"Reunion" is a beautiful, true, 'real-time' story, told in an incredibly accessible style, about loss and redemption, and all the resentments in-between.

I highly recommend this book. As someone touched personally by the subject matter, I find myself hard-pressed to talk publicly about the details of "Reunion." At the same time, I can't deny the impact this book has had upon my life. If you have 'adoption issues' in any regard, please read this book.


Compelling Memoirs   November 25, 1999
Kathy Lewis
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

The book Reunion: A Year in Letters Between a Birth Mother and the Daughter She Couldn't Keep is a compelling account of the wide variety of emotions and feelings which surround adoption reunion and an poignant description of the deep bond between a mother and her child. As both women, Katie Hern and Ellen McGarry Carlson tell of their life experiences and the impact that adoption has had in their lives, the reader experiences a glimpse into the realities and world of adoption. Katie Hern, the daughter, who had come out of the closet as a lesbian, comes out of the closet as an adopted child. Her account of the impact of adoption on her life is powerful. She shares her inner-most thoughts and deep feelings about the impact of the loss of her birth mother. She highlights the importance of the need adopted children/adults have to grieve the loss of their original family. She protects no one in her account. She tells all!

Ellen McGarry Carlson tells the story of an oppressive adoption system that existed in 1969. She explains that her families and societies primary goal was to separate mother and child and have her surrender her first born to adoption. Shame and guilt permeate her core. A sense of wholeness is felt by the reader as she describes her feelings as her lost daughter reunites with her. This book is highly recommended for those trying to make sense of the issues surrounding adoption and reunion.


More than letters   November 14, 2000
Eileen Finn (Chicago, IL USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

As an adoptee whose circumstances are remarkably similiar to Katie's, I was blown away by this book. I am currently searching for my birth mother, so this account was fascinating. A lot of the emotions and fears are ones that I have experienced. This book is more than a collection of letters. It is a fascinating look inside the process that many still-searching adoptees should take the time to read. I will probably read it again as my own search continues.


A wonderful book for all   December 3, 1999
Lois Schwartz
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I learned a great deal from reading this book. I had no firsthand experience with adoption, but was attracted to the book by the idea that two adults can discover each other and consciously discover and explore a shared history. I was deeply touched by Ellen's immediate and unconditional love for the daughter she gave up for adoption. This is not to imply that she is an idealized, fiction of the "perfect" birth mother -- she comes across as complex and interesting, managing to transcend substantial constraints with grace and humor. Katie, the daughter, is anything but a poster child: her personal and political convictions are strong and her standards for herself and others are high. It is fascinating to come to understand how the adoption influenced her attitudes, choices, and conduct. While Ellen's family is instantly engaged with Katie, Katie's family members (her adoptive parents and two adopted siblings) experience a ripple effect from the reunion that offers hints that the ending to this story is not entirely picture perfect.

The effect of the loss and rediscovery is both conscious and unconscious. The two women proceed with caution as they build their relationship, but the ties are profoundly emotional from the very beginning, and never intellectualized. The reader has the additional pleasure of reading behind the express words in their letters, if he or she chooses to do so -- I liked this aspect.

I am not ordinarily a fan of books of correspondence, but this book is very different. The initial letters and e-mail, which precede the actual meeting between Katie and Ellen, allow the two women the time necessary to create mutual ground, to explore their similarities and differences, to develop empathy for the pain experienced by each, and perhaps to avoid unwanted surprises. Later letters reflect an attempt to understand what has happened on both an emotional and verbal level. Throughout, the correspondence allows each to reassure the other that even the most essential and deep separation does not make it impossible to experience love, trust, and loyalty.


a must read   December 15, 1999
J. Wilson (Concord, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I found Katie's book to be a page turner. I couldn't wait to see what emotions would surface next. This is a must read for everyone that knows someone who is adopted. It is really an eye opener into the feelings of adopted children even if they are happy and well adjusted. This would be a wonderful book for a book club. There is so much to discuss in this book!