Hole In My Heart
a memoir and report from the fault lines of adoption
by Lorraine Dusky
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Pub Date Jun 03 2015 | Archive Date Aug 12 2015
Description
HOLE IN MY HEART is the compelling story of a mother separated from her
child by adoption in the Sixties and the state-imposed secrecy that
keeps them apart. Defying convention, Lorraine Dusky reunites with her
daughter in the early Eighties when such reunions were rare, and in the
process becomes a staunch advocate for reform of America's antiquated
adoption system. The author gives an inside look on the emotional
turmoil following reunion for both mother and daughter. Dusky, with her
award-winning journalism background, deftly weaves in crucial
psychological research that places her personal heartbreak in a larger
context, and illuminates the hard truths that are at the center of every
adoption—loss, guilt, abandonment and an incomplete sense of identity.
Her daughter, the adoptee with two families, also speaks of the
complications and uncertainties that infuse her life.
Advance Praise
I felt that I was listening in to Lorraine's experiences across the
years somewhere between her heart and her skin. Dusky writes as most
people think.
--Pam Hasegawa, adoptee, founder of AdoptionNS@yahoogroups.com former board member, American Adoption Congress
Dusky writes the truth, but with a gentle poetic quality which makes those truths easy to understand and accept. HOLE IN MY HEART is beautiful, powerful, and painful. But most of all it is the truth. --Nancy Verrier, adoptive mother, psychologist, author of The Primal Wound and Coming Home to Self
"Dusky's compelling memoir is a tough reminder of the shame of being an 'unwed mother' in the sixties, as we both were. With lyrical prose and unwavering commitment she advocates eloquently for adoption law reform." --Justice Faith Ireland, Washington State Supreme Court, (Ret.)
"...an intricately-crafted, tender and honest reminder of the damages suffered by parents and children amidst even the best-intentioned of adoption decisions. Hole in my Heart should be required reading for all who are contemplating placing a child or adopting for this precautionary tale offers poignant lessons about the importance of adoption being an option of last resort; the inadequacy of openness and/or reunion as a salve for lifelong adoption losses; and the need for adoptee rights legislation in America."
--Elizabeth Jurenovich, director of Abrazo Adoption Services, San Antonio
"Birthmark changed my life. Dusky's words gave me the courage to search for the mother who lost me to adoption. Now Lorraine has done it again. I read Hole in My Heart cover to cover in one sitting. It is high drama--and a riveting case for adoption reform. Dusky shines a spotlight on the harmful outcome of closed adoption, and the lasting impact of secrecy upon relationships." --Jean Strauss, adoptee, author of Birthright, filmmaker, A Simple Piece of Paper
"...a tour de force you won't be able to stop reading til the final page. Her story is modern and retro, tough and tender, romantic and profoundly honest. She illuminates the power of transgenerational longings and enduring genetic attributes. All richly enhanced by historical details about adoption laws and practice. Another masterpiece by a gifted writer.--Delores Teller, natural mother, post-adoption therapist, past president of the American Adoption Congress
"Dusky eloquently evokes the painful circumstances and social pressures that led to the loss of her child to adoption, and the multi-layered complexities of reunion and relationship with her daughter. ...a compelling manifesto for why our culture and legal system must re-think and reform adoption down to its roots.--David Smolin, adoptive father, Professor of Law and Director, Center for Children, Law, and Ethics, Cumberland Law School, Samford University
--Pam Hasegawa, adoptee, founder of AdoptionNS@yahoogroups.com former board member, American Adoption Congress
Dusky writes the truth, but with a gentle poetic quality which makes those truths easy to understand and accept. HOLE IN MY HEART is beautiful, powerful, and painful. But most of all it is the truth. --Nancy Verrier, adoptive mother, psychologist, author of The Primal Wound and Coming Home to Self
"Dusky's compelling memoir is a tough reminder of the shame of being an 'unwed mother' in the sixties, as we both were. With lyrical prose and unwavering commitment she advocates eloquently for adoption law reform." --Justice Faith Ireland, Washington State Supreme Court, (Ret.)
"...an intricately-crafted, tender and honest reminder of the damages suffered by parents and children amidst even the best-intentioned of adoption decisions. Hole in my Heart should be required reading for all who are contemplating placing a child or adopting for this precautionary tale offers poignant lessons about the importance of adoption being an option of last resort; the inadequacy of openness and/or reunion as a salve for lifelong adoption losses; and the need for adoptee rights legislation in America."
--Elizabeth Jurenovich, director of Abrazo Adoption Services, San Antonio
"Birthmark changed my life. Dusky's words gave me the courage to search for the mother who lost me to adoption. Now Lorraine has done it again. I read Hole in My Heart cover to cover in one sitting. It is high drama--and a riveting case for adoption reform. Dusky shines a spotlight on the harmful outcome of closed adoption, and the lasting impact of secrecy upon relationships." --Jean Strauss, adoptee, author of Birthright, filmmaker, A Simple Piece of Paper
"...a tour de force you won't be able to stop reading til the final page. Her story is modern and retro, tough and tender, romantic and profoundly honest. She illuminates the power of transgenerational longings and enduring genetic attributes. All richly enhanced by historical details about adoption laws and practice. Another masterpiece by a gifted writer.--Delores Teller, natural mother, post-adoption therapist, past president of the American Adoption Congress
"Dusky eloquently evokes the painful circumstances and social pressures that led to the loss of her child to adoption, and the multi-layered complexities of reunion and relationship with her daughter. ...a compelling manifesto for why our culture and legal system must re-think and reform adoption down to its roots.--David Smolin, adoptive father, Professor of Law and Director, Center for Children, Law, and Ethics, Cumberland Law School, Samford University
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780692455937 |
| PRICE | $11.98 (USD) |