Books, booklets & multimedia

Adoption, Search and Reunion:
the long-term experience of adopted adults

	Price: £14.50	BAAF, 2003 ISBN: 978-1-903699-53-9 210 pages A5 wiro-bound

This fascinating study was originally published by The Children's Society (2000) and has now been reprinted by BAAF with a new introduction. By comparing a group of adopted people who searched for birth relatives with a group who did not, it provides real answers about why some adopted adults decide to search for their natural parents while others do not.

Using nearly 500 adopted people, the research looked in detail at all the possible influences on their decision - their adoption experience, their sense of belonging or difference in the family, when and how much they were told about their origins, whether this was openly discussed in the family, transracial or same-race adoption, and their gender. As the "non-searchers" were contacted by a birth relative, the authors were also able to compare the two groups' experiences of reunion, its duration and its effect on their feelings towards their adoptive parents.

This study is a "rare combination: a meticulous presentation of sound research findings and a thoroughly absorbing read." The extensive quotes from adoptive people create a compelling narrative about their personal struggle to resolve fundamental dilemmas of identity, origins and relationships. At the same time, its important findings and intelligent analysis will make it indispensable not only for adoption workers but also for all those concerned with the identity needs of children.