Starchild: A Memoir of Adoption, Race, and Family

by Michaela Foster Marsh

Michaela Foster Marsh and her brother Frankie grew up as "twins" in Glasgow, Scotland in the sixties. Born only weeks apart, Michaela was white and Frankie was black, and they were an unusual sight in their dual pram. Despite the doting of his parents and the unceasing love of his sister, Frankie's life was rarely easy, and it ended far too soon when a fire took him when he was only twenty-six. But for a devastated Michaela, Frankie's effect on her life was only beginning. She embarks on a search to learn what she can about Frankie's birth family, a journey that takes her to Uganda, to a culture and a family she never knew, through twists and turns and remarkable coincidences – and to a mission and to a connection with her African brethren she never could have imagined. Starchild is a remarkably candid memoir that plays out on both a personal and global scale. It is the story of the intimacies of siblinghood and the complexities of multi-racial adoption. It is the story of the unique connection of extended family and the unique commitment to an adopted homeland. It is the story of long-held secrets revealed and long-maintained barriers broken. And it is ultimately the story of a sibling relationship that transcends borders, time, and life itself. "The story of Starchild is extraordinary in every heartbreaking, profound, personal, brave, hopeful and deeply inspiring." -- Helen Sedgwick, author of The Comet Seekers and The Growing Season  "I loved this book from start to finish. The journey Marsh takes from the death of her adopted brother to searching for his family in Uganda hits hard on so many emotional levels. It reminds us of the resiliency of the human spirit and what can be accomplished when one is fueled by conviction. STARCHILD is both a love story to a brother taken too soon and a bright spotlight directed onto the challenges of foster care and adoption." – Charles de Lint, author of Moonheart and The Wind in His Heart  "Starchild is an odyssey; a spiritual voyage of self-discovery. Michaela Foster Marsh, through sheer – obsessive even – dedication, illuminates and highlights a path, no matter how jaggedly rocky, that can help lead towards emotional fulfillment." – Peter McDougal, BAFTA and Prix Italia award-winning screenwriter  "Wow! I knew Michaela Foster Marsh was a fantastic singer. I didn't know she was also a fantastic writer. Her book about her brother Frankie and the ever-twisting route that took her to changing the lives of children in Uganda is part detective novel, part intense soul-searching about the realities of adoption, and part travelogue about the colourful, and sometimes scary, reality of dealing with elusive individuals and organisations in Africa. What Michaela and her partner Rony achieved in Uganda is astonishing. The fact she can describe it so movingly in the written word is equally breathtaking." – Ken Smith, Columnist, The Herald  "A beautifully written book, which lifts Uganda off the pages and brings to life the sounds, air and loving memories. It easily jumps back and forth from childhood memories of Scotland to Uganda. At times I felt as I read this book that I was sat in the living room with Frankie, his family or back in Uganda. It's a book I simply didn't wish to put down until I reached the end. Thank you so much for sharing- It was perfect and a fitting tribute." – Aamer Anwar, Rector of the University of Glasgow and human rights lawyer

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

170 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2020

About the author

Michaela Foster Marsh is an acclaimed musician with three albums to her credit whose work has appeared in television and film, including Dawson’s Creek and The Matthew Sheppard Story. She has been invited to sing at the Monaco International Film Festival, the Cannes International Film Festival, and for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. She is the founder and Executive Director of Starchild Charity, which works primarily with vulnerable children and women and which has built a School for Creative Arts in Vvumba, Uganda. In 2017, she was a finalist of Scotswoman of the Year by the Evening Times and has received a Prime Ministers Award for her work on Uganda.
She also holds a Peace and Unity Award and A Community Champion Award.

Reviews

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw and requested this book I thought that it was going to be a story of adoption and what it meant for a white family to adopt a black child in the 60's, but it ended up being more about Michaela’s personal journey living with that adoptive brother, how they were only a month apart and the family always referred to them as "twins", and how his untimely death helped her discover what she was meant to do in her life and how she walked away from music and became a writer and crusader instead.

I wish there had been more stories about Frankie and Michaela growing up, and what that meant to the family dynamic and truly how it affected her relationship with her estranged older brother [she touches on that, but essentially says that it is his story, when in fact it is both of theirs story and I think she was shying away from that], and a deeper look into some of the issues the family may have faced [especially from her mom's POV - she only touches on that and I think that would have been important to this book]; that was what I was expecting. But, reading about how Frankie’s birth mother’s family (mainly his biological brothers) embraced Michaela and her partner Rony, all the issues and troubles they had in Uganda, all while LOVING Uganda and the forming of the charity Starchild, which is growing and thriving today was interesting and informative.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Story Plant Publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen Soslove · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly powerful, gripping, emotional journey of determination, love and faith. Michaela writes from her heart, baring her soul. This is a must read to all, offering knowledge, humanity and belief.

[MaryAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was compelling to the point of not being able to put it down. As I read, I felt the close connection between these two siblings, the challenges they faced, their joys, and tragedy.
Michaela's terrible sorrow was the driving force in her quest to find her extended family. And what a journey it was. I hope you'll pick this book up and go along for a wild ride of love and determination.

[Margaret Finnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful journey taking the reader to Scotland, Ireland and Uganda. A refreshing story of inclusion in a time when mixed race families were very much a minority. Couple this with the challenges of adoption, the sadness of family bereavements, forging new family relationships and you begin to understand the adversities and coincidences that the author has experienced.
It is very much a journey of discovery full of love, openness and honesty. A wonderful story of Starchild, the man and how the charity of the same name came to be. A beautiful tribute to Frankie and a true insight to the life of Michaela Foster Marsh.
A story which I’m sure has more chapters to come.

[Lorraine Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michaela and Frankie Marsh were in the year above me at school. They were part of a set of ultra-cool older kids that I regarded as impossibly glamorous and looked up to. They were twins. Michaela was pale skinned and auburn haired, Frankie was black. I think he was the only black kid who attended our school. Glasgow in the 1980s had many Asian families but not many people of Afro Carribean descent. So we all knew Frankie was adopted, it was obvious of course, but neither we, nor he, knew the back story. Michaela says he said he did not want to know, he felt his mother had rejected him, so why would he be curious about her and he felt Scottish, not Ugandan, loyal to his adopted family and country.
I had no idea the racism Frankie endured at the hands of the local police, who it seems regularly took him into custody as a suspect for crimes he’d never committed. He’d have to be rescued by his adopted father, a minister who’s position in the community and white skin was an immediate passport out of there, so he was never held long, but I can only imagine how that must have hurt. Michaela says he was polite to the officers and good humoured about it all “which helped”. I can picture him being supremely gracious and calm, he always had great poise, Frankie, but it must have hurt. I can’t imagine he could have felt calm inside with that happening.
Since the Black Lives Matters movement has come to prominence I am thinking a lot more about the significance of the racism endemic in our society and the harm that it does to people of colour, which, as a white person, it’s easy to be blind to. I’m trying to educate myself as much as possible and I’ve been reading lots of testimonies written by black people, which have opened my eyes and utterly shocked me. I truly had no idea of the horrible experiences black and brown people often have, just because of their colour. I feel it is important to learn more, to question myself and the system I live in, to try really hard to understand the perspectives of those who experience racism directly and to learn more about what that means and what I can do differently that could help. I’m reading a lot at the moment. Next on my list is White Fragility, recommended to me by another friend. Frankie and Michaela’s story seems very unique, I don’t think I’ve seen another memoir written by a white sibling about their experiences of a mixed adoption. It is a fascinating read.
As the white twin, Michaela’s memory is that they didn’t experience much ‘really bad’ racism growing up in Glasgow in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Frankie, sadly, is no longer here to share his perspective. He died in a fire aged just 27. Eight hundred people attended his funeral, shell shocked, wanting to pay their respects to a boy who had been hugely popular. It was a horrific end to a too short life. Tragic.
Michaela has written Starchild, the book, in honour of Frankie. Years after losing him she starts an epic exploration, to learn about his background before the adoption. She ends up travelling to Uganda, to learn about the country. Unexpectedly and through an extraordinary set of coincidences, she ends up finding and getting to know his birth family.
If this was fiction it would be unbelievable how things unfold, it’s like the universe is gently guiding her – and this is not fiction, it’s all real.
It turns out Frankie has birth brothers, who are now, of course, her brothers too. Sadly, his mother is dead, his father: an enigma. Uganda is a poor country. Michaela’s response to the poverty and the whole experience has been to set up a charity which is helping children, Starchild Uganda. I hope Frankie would be very proud. The charity is doing a lot of good, including providing opportunities for children to learn creative skills. Michaela herself is a singer songwriter who says she struggled with academic subjects at school. Every child deserves to shine. Starchild is a wonderful title for this beautiful book and the perfect name for the charity. I read it cover to cover in a day, absolutely gripped. Highly recommend.

[Rebeka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michaela is a brilliant writer who eloquently tells the story of not only her own personal narrative but also that of Uganda, Scotland and, as she puts it, “the magic of the universe”.

The memoir deals with the story of Michaela’s adoptive brother Frankie, a Ugandan boy, who was taken in by a white Scottish family in Glasgow in the 60s. Unfortunately, Frankie passed away at the age of 27, leaving behind unanswered questions regarding his biological parents, who were studying in Belfast at the time of Frankie’s birth. With little else than a last name, Michaela sets out to get some answers, even if just to ease her own curiosity and provide some research regarding her novel, which is set in Uganda. What she finds instead is nothing short of emotional and mysteriously connected series of events, which lead her to Frankie’s biological family.

The book is full of nuance when discussing things such as adoption, race, loss and hope. Michaela finds a way to relay her point of view without disregarding its cultural context. It’s not an easy feat but one that is borne out of Michaela’s clear ability to see the perspective of others as much as her own.

While Frankie’s fate is cut short, his legacy is carried on by Michaela and Rony, who set up the Starchild Charity in his memory. I have been incredibly lucky to be part of some of the amazing things the organization does in order to bring a better life to children in Uganda. While everything requires a joint effort, it is Michaela and her partner Rony, who sadly passed away just last year, and their insurmountable determination and effort that has seen this project change the lives of hundreds. It’s an extraordinary achievement, as is this book, which will hopefully bring some answers to those in search of some magic in the universe.

[John Adcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michaela Foster Marsh has written a powerful story about loss, discovery, and family. It's an utterly fascinating read and (rather unexpectedly) an emotional gut punch. Part memoir, part travelogue, part study on race, part meditation on family and secrets, and part exploration of grief, Starchild is utterly compelling. It defied my expectations at every turn and kept me turning the pages long after my bedtime. It also made me really, really want to travel, both to Scotland and Uganda. Michaela is a gifted and honest writer, and this is a book that deserves to be read. It's the kind of book that more prestige publishers should be taking a chance on.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put it down, a 2 hour read in the garden, turned into burnt knees and a takeaway-I love to lose myself in a book but evening had descended!
Fascinating and beautifully written, such an extraordinary and emotional story.
I myself as a Scot living in England, I was transported back ‘hame’ with every written word. Michaela has this way of writing, bringing it to life, her story is shared to you, not described. I could almost trick myself that I’ve been to Uganda. Highly recommend. A must read.

[Esther Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look here for a riveting read!
This is why I enjoy non-fiction even more than fiction - it is completely REAL. There is an added thrill in reading something you know is not only a clever plot, but an intricate and true experience people have gone through, and here is one of the most colourful I have come across. This story has everything, and it can be many things to many people on all kinds of different levels. I recommend it without reservation.

[Lynn Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put the book down, each chapter wanted you knowing more about this amazing story of a sisters love for her adopted Ugandan brother and the search to understand his biological background.

It has you laughing one minute as Michaela navigates the Ugandan culture and crying the next as secrets and buried feelings are revealed on her extraordinary journey to discover her brother Frankie’s African roots.

It’s inspiring, thought provoking and a story that highlights that love, faith and determination can overcome to achieve miracles against all odds. Follow the amazing journey of Michaela making sure her brother’s legacy will remain when she creates a charity in his memory to aid and help the most vulnerable in Uganda.

It really is a wonderful read !!!!

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michaela and her brother, Frankie, were very close, but a tragic fire took Frankie before his time. Grief stricken, Michaela decides to trace Frankie’s birth family.

This is a memoir full of love. It’s also an adventure as Michaela travels to Uganda, a country with its issues and problems but also so colourful and lively.

Starchild is beautifully written with real emotion and the love Michaela feels for her adopted brother is clear throughout. It has tragedy, but also hope and love and makes for a truly wonderful and memorable read.

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starchild is Michaela Foster Marsh’s memoir of growing up in Scotland with an adoptive brother, navigating his death at a young age and ultimately traveling to Uganda to find his biological family, and then building a charity and a school there.

When I picked this book I thought that it was going to be an in-depth story of transracial adoption, but it is really more about Michaela’s personal journey living with an adoptive brother, a black child adopted into a white family, and how his untimely death helped her discover what she was meant to do in her life. While I wish there had been more stories about Frankie and Michaela growing up, and a deeper look into some of the issues the family may have faced, I enjoyed reading about how Frankie’s birth mother’s family (mainly his biological brothers) embraced Michaela and her partner Rony, and how they ended up creating their charity.

Obviously due to Frankie’s untimely death there are no direct from-the-source mentions of how PTSD from abandonment and loss can subconsciously affect adopted children. There are only mentions of what the author’s parents told her and her insights into some of Frankie’s behaviors as a child, which do however provide some interesting insights. I personally would have loved to read more about Frankie as a child, and also understand more about both his relationship with the author and their older brother.

I really appreciated Michaela’s honesty about her journey to Uganda, and her wish to find Frankie’s biological family and do something in his name for the children of Uganda, while all the same avoiding developing a white savior complex. I also enjoyed reading about her parents (who seemed wonderful), and Frankie’s biological family, and also about Starchild, the charity she created in Frankie’s name.

There were a few generalizations here and there, but all in all this is quite an interesting and insightful read. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must have been to grow up with a brother who may have been adopted but felt more like a twin than anything else, and to lose him before his adult life had barely begun. It felt like Michaela spent a lot of her life searching for something that she ended up finding in Uganda, which is a lovely way to keep her brother’s memory alive. And my absolute favorite part of the book is how they decided to create a school for arts, and then another for children with disabilities - every child needs to be given the chance to thrive, and to express themselves in any way that they can and that feels natural to them.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Marian McCaffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like real life stories this book is for you. Frankie Marsh died tragically at the young age of 27 in Scotland. His sister Michaela Foster Marsh, in his adoptive family decides to search for his Ugandan roots. Tracing Frankie’s biological family takes her to England, N Ireland, and many times to Uganda. It’s a story of endurance and love for her brother and how she sets up a Ugandan school for the performing arts and the Starchild charity in his memory.
The challenges of adoption are not minimized in this tale of the quest to find Frankie’s biological family in Africa. Sharp insights are provided into the adoption process. This is a story which connects a Scottish family to a Ugandan family. Frankie did not live long enough to meet his Ugandan brothers and relatives who were unaware of his existence in Scotland, safely ensconced with his affectionate adoptive family. But we are left with no doubt that Frankie would have enjoyed and appreciated this astonishing discovery his Scottish sister made for him.

[Mike Jolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful personal quest and a stark heed to the tests of both interracial and national adoption.
This tale is full of detail with both humour and deep emotion.
Michaela’s true determination and intrepidation are extraordinary which take you totally with her on her journey.
There’s the fascinating insight into a Seventies childhood with inspirational parents breaking the social norms.
This is a tour de force memoir for which Michaela should be extremely proud.
Uganda is opened to us all for it’s complexities and wonder.
Hope lives in in Michaela and Starchild.

[Gail Reat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous memoir. A great “lockdown” read. Full of love and hope. Frankie, yer sister’s amazing.

[Leah Moyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starchild is a very moving and thought provoking memoir written by Michaela Foster Marsh about herself and her brother Frankie. Frankie was black and Michaela is white. Although born a few months apart in the sixties, Frankie and Michaela were 'twins'. Starchild explores transracial adoption and the struggles that brings. It explores the highs and also the lows, the stares from people and the difficulties Frankie faced such as fear of abandonment, that made life difficult in the family home sometimes. I liked the way that this was not told in a sugar coated way and explained that life wasn't always easy. 


Frankie sadly passed away in a house fire and Michaela was obviously distraught at the loss of her brother, her 'twin'. Before he died Frankie didn't get a chance to find his birth mother and family and Michaela travels to Uganda with her partner Rony and also very little to go on. 



What ensues is a journey of discovery, a discovery on behalf of Frankie but I felt somewhat of a journey of self discovery for Michaela. I loved learning and reading a live account of Uganda and what life was and is like. This is as much an exploration of the little coincidences as anything else. 


It felt like Frankie was holding Michaela's hand and giving her the strength and ambition for both of them. This led to the charity Starchild Uganda being born and a school being built in Uganda. I found the honesty and candidness with which this story is written to be incredibly moving and absolute standout testament to the love that Michaela has for Frankie. 


Frankie seems that he was such a special human being but having said that I think that Michaela is too. The work that she does for Starchild Uganda is admirable and inspiring and a testament to the fact that out of sadness can come hope and often times a little bit of magic.  

[Helen Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two siblings brought up as twins, the only difference one is adopted from Uganda. I have really enjoyed this amazing memoir from the author on how she searches for her brothers birth family even after his death. She meets a wide variety of people.

I felt every emotion the author portrayed when she met with her new family. The joy and heartache they felt with the news of their brother.

This book was truly eye opening about Uganda the good and the not so good. I have since looked into supporting the starchild charity and one of their upcoming projects.

[Pamela C Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a page turner of a read. A heartfelt story told by a sister who loves her brother dearly. I loved the honest portrayal of families with ups and downs and the wonderfully surprising outcome. Ascents abound in this book of family near and far and love.

[Elaine M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put the book down when I received it. Beautifully written and whilst I knew the journey, the words painted such vivid images of the world Frankie new and sadly the one he didn't. We are blessed that Michaela has shared her story and opened so many eyes.

[Madeleine Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a bitter sweet true story of the adoption of Frankie into Michaela's family when they were both just 13 months old and the journey his death put Michaela on. Beautifully written and so moving to read.

[S. Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book with its Ottawa/Scotland/Uganda connections. It was a unique family story and the author told it very well.