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A review by jay_sy
Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood by Gretchen Sisson
challenging
dark
informative
3.5
Relinquished by Gretchen Sisson is about the American adoption system, with specific focus on the birth mothers.
Thoughts while reading:
-This is such an ignored topic, and it made me realize that even though I consider myself quite progressive and curious, I also rarely think about the situation of mothers who give their children up for adoption (though I have heard that it can often be quite traumatic)
-I’m finding this a very insightful read. It’s interesting that there’s this assumption from officials that women just don’t understand the benefits of relinquishing their children for adoption, yet surveys show that most people understand the benefits of adoption but either would have preferred abortions or to keep their own children
-I like hearing the real life stories and how much they vary. It’s distressing that there are so many adoption agencies that sounds so predatory (including failing to give prospective mothers the idea of all the options and services available to them, as well as using SEO to show adoption options to pregnant women who might not have even been considering it)
-It’s quite interesting to learn that the women who are interested in adoptions aren’t typically the same women interested in abortions. Often, women who give up their children would otherwise want to keep the children but can’t due to constraints (eg finances, lack of housing, lack of support, etc)
-I can’t imagine how hard it would be to find an adoptive family that fits your values, nevermind one that can teach your history or race. It’s appalling how little information adoption agencies give to birth mothers, and how so few places protect birth mothers’ rights
-I had never considered how bad media portray was of relinquishing mothers
This was a very informative read on a perspective that doesn't get enough attention. For anyone interested in adoption, it's definitely worth checking out. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5
Thoughts while reading:
-This is such an ignored topic, and it made me realize that even though I consider myself quite progressive and curious, I also rarely think about the situation of mothers who give their children up for adoption (though I have heard that it can often be quite traumatic)
-I’m finding this a very insightful read. It’s interesting that there’s this assumption from officials that women just don’t understand the benefits of relinquishing their children for adoption, yet surveys show that most people understand the benefits of adoption but either would have preferred abortions or to keep their own children
-I like hearing the real life stories and how much they vary. It’s distressing that there are so many adoption agencies that sounds so predatory (including failing to give prospective mothers the idea of all the options and services available to them, as well as using SEO to show adoption options to pregnant women who might not have even been considering it)
-It’s quite interesting to learn that the women who are interested in adoptions aren’t typically the same women interested in abortions. Often, women who give up their children would otherwise want to keep the children but can’t due to constraints (eg finances, lack of housing, lack of support, etc)
-I can’t imagine how hard it would be to find an adoptive family that fits your values, nevermind one that can teach your history or race. It’s appalling how little information adoption agencies give to birth mothers, and how so few places protect birth mothers’ rights
-I had never considered how bad media portray was of relinquishing mothers
This was a very informative read on a perspective that doesn't get enough attention. For anyone interested in adoption, it's definitely worth checking out. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5