Chinese Adoptees

December 7th, 2011

I read the description of the documentary on Chinese-born adoptees by Linda Goldstein Knowlton '87 ("Caught Between Two Countries," September/October) a day after finishing Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother: Stories of Loss and Love, a short but affecting book by the Chinese journalist Xinran. Whereas the documentary takes the perspective of the adoptee, the book shares vignettes from the perspective of Chinese mothers and was written with the intention of giving adoptees an insight into the reasons their mothers may have given them up. It may not provide definitive answers or in-depth analysis, but it does give voice to a side of the story that isn't normally told. I hope to watch the Knowlton documentary when it becomes available!

Crystal Ng '05
Washington, D.C.

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Related Issue
November/December 2011