The Other Mother: A Woman's Love for the Child She Gave Up for

The Other Mother: A Woman's Love for the Child She Gave Up for Adoption

In 1965, Carol Schaefer was 19, a freshman in college and deeply in love. She was also pregnant. When her boyfriendâ€™s family opposed their marrying, her parents sequestered her in a Catholic home for unwed mothers a state away, where she was isolated and where secrecy prevailed. She had only to give up her baby for her sin to be forgiven and then all would soon be forgotten she was told. The child, in turn, would be placed with a â€œgoodâ€ family, instead of having his life ruined by the stigma of illegitimacy. Carol tried to find the strength to oppose this dogma but her shame had become too deep. â€œThe first time I looked deep into my sonâ€™s eyes, I felt like a criminal. As I unwrapped his hospital blanket and took in the heady fragrance of a newborn, I feared the nurses or the sisters would come in and slap me for contaminating my own son.â€
Finding no way out, she signed the fateful papers leaving her son in the hands of strangers, but with a vow to her baby she would find him one day. For years, Carol struggled to forget and live the â€œnormalâ€ life promised, not understanding the consequences of the trauma sheâ€™d endured. On his eighteenth birthday, she set out to find him, although the law denied access to records. Her search became a spiritual quest to reclaim her own lost self, as she came to understand the emotional and psychological wounds she and other mothers like her had endured. Against all odds she succeeded in finding him and discovered that in many ways they had never really been apart. With her sonâ€™s encouragement and his adoptive motherâ€™s cooperation, she tells their story.

REVIEWS:

â€œStrength, sadness, joy, and the power of undeniable love abound in this book.â€
500 Great Books by Women (A Penguin Books Readerâ€™s Guide, 1994)
The list of authors goes back to the 11th century.

Nominated â€œOne of the best books of 1991.â€
American Library Association.

â€œ... flows as forcefully as the finest fiction. ... This â€˜ten-hankie-readâ€™ never descends into sentimentality but simply reveals the unvarnished truths of the human heart.â€
Wilson Library Bulletin

â€œThis wrenching account, covering a range of adoption issues, is a moving testament to the bonding power of motherhood.â€
Publishers Weekly

â€œAn astonishing revelation of the emotions that come into play throughout the adoptive process - a must read for all concerned.â€
Kirkus Reviews

Literary Guild Alternate Selection.

â€œInspiring ... a heart tugger.â€
Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle

â€œA chronicle of a time with the starkest of emotions revealed ... Readers quickly understand the trauma that lingers on deep in the hearts of birth mothers every day of their lives.â€
Elliot Bay Booknotes

â€œIt should be a must read for anyone who considers adoption the â€˜easyâ€™ answer to an unwanted pregnancy.â€
The Philadelphia Inquirer

â€œAs she experiences pain and love, youâ€™re on that roller coaster with her, as if the life she lived was yours.â€
St. Petersburg Times

â€œPoignant and powerful, The Other Mother shatters the myth that unwed mothers, unprepared for the sacrifice they make, go on to lead normal and untouched lives.â€ Booklist

â€œAny woman who has gone through any part of her experience, or has been close to somebody who has, will attest to the storyâ€™s authenticity.â€
The Washington Post

â€œI recommend it with all my heart. Its courage, integrity and love make it a treasure. ... not only for adoptive families and birth families, it is for everyone who longs to know how deep the levels are that connect us, and how precious.â€
Gary Zukav, The Seat of the Soul

â€œ... addresses intimately the experience of a Birthmother as no other book has - or probably ever will. Expertly written.â€
Jone Carlson, Editor People Searching News

â€œCourageous, moving and heartening.â€
Betty Jean Lifton, Journey of the Adopted Self

â€œA wonderful book. Engrossing. From my professional perspective the book is right on target
Country USA
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2011-11-11
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2011-11-11
Format	Kindle eBook

The Other Mother: A Woman's Love for the Child She Gave Up for Adoption

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