The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe V. Wade
£8.30
“It would take a heart of stone not to be moved by the oral histories of these women and by the courage and candor with which they express themselves.” –The Washington Post
“A remarkably well-researched and accomplished book.” –The New York Times Book Review
“A wrenching, riveting book.” –Chicago Tribune
In this deeply moving and myth-shattering work, Ann Fessler brings out into the open for the first time the hidden social history of adoption before Roe v. Wade – and its lasting legacy. An adoptee who was herself surrendered during those years and recently made contact with her mother, Ann Fessler brilliantly brings to life the voices of more than a hundred women, as well as the spirit of those times, allowing the women to tell their stories in gripping and intimate detail.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Penguin Books, Reprint edition (26 Jun. 2007) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 368 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0143038974 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0143038979 |
| Dimensions | 13.97 x 1.91 x 21.54 cm |
by time2bounce
Arrived quickly excellent, book is very interesting to read too
by J. W.
This book was SUPER depressing. But, it just goes to show what a world without choice creates and the enduring pain women go through — how we are told time and again to get over it, forget it, or move on. And how some of us just can’t.
This book also illustrates and debunks a common myth that women who give up their children for adoption “don’t want their kid”. Many of them do, they just felt they had to — in order to meet societies standards. It’s heartbreaking.
I’d recommend you read in small doses and have tissues handy. I rarely cry and this book was very emotional!! It brought up a lot of feelings. ❤️
by Emily T
This is an emotional and very important read. Opened my eyes to what social stigma did to those women who found themselves ‘in trouble’ in those days. As an adoptee it gave me a lot to think about.
by David J. Connor
This is such a well written book. The structure, the content, the voice of the author, and most of all–the stories of women who were forced to give up their children, and the emotional toll that took on their entire lives.