The Road to Evergreen: Adoption, Attachment Therapy, and the Promise of Family
"Stryker examines the controversial Evergreen method of attachment therapy, commonly used as a last resort for children diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). While there is common consensus that RAD stems from a break in infant attachment to a primary caregiver, there is little consensus regarding effective treatment, including Evergreen therapy, the centerpiece of which is confrontation therapy with physical holding components. Stryker places both RAD and attachment therapy in a cultural context, arguing that adoptive families often view children as 'emotional assets' expected to make families 'real.' When RAD children, often referred to as 'kids without conscience,' cannot exhibit the aesthetics and behaviors associated with the private nuclear family (the 'road to Evergreen'), parents often turn to extreme methods of attachment therapy, viewed by some as salvation and others as criminally exploitive. Stryker does an outstanding job of exploring the social construction of attachment, attachment disorders, and attachment therapies, placing them within the broader social family construction. A valuable contribution, written with contextual respect and clear academic aptitude; essential for academic libraries and essential for anyone in this field."—"Starred Review,"Library Journal, 17 September 2010"The Road to Evergreenis an expertly written, ethnographically rich treatment of reactive attachment disorder (RAD). Rachael Stryker repositions RAD as more than a medical behavioral diagnosis; she argues that it is in fact a symptom of overwrought desires of private, nuclear kinship that revolve around children as emotional assets."—Sara Dorow, University of Alberta"The Road to Evergreenfeatures extensive interview data from adoptive parents, adopted children, and social service providers both in the United States and Russia. Rachael Stryker clearly gained the trust of these individuals, in many instances developing ongoing relationships that lasted for several years. She is obviously a gifted interviewer and does an admirable job of seamlessly weaving vignettes into the text. These rich interview materials are very effective and give the reader a real sense of the experiences of the people involved."—Jean Schroedel, Claremont Graduate University