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1st out of 137 books
—
62 voters
The Lost Daughters of China
This bestselling journalistic memoir explores Chinese and American culture at a unique point of intersection: the baby girls who, each year, are abandoned in one country and adopted in the other.
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
October 1st 2001
by Tarcher
(first published May 8th 2000)
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The author, Karin Evans, blends the story of adopting her daughter with an exploration of the conditions in China (e.g., poverty, the so-called "one child" policy) that have led to orphanages being filled with baby girls. I found parts of the book fascinating and eye-opening, but overall, I was left feeling as though Evans kept repeating herself just to fill pages. Tighter editing would have helped a lot, but it's still a worthwhile read.
An excerpt:
"At the time we began thinking about a baby in...more
An excerpt:
"At the time we began thinking about a baby in...more
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Abandoned Girls, Their Journey to America and the Search for a Missing Past by Karin Evans:
When I told my friend Bill that I was going to China with my kids to pick up their new daughter, he told me about this book which he was reading. Karin Evans is an American who, with her husband, adopted a daughter from China in 1997. While some things have changed since that time and some were different because we are Canadian, it was still a good overview of the process of adopting a child from China.
E...more
When I told my friend Bill that I was going to China with my kids to pick up their new daughter, he told me about this book which he was reading. Karin Evans is an American who, with her husband, adopted a daughter from China in 1997. While some things have changed since that time and some were different because we are Canadian, it was still a good overview of the process of adopting a child from China.
E...more
While this book is now a decade old, it can still serve as good guide to the patience testing ordeal of adopting a child in China. Author Karin Evans runs you through the system expectant parents experience and the emotional roller coaster they ride. She explains why the child will most likely be a girl and speculates on the girl's short life before adoption.
This book fully succeeds on the personal level. You empathize with the expectant parents, the abandoned babies and the parents who give the...more
This book fully succeeds on the personal level. You empathize with the expectant parents, the abandoned babies and the parents who give the...more
This is kind of a weird book. It's quite interesting, but by the time I was finished with it, I realized that it's mostly a lot of speculation, some stories of people's personal experiences, and then some more speculation. There are hardly any hard facts to be found, mostly because China is so secretive, but also because the author is so reticent to pass judgment on China. It's a tough call-- in one way she wants to show respect to the culture that produced her adopted daughter, but how can you...more
The Lost Daughters of China is by far the most saddest book I have ever read. Many things on the orphanages in China were facts I did not know. This was an eye opener on the social issues going on in China. The book touches many aspects on this phenomena and the impact that it has. There have been documentaries on the living conditions of the orphanages which I found out there are over 1000 state ran orphanages in China alone. The girls that are adopted then have to deal with them discovering wh...more
Karin Evans is the author of The Lost Daughters of China: Abandoned Girls, Their Journey to America, and the Search for a Missing Past, published in 2000. Her book was born out of a series of letters she wrote to her daughter while she and her husband were waiting for her adoption to go through. “I was just writing, writing while I was waiting for her.” This is Ms. Evans first book; she has a background as a journalist. She says, “In a way, writing a book was very similar to writing a journalis...more
The first 3/4 of this book are gorgeous. Beautifully structured, great narrative thread, multi-layered, moving without being cloying, informative without being dry. Just truly lovely. Politically, the author and I have different visions but she uses such a light hand with the politics that it was easy to overlook the difference.
In the epilogue things break down. The structure falls apart and it teeters on the brink of preachy in spots.
In regards to the topic of women's rights in China I don't...more
In the epilogue things break down. The structure falls apart and it teeters on the brink of preachy in spots.
In regards to the topic of women's rights in China I don't...more
Thoughts just pour into my mind after reading this book. Many are questions, such as, Why adopt children from China, when there are so many children here in the U.S. who need homes? Why spend so much time teaching an adopted child of their birth family? Isn't there a need for all of us to teach our children about our eternal family? The one we are sealed to for eternity?
I sit pondering of my own experience in seeking by "Roots." I have done a great deal of genealogy, and have felt wonderful con...more
I sit pondering of my own experience in seeking by "Roots." I have done a great deal of genealogy, and have felt wonderful con...more
In this book, Karin Evans tells her personal story of adopting, along with her husband, two little baby girls from Chinese orphanages. The memoir component of the book is moving, but Evans also provides a journalistic examination of the issues surrounding Chinese adoption--which I found even more interesting. (The author refers to her writing genre as narrative nonfiction). She argues that the cultural preference for sons in China, alongside harsh enforcement of the one-child policy by the Chine...more
This book is partly about the author's own experience adopting a baby girl from China and partly a broader exploration of women's rights in China and the cultural and political circumstances that have led to so many baby girls being abandoned by their birth mothers. It's a good blend of memoir and fact, and I appreciated the author's attempts to understand, respect, and humanize the birth mothers. The author's own adoption experience seemed a bit romanticized, although she did speak briefly towa...more
Another lovely book about a journey to adoption. More informative and less introspective than China Ghosts: My Daughter's Journey to America, My Passage to Fatherhood by Jeff Gammage. Evans seems kinder and less likely to point fingers than Gammage but at the same time less open about her feelings. I enjoyed both books thoroughly for different reasons. However, Evans' book published in 2000 seems even more out of date than that of Gammage's because of so many changes that have happened in the la...more
This is a great book for anyone adopting from China. A lot of great information on the Confucian origins of the Chinese preference for male children and how it has carried over into the modern age. Some of the specifics regarding China's adoption program are a little dated, but the differences are very minor. Especially poignant for the Chinese adoptive family are the author's speculations about her daughter's birth parents. She tries very hard to put herself into the other woman's shoes and und...more
I got this from the library right before I left for China - wish I had brought it with me instead of waiting until I returned from my trip to read it - was very interesting to learn some of the history behind China's one-child policy / mindset of people there. The author has adopted 2 girls from China and shared those experiences as well as gave background of the country.
I'm glad I read this because in my mind, I thought these girls were just 'abandoned' and left because everyone selfishly wants...more
I'm glad I read this because in my mind, I thought these girls were just 'abandoned' and left because everyone selfishly wants...more
I read this book while traveling to China to adopt our second daughter. What a wonderful, informative, sympathetic, helpful book. Evans tackles and answers all the questions -- from basic to advanced: why the one child policy exists, what, exactly, does it stipulate, why families give up there kids, what life is like for adopted girls in the US (and other countries), and on and on. She weaves in a compelling, touching story about her own two adopted daughters. All in all, a must read for anyone...more
The Lost Daughters of China is a book that addresses Karin Evans' experience adopting her daughter from China. While it is important enough with a lot of the history this book despite it being about ten years old.
I enjoyed a lot of the history fact of it, and I think this book would be paired well with Ann Hood's fiction book along the same lines, as it gives better history facts.
That being said, while I enjoyed parts of it, I had read or previously known a lot of the history of gendercide in Ch...more
I enjoyed a lot of the history fact of it, and I think this book would be paired well with Ann Hood's fiction book along the same lines, as it gives better history facts.
That being said, while I enjoyed parts of it, I had read or previously known a lot of the history of gendercide in Ch...more
Technically the book seems to be all over the place and I would say it's not well written in that sense. It reads like a bunch of letters or diary entries that were polished up, separated from one another, and put together in semi-random order. There also doesn't seem to be any organization. I kept thinking "An outline would have helped this book out a lot." I would read something, and then 100 pages later read something that seemed related and I would think "Why wasn't this grouped together wit...more
A solid book about the history behind why there are so many girls that end up in orphanages in China. I was aware of most of the information prior to reading, but it was still a good recap and there was some new information. The title is a bit outdated, so need to pick up a newer book about the topic soon since so much seems to have changed in the adoption world. Also a good reminder that I need to reconnect with Surae's orphanage soon and send some current photos and goodies for the children st...more
A very informative, well researched, and tender look at China and the adoption of daughters from the government orphanages there. A wonderful resource for any family considering adopting a child from China. As for understanding China-I think the author's quote from Jeanette Chu says it all: "I live here and see real people and real life on a daily basis. I have been in the homes of the affluent and the very poor, observed everything from centuries-old rural life to high-tech boom towns. I still...more
May 23, 2008
Kristana
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those considering Chinese adoption
Recommended to Kristana by:
Saw it in a book store
The Lost Daughters of China was a book I wanted to read since I'd traveled to China years before. I wanted to understand further about the surplus of unwanted female children that no one spoke of while I was there. The book will definitely educate you on the historical/political reasons baby girls are abandoned or murdered as well as give a small emotional perspective. I felt that the mothers were humanized through this book and for the first time really saw the emotions one must have giving up...more
Read this book two times. The first time was when I first submitted my adoption paperwork and the second time a couple of years after my daughter came home. I'm glad I read it again, got a whole different perspective after the adoption. Funny that both my daugher and Karen's daughter come from southern China! I highly recommend this one to adoptive families.
One of the best books I've read, the combination of personal documentary, history, and the central theme of the "Lost Daughters" An eye opening read for anyone but especially parents who are adopting, thinking about adopting or relatives of parents who are adopting. It's an especially good introduction to the world of the "Lost Daughters"
An informative, sympathetic, wonderful book I read in my book club years ago, before adopting our precious twin daughters from China. Openly shares the social issues going on in China (over a decade ago). A must read for any family interested in adoption, or to educate yourself on the historical/political reasons for abandonment in China.
Nov 10, 2009
Anissa
added it
I was hoping for more about the actual story of adoption. There were a lot of facts. I understand why the author wanted to talk about them and feel that it is very important to get the information out, however I do not feel like this was a story, more like a really long news article.
Well-written, thought provoking account of the writer's journey to China to adopt a baby girl. She explores the government policies, and economics that lead to so many abandoned girl babies. She also describes her personal experience, emotions, and difficulties she had.
This is a very well researched and well written book about all things china and adoption. A journalist adopted her daughter from China in the 90's and researched women, chinese culture and life in china, and compiled it all into this book. I have read most of the information elsewhere, but enjoyed reading about their experience, and felt the author provided a good overview and well laid out information for anyone interested in China, girls from china, and adoption.
I originally thought this was a fiction but it turned out to be an interesting memoir on adoption of Chinese babies, and the impacts over the decades regarding the one-child policy interlaced with the gender preferences and its impacts on the future generations.
This was a very interesting book about not only the Lost Daughters of China but also the Lost Mothers of China which I thought was a really big eye^opener for me. I felt like I put myself in the shoes of an American friend who adopted a child from China and the unseen (to me) obstacles they may have encountered. I believe some of the data has become out of date especially with the new restrictions in Chinese international adoptions but I think it was a very educational read.
"Traveling at such a...more
"Traveling at such a...more
Well researched but also very personal view of one woman's experience adopting a Chinese girl, and the many cultural ramifications for women from China's one child policy. Sigh. Women certainly have a tough journey in this world.
This book is a facinating story about a couple adopting a baby girl from China. It plays a very special role in my life, one book that I hope to pass on to my adopted Chinese daughter when she is of age to appreciate it.
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Mar 20, 2008 05:04pm
Also, to address Melony's comment, this book gives a decent...more
May 29, 2008 09:26am