Coalition Staff Member Review

Silent Embrace is a collection of essays from 14 women who have firsthand experience with and knowledge of adoption. The book draws together birth mothers, adoptive mothers, and adoptees and lets you, the reader, step into their shoes as each author shares their story. It is, in turn, sad, funny, bittersweet, and, yes, sometimes just bitter. It is, throughout, authentic, raw, and sometimes haunting.

The opening two stories in Silent Embrace are a study in opposites; shockingly so. As I read “Surrendering Holly,” I found my jaw dropping as I gaped at the page. My heart broke for the author and my anger built for the people and situations she found herself facing. Two of the essays moved me more than most: “32 Cemetery Road” and “Hello and Goodbye.” My eyes blurred with tears as I walked the authors’ journeys with them.

Though I have always considered myself to be a relatively strong woman, I find that I am in awe of some of the people I met on the pages of this book. No matter the point of view, what is true of all of the mothers and children in Silent Embrace is that they are strong, courageous, and deserving of respect.