Somebody's Child: Stories from the Private Files of an Adoption Attorney

by Randi Barrow

After two heartbreaking losses, an adoptive couple find that "the third time's a charm".

A birth mother is abandoned by her adoptive sponsors-only six weeks before her due date.

A birth mother is caught in a torturous cycle of drugs, theft, and prison, where she bears one child while handcuffed to her bed.

An African-American couple adopts a biracial child-only to find racism on both sides of the fence.

Today, adoption can be a complex legal procedure, a high-stakes game of chance, an expensive investment, and a heart-wrenching drama. Here are personal narratives from birth mothers and adoptive parents alike, framed by the perspective of an adoption attorney. These stories touch on many issues surrounding adoption including adoption scams, gay adoption, and open adoption, and touch on the hopes and fears on both sides of the adoption agreement.

Genres: Adoption

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

I started my working life as an adoption attorney. After twenty years I was able to begin writing full time. My first two books were historical fiction for middle grade kids. I've expanded into adult fiction with Chasing the Beatles. It was great fun to write, and I'm thrilled with the response I'm getting from readers. My love of music, and the Beatles in particular, helped inspire this book. And it hasn't hurt to be married to Arthur Barrow, a musician and composer, who has brought so much music into my life.

Reviews

[Nora Olmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Men have to show they face and make themselves known to the mom/ baby and courts. Otherwise they do not have rights. Take a DNA test as proof.

[Amy Beth McPherson · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF, too dry for me.

[Bev Walkling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book gave me a fascinating look into the state of adoption in the U.S. Leading up to 2002, the year it was published. Written by a lawyer who specializes in adoption and who also has first-hand experience with the struggle and pain of infertility, each chapter focuses on one adoption story using wherever possible, the words of the individuals involved. The author's purpose in offering these stories and comments was " to see our mostly outdated, unfair adoption system torn down and built anew." Reading this 12 years later, I have no idea whether things have changed or not, but I was very moved by these stories and hope things have changed for the better.