Pieces of Me: Who do I Want to Be
Grade 9 Up—This title refers to the "pieces" that adoptees must identify, gather, and put together properly in order to make themselves whole. It is a compendium of poems, essays, drawings, quotations, and photos created by adoptees, from 12 to 60+, intended to "offer practical insight and hope" to other adoptees. Each contributor is introduced in a brief biographical sketch that provides readers with background information that helps place each work in context. A few contributors describe their delight at finding someone who "looks like me," while others explore the agony of being rejected, or ignored, by a birthparent. Several adoptees express regret for the suffering they inflicted on their adoptive families, who were often caring and loving. Although many contributors are adults, they focus on their experiences as teens. The raw emotions exposed here make this a rather painful, but extremely powerful read. Suzanne Slade'sAdopted: The Ultimate Teen Guide(Scarecrow, 2007) offers practical, factual information as well as some first-person narratives. However, its tone is more restrained and matter of fact.Pieces of Meshould be considered for older patrons who are adoptees, as well as adoptive parents.—Deborah Vose, Highlands Elementary School, Braintree, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.