Book Description
THE SEARCH FOR PAUL DAVID A birthmother's true story - and more. Includes search tips and search resources. Highlights strategies and obstacles in obtaining hospital, adoption, and birth records. Relates perspectives of other searchers, as well as their trials and triumphs in seeking lost kin. Shares experiences regarding the employment of a professional searcher, the use of an intermediary, the value of a support group, the reactions of family members, and the reactions of found adoptees. Highlights author's reunion with twenty-three-year-old son. Is adoption "The Solution" for unmarried mothers who refuse abortion? Is continuation of pregnancy a crime, punishable by the signing of relinquishment papers? Discusses loss, grief, posttraumatic stress disorder, and birthmother trauma syndrome. Cites research. Sheds light on professional ethics and adoption. Compares the effects of closed-adoption secrecy to the effects of forced silence surrounding incest. Reflects on whether it is moral for adoption agencies (and others) to abort an unwanted biological mother. Points out the present realities of both closed adoption and open adoption. Presents careful research and appendices, including useful bibliography and resources.


From the Back Cover
"The story of a woman searching for her son--and the part of her soul she lost at his conception and surrender..." (Sue Martin, adoptive mother and spouse of an adoptee, search counselor with Truth Seekers in Adoption, Chicago) "A heart-felt cry for justice. An 'unwed mother' from the 1960s demonstrates the poisonous context in which she was coerced to relinquish her child--and the terrible toll of the separation." (Ricky Solinger, author of Wake Up Little Susie: Single Pregnancy and Race Before Roe vs. Wade (Routledge 1992) Until the past decade, few people recognized the long-term trauma suffered by birthmothers who had given their children up for adoption. Furthermore, the healing experienced by a mother and child reunion was often undocumented. Now, in Search for Paul David, Pauline A. Evans chronicles the tremendous search for her son and the psychological healing the discovery brought. The author deftly handles the ever-present controversy of agencies and institutions and their role in the adoption process. She details suggestions for finding a lost child, and empathizes with all parties involved: the child, the birthmother, and the adoptive family. This explosive and pungent work is a must for anyone affected by adoption.


About the Author
Author of two books and the founder of ADOPTION EDUCATION, Pauline A. Evans holds degrees in sociology, psychology, and health education. She is the mother of two sons and two daughters.

SYNOPSIS

A birthmother's true story - and more. Depicts the psychological effects experienced by birthmothers. Includes search tips and search resources. Highlights strategies and obstacles in obtaining hospital, adoption, and birth records. Relates perspectives of other searchers, as well as their trials and triumphs in seeking lost kin.

Shares experiences regarding the employment of a professional searcher, the use of an intermediary, the value of a support group, the reactions of family members, and the reactions of found adoptees. Highlights author's reunion with twenty-three-year-old son.

Is adoption "The Solution" for unmarried mothers who refuse abortion? Is continuation of pregnancy a crime, punishable by the signing of relinquishment papers? Discusses loss, grief, posttraumatic stress disorder, and birthmother trauma syndrome. Cites research.