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4th out of 138 books
—
65 voters
The Family Nobody Wanted
Doss's charming, touching, and at times hilarious chronicle tells how each of the children, representing white, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Mexican, and Native American backgrounds, came to her and husband Carl, a Methodist minister. She writes of the way the "unwanted" feeling was erased with devoted love and understanding and how the children united into one hap...more
Paperback, 274 pages
Published
October 18th 2001
by Northeastern University Press
(first published 1954)
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I requested this book be brought up from storage in our library, because I had just read a play based on the book, in consideration for our theater company's next season. The charming play is loosely based on the family, but the book is a memoir written by the mother. I don't know why this isn't a classic...or maybe it is, and I've just never heard of it before? A seminary student and his young wife, during WWII, begin to adopt "unadoptable" children because they are unable to have their own. Th...more
Occasionally, I browse through Amazon.com looking for out-of-print books that I remember loving as a child, searching for something for my five-year-old daughter Beanie to enjoy as well. One of my favorite books was a worn Scholastic version of Helen Doss' The Family Nobody Wanted, and when I saw it had been rereleased, I added it to my very next order.
::: Creating a Family :::
The story of The Family Nobody Wanted starts with Helen Doss and her husband Carl, a journeyman painter who decides to q...more
::: Creating a Family :::
The story of The Family Nobody Wanted starts with Helen Doss and her husband Carl, a journeyman painter who decides to q...more
One of my all-time favorites, this book alternates between the stories of adopting and fostering children and the stories of raising them.
Helen Doss and her preacher husband can't conceive, but they are fortunate to adopt a healthy little boy. When they try to expand their family, they hit a wall and are told that there simply are no more children for them. After a brief dalliance with the black market, they resolve to keep applying in the hopes that they can someday adopt another child.
One day...more
Helen Doss and her preacher husband can't conceive, but they are fortunate to adopt a healthy little boy. When they try to expand their family, they hit a wall and are told that there simply are no more children for them. After a brief dalliance with the black market, they resolve to keep applying in the hopes that they can someday adopt another child.
One day...more
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Overall Review: Growing up, my mom had an old, battered paperback copy of The Family Nobody Wanted. When I was about five, while learning the finer points of reading in the bathtub, I dropped it in the water! I read it several times as a child until I accidentally left it at my violin teacher's house as a preteen and never saw it again. I recently saw a reference to the book and decided to look it up at my local library. Boy, am I glad I did! Helen Doss's memoir tells the story of how their very...more
This book reminded me of one of the books I would have found on my great-grandparents' shelf, mixed in with stories about horses and loyal dogs. (They were mostly my great-Uncle Lonnie's books from his childhood, I later found out.) Reading it was exactly like stepping back in time to when my great-grandparents were beginning their family, and I loved that look back at the time period.
This book details Helen Doss' journey to adopting a dozen children, the majority of whom came from minority back...more
This book details Helen Doss' journey to adopting a dozen children, the majority of whom came from minority back...more
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Enjoyed reading this true story of the Doss family and their journey of adopting 12 children during the 1930's - 1950's. American life during this time was hard for me to relate to, and the prejudices of that time were unnerving. It's difficult for me to imagine that the "mixed blood" children (in her case White, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Mexican, Native American) were so undesirable to families of that time period.
I was so glad that I read the new 2001 edition of Helen Doss's memoir...more
I was so glad that I read the new 2001 edition of Helen Doss's memoir...more
On one hand, the author's love is inspirational and self-giving even in the face of 'unloved' children, making for a somewhat complex, feel-good-but-not-too-easily plot. Yet adopting in this very numerous manner cheats children out of a truly personal relationship with parents, since they are competing for Mom and Dad's attention with eleven others. From personal experience with large families, the elder children are by default 'extra parents,' which further removes them from a true childhood. A...more
One of my favorite books of all time. I read a battered paperback copy all through my growing up years, until I left it on a plane. It was my comfort book. Later, in college, while the book was out of print a very sweet boyfriend hunted down a used hardback copy that I treasure. When I found this re-released version, I bought three! I decided to try reading it aloud to my sixth grade class that year. It became a perennial favorite and many of the kids had to have copies of their own before it wa...more
I love this book! It is a story of a family formed through the miracle of adoption in the 1960s (I think - I can't remember the exact year). It is the adventure and trial of the process and the love and business of family life and raising children all rolled into one memoir written by the mother of the family. This is a book that my mother loved as a child and she had a copy in our home. She read it to me as a child - and I loved it. Anyway, I have read it multiple times and recommend it as a go...more
My absolute favorite book of all time. I read this as a child and it gave me a heart for adoption I still have today. It is sad this story couldn't take place today due to laws about how many children you can adopt and minimum incomes. This story is about love and how different outsides don't mean you can't be a family. The Doss family did something unheard of in their time and helped to change race perceptions everywhere. I also enjoyed reading about a simpler time when mom could send all the l...more
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I first read this back in 2nd or 3rd grade - certainly before 1963. And I recently re-read it after I saw a clip of Carl and Helen Doss on an old Groucho Marx show.
It simply a very well-written, smooth book, the story of a couple who wanted kids but could not physically bear them.
They ended up adopting unwanted kids - 12 of them.
The story is bathed in love and compassion and order. The kids thrived on being loved, loved by their parents, loved by each other.
It simply a very well-written, smooth book, the story of a couple who wanted kids but could not physically bear them.
They ended up adopting unwanted kids - 12 of them.
The story is bathed in love and compassion and order. The kids thrived on being loved, loved by their parents, loved by each other.
It was fun and interesting to read about how a family copes with adding more children to their family through adoption, especially since it was in the 40s and 50s that they were adopting. All the children but the first were multiracial or other wise "not wanted" The little stories were entertaining. I think I would have given it four stars except after about six kids it started to be a bit repetitions. It was heart-warming to read that someone paved the way for the next generations of multiracia...more
My sixth grade teacher read this to us and I loved it. As soon as possible I bought a copy for myself. I have loaned it out several times and every time I don't get it back so I have to buy another copy. I am no longer loaning it out! I loved the way this family grew and the love they had. It was one of my favorite books growing up and I still love it. I wanted twelve children like they had, but luckily we only had four!
I think this is the third or fourth time reading this one. First time as a mom myself, and there is a newish epilogue written in 2001.
Non fiction set in the 1950-60's about a good man and a good woman who wanted a family. I stagger as I read Helen's fortitude. Perhaps one of the most loving and sugar coated books ever. I refuse to critique it, I want to believe that this story is REAL.
Non fiction set in the 1950-60's about a good man and a good woman who wanted a family. I stagger as I read Helen's fortitude. Perhaps one of the most loving and sugar coated books ever. I refuse to critique it, I want to believe that this story is REAL.
I read this book when I was 9 or 10 and then spent 15 years thinking about it before I found it randomly at a garage sale. Better than "Cheaper by the Dozen" because there is no embellishment whatsoever. These folks adopted 12 societal "castoffs" in the 1950's - this woman deserves some kind of Lifetime Achievement award.
On loan to JFi
On loan to JFi
I read this book when I was in Jr. High and it really helped me. I was orphaned, living with my uncle and his family and reading about this family and how they made it all work out gave me hope to face the situation I was in. I still have the copy I bought years ago at a book fair they had at school.
I LOVED this book as a child. I couldn't even tell you how many times I read it. Such a beautiful, funny, heartwarming true story of a couple who adopted 12 children, many of different nationalities and many with special needs. Such a wonderful memory of my childhood!
This was my favorite book in Middle school. The funniest part about it was my Mom and I where the only people to check out that book! Honestly, that is when you wrote your name on the card in the back and they stamped. I wonder if HOOVER MIDDLE still has it! LOL
I read this for the first time when I was about 8 or 9 and did my book report at school on it. Everyone else was doing kid books so I got a really good grade!
It is a true story. The couple in it began adopting children and found that when a child was of mixed races or from certain areas they wouldn't get adopted which made it easier for them to be able to get them. They ended up with a dozen kids.
It is a really heartwarming and nice read.
It is a true story. The couple in it began adopting children and found that when a child was of mixed races or from certain areas they wouldn't get adopted which made it easier for them to be able to get them. They ended up with a dozen kids.
It is a really heartwarming and nice read.
I loved this book when I read it. I read it to my grade three class every year. They love it when I bring out the book because they start to see them as their family. Many children do not understand the racist part of it, which may need to be explained.
Another childhood favorite. A minister and his wife adopt many children of diverse ethnic backgrounds during the 1940's. It is a timeless classic that will touch the reader's heart. I hope I can find a copy to read this summer. Rosalynd Doneghy
I have loved this book ever since I first read it in elementary or middle school. I hadn't read it in ages and enjoyed all over again reading about the ups and downs of the Doss's amazing family. I wonder if my own children will enjoy it too?
This is probably my 6th or 7th read of this book, and it never gets old. It's amusing and sad, heartwarming and touching, all at once. I find myself recommending this book to nearly all my friends. I need more copies....
I had the chance to get to know Helen in person, and I'm so thankful I did. She is a remarkable woman and her book just proves that through and through. It is heart-warming to know that there are people like her in the world.
I do not rate this book highly because of it's amazing literary aspects but rather because if every person tried to live a life like this it would make the world a lot better. I would love to have a family such as Mrs. Doss's
This is a really touching story of a couple who adopted several children that nobody else wanted. A truly special couple who loved their adopted children and gave them a life that they otherwise would have been deprived of.
I first read this book as a teen, and it started my interest in fostering. Children with special needs are, indeed special, and the Doss' are special parents. Excellent book with many humorous anecdotes.
I found this book on the shelves in my grandparents' den when I was very young and it is what started my long journey to adopting Marley. I've re-read it so many times over the years and am always in awe.
Oh, I loved this book -- I must have read it over a dozen times as a kid. Now I need to locate the updated edition so I can find out what happened to everyone!
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