23 Voices of Adopted Youth

23 Voices of Adopted Youth is a powerful glimpse of adopted youth’s thoughts on how adoption has impacted their lives. Through their own voices, twenty-three youths share heartfelt and profound stories about relationships with parents and birth parents and how, ultimately, these affect their sense of identity, self-image, relationships with siblings and friends, and expectations of self and others. They acknowledge the uniqueness of adoption and emphasize the importance of knowing who they were born to and their right to explore that option. Despite experiences of confusion, anger, frustration, and sadness, these youth also reflect joy, love, and respect for those they consider family. Each youth voice authentically displays raw wisdom, insight, and passion and provides the reader with an enhanced understanding of the adoptee experience, parenting an adopted child, and parenting in general.

About Lori Rosove (Author)

In 2001, Lori wrote Rosie's Family, an adoption story, when many adoptive parents that she worked with were searching for a children's picture book to help them address the various issues they were experiencing with parenting. Rosie's Family covers differences in race and culture, challenges between birth and adoptive siblings, and adoptee confusion about birth parents. With sales in the tens of thousands, Lori is thrilled to know that so many children/families have enjoyed and benefited from the sage advice in Rosie's Family. To learn more about Rosie's Family, click here.

In September of 2020, at the end of her career in adoption, Lori wrote 23 Voices of Adopted Youth to harvest wisdom from adoptees aged 15 to 26. From extensive interviews, Lori presents the youth's experiences in their unique voices for a fresh and invaluable perspective on the adoptee experience. Lori preserves the integrity of the youth voices and the authenticity of their stories through digestible prose and comfortable rhythm. Lori hoped this wisdom would be a guiding light for parents and also a valuable tool for clinicians, educators, and social workers who provide services to those connected to adoption.  

23 Voices of Youth is available in ebook and paperback wherever you buy books.