due to some personal trauma in her life.When the cause of the bonding disruption is uncovered, things can get better. A method for discovering the cause of the disruption is presented, and the way to resolve it is outlined.A step-by-step procedure is presented for therapists to use in helping mothers and children reunite.
The book describes the experiences that people have had when tracing their birth parents, as well as offering practical advice on how to go about searching and what to expect emotionally. Each section has an advice box which summarizes key points, notes issues to pay particular attention to, or offers draft letters that readers can adapt for their own needs. The appendix contains useful addresses and weblinks, and includes checklists for searching and for the reunion. Chapters include reunion with birth fathers and birth siblings, as well as with birth mothers, the relationship with the adoptive family and dealing with reunions that break down.
In this eye-opening, deeply affecting account, the authors reveal - through the words and experiences of adoptees, birthmothers, and birthfathers - that what reunion can accomplish is impressive, although its pangs are no less real than the pangs of birth
In 1961, the U.S. government established the first formalized provisions for intercountry adoption just as it was expanding America's involvement with Vietnam. Adoption became an increasingly important portal of entry into American society for Vietnamese and Amerasian children, raising questions about the United States' obligations to refugees and the nature of the family during an era of heightened anxiety about U.S. global interventions. Whether adopting or favoring the migration of multiracial individuals, Americans believed their norms and material comforts would salve the wounds of a divisive war. However, Vietnamese migrants challenged these efforts of reconciliation. As Allison Varzally details in this book, a desire to redeem defeat in Vietnam, faith in the nuclear family, and commitment to capitalism guided American efforts on behalf of Vietnamese youths. By tracing the stories of Vietnamese migrants, however, Varzally reveals that while many had accepted separations as a painful strategy for survival in the midst of war, most sought, and some eventually found, reunion with their kin. This book makes clear the role of adult adoptees in Vietnamese and American debates about the forms, privileges, and duties of families, and places Vietnamese children at the center of American and Vietnamese efforts to assign responsibility and find peace in the aftermath of conflict.
After decades of separation, 26-year-old adoptee Katie Hern writes to her birthmother, Ellen McGarry Carlson. Written over a course of one year, this book follows the women's progress - from elation to understanding to accepting - and efforts to create an honest relationship. After several months, mother and daughter finally meet face-to-face in an emotional and exhilarating reunion.
In My Adopted Life, author Lauren Lynne tells her adoption story from her perspective. She shares lessons, questions, and letters written by her and her birth family. Through these letters, Lauren learned answers to the questions that had been with her a long time: how her birth parents met, what her birth mothers pregnancy was like, how she made decisions regarding the adoption, and what she had to sacrifice to ensure that Lauren would be placed with the best family possible. Knowing this information helped Lauren to better understand herself and to know that her adopted family is her true family and that love determines all things. In this personal narrative, a young woman shares the story of her life, exploring the details of her adoption and getting to know her birth parents.
By comparing a group of adopted people who searched for birth relatives, with a group who did not, this is the first study to provide real answers to the fascinating subject of why adopted adults decide to search or not. Based on the experiences of 500 adopted people, the research exhaustively looked at all the possible influences on search decisions.
