Description
All versions available on Amazon coming on MAY 20, 2025! Hardcover, paperback and Kindle.
Or, place your order directly for the paperback version here.
Adoption—peeling back the glossy exterior…
Adoption impacts countless families worldwide, yet the voices of those directly involved—especially adoptees, the central focus of the process—are rarely highlighted. In The Adoption Paradox, nearly one hundred individuals are interviewed, from domestic, international, and transracial adoptions, as well as foster care, along with adoptive and birth parents, therapists, experts, and allies. These narratives reveal both the love and the emotional costs borne by everyone affected, exposing adoption as a complex and challenging experience.
Healing is possible with the right support, but addressing adoption’s hidden issues requires activism to confront unethical practices that lack oversight. These moving stories shed light on unaddressed pain and systemic flaws, calling for a more transparent and compassionate approach to adoption.
Early praise for The Adoption Paradox:
…The Adoption Paradox humanizes the whole experience in a way that hasn’t been done in full since Betty Jean Lifton. ~Shannon Quist, author of Rose’s Locket and Mirrors Made of Ink
…mandatory reading for those looking for a deep dive into the complex impact of adoption on those in its wake… ~Patricia Knight Meyer, Black Market Baby and Adoption Reform Advocate and Author @myadoptedlife
…Widner pulls no punches, embracing the both-and nature of adoption’s paradoxes…. ~Beth Syverson, Adoptive Parent Co-Founder of Unraveling Adoption
This Powerful Book Will Change Lives…Widner’s research is unquestionably admirable and all-inclusive, and her voice is undeniably the one that needs to be heard…by all professionals…and the public who have bought into the old and tired “all adoption is beautiful” theory. ~Laura L. Engel, Birth Mother and Author of You’ll Forget This Ever Happened-secrets, shame, and adoption in the 1960s.
Jean Widner does a wonderful job of exploring the multiple perspectives and complexities of adoption…. ~Sharon Stein McNamara Ed.D., L.P.
…I consider The Adoption Paradox one of the most essential and unflinching explorations of adoption’s lifelong impact… ~Jennifer Joy Phoenix, LSWAIC, MHP
…Her insightful, nuanced, synthesized narrative is ingeniously punctuated by breathtaking first-hand lived experience testimony of constellation members…. ~Suzanne Bachner, Author & Advocate, The Good Adoptee
…The book stands out for its balanced treatment of the topic… ~Monica Hall, Adoptee, Birthmother, and Author of Practically Still a Virgin
…Insightful, profound and full of nuggets of information. Highly recommended. ~Simon Benn, Thriving Adoptees Podcast, UK
…This book is a must-read as we work together to build a more inclusive and compassionate world. ~April Dinwoodie, Host of the Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World Podcast and Founder of Adoptment
…Adoption Paradox is an essential starting point for anyone seeking to honestly grasp the emotional complexities and diverse truths of adoption… ~Brian Stanton, Adoptee, Actor and Playwright of BLANK and Screenwriter of the film @ghostkingdom
…Widner crafts a narrative that not only tells the story of adoption…all while maintaining a candid, unflinching perspective… ~Tony Hynes, Adoptee, Author of The Son with Two Moms, Ph.D.
A portion of all proceeds or royalties received from sales of the book will be donated to a series of the following adoption-related service organizations: Adoption Knowledge Affiliates, the On Your Feet Foundation and Saving Our Sisters.
JeanWidner (verified owner) –
My introduction to Jean Widner was through this book, back when she was still collecting interviews and data. A minute into our conversation, I knew I was in good hands. In reading “The Adoption Paradox,” rest assured that you are, too. Jean has left no stone unturned. She includes both historical and current data, as well as a myriad of first-person accounts. Everyone speaks from their own experience– whether that experience was good, bad, or often both. Jean fosters greater understanding and empathy by immersing the reader in multiple individual narratives. She also shines a light on a system that simultaneously builds one family while tearing apart another, erases history, and impacts future generations. She acknowledges its positive advances but doesn’t shy away from the need for further reform. With a critical eye on the system and a kind eye on the real people involved, Jean brings adoption into perspective. As an adopted person, I so wish this book had existed in my youth. Not just for me, but also for my adoptive and natural parents, for my adopted siblings, and for all the other constellation members of my generation. Thank you, Jean, for this gift to our community. There are hard truths in these pages, but there’s also hope, and so much heart.
~ Hannah Andrews, writer, author, adoptee