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Finding Fernanda: Two Mothers, One Child, and a Cross-Border Search for Truth
An in-depth investigation of $30,000 U.S. dollars, four Guatemalan orphans, one nonprofit evangelical Christian adoption agency, an accused family-run child-trafficking ring, one infant cut from her unconscious mother's womb, two missing sisters, and a nine-member Tennessee family who believed wholeheartedly in Christian love and faith-- until the dark side of international adoption shattered their trust. Investigative journalist Erin Siegal reveals the heart-wrenching story of how one poor Guatemalan woman, Mildred Alvarado, was separated from her two young daughters-- and how the American housewife slated to adopt one of those children, Elizabeth "Betsy" Emanuel, accidentally became a reformer dedicated to an ethical adoption system.
Finding Fernanda sheds light on the highly politicized landscape of Guatemala's adoption industry, a multi-million dollar trade that was both highly profitable and barely regulated. Children have been stolen, sold, and offered as orphans to well-intentioned Western parents since the industry began in the 1980's. Both governments of Guatemala and the United States have repeatedly proved incapable of adequately regulating the baby trade.
With help of documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests, leaked emails, and key sources inside both the Guatemalan and U.S. governments, Siegal traces the riveting story of two very different women brought together by the same missing child. Along the way, roles of various players are illuminated, including jaladoras (baby-finders), caretakers, Guatemalan judges, Embassy officials, adoption agencies, and many more. No one has given the American public a full understanding of how human rights abuses in adoption have occurred-- until now.
Finding Fernanda sheds light on the highly politicized landscape of Guatemala's adoption industry, a multi-million dollar trade that was both highly profitable and barely regulated. Children have been stolen, sold, and offered as orphans to well-intentioned Western parents since the industry began in the 1980's. Both governments of Guatemala and the United States have repeatedly proved incapable of adequately regulating the baby trade.
With help of documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests, leaked emails, and key sources inside both the Guatemalan and U.S. governments, Siegal traces the riveting story of two very different women brought together by the same missing child. Along the way, roles of various players are illuminated, including jaladoras (baby-finders), caretakers, Guatemalan judges, Embassy officials, adoption agencies, and many more. No one has given the American public a full understanding of how human rights abuses in adoption have occurred-- until now.
322 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2011
About the author
Erin Siegal
6 books106 followersErin Siegal's debut book Finding Fernanda (Beacon Press) has been recognized by the Overseas Press Club of America with a 2012 Robert Spiers Benjamin Award Citation (Best Reporting on Latin America), by the Society of Professional Journalists (No. Calif.) with a 2012 James Madison Freedom of Information Award, and by the Independent Publishers Book (Ippy) Award with a 2012 Gold Medal for Best Book on Current Affairs III.
Finding Fernanda is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and various independent bookshops.
About the Author
Erin Siegal is a Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. She was a 2008-2009 Fellow at the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and is a recipient of the 2010 IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) Freelance Fellowship Award, the 2010 Joan Cook Fellowship from Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS), a 2008 Anne O’Hare McCormick Scholarship Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York.
Finding Fernanda is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and various independent bookshops.
About the Author
Erin Siegal is a Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. She was a 2008-2009 Fellow at the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and is a recipient of the 2010 IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) Freelance Fellowship Award, the 2010 Joan Cook Fellowship from Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS), a 2008 Anne O’Hare McCormick Scholarship Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York.
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