Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Mary: Turning Questions into Advocacy

Mary is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee born in 1965. She was not adopted until she was almost 8 months old, after being moved to a couple of foster homes. She was told she wasn’t “doing well” at the first, likely because they had too many children there. Raised in a small town by a conservative Catholic family with her brother—also adopted two years later—Mary and her brother always knew they were adopted. She always felt a sense of disconnection—the “weird kid” who didn’t fit in—so searching was a natural byproduct of that. She began trying to find avenues to learn about her birth family as early as elementary school. She spent hours in libraries, scouring old newspapers and yearbooks. After trying every path she could over the years, thanks to DNA testing, social media, and stubbornness, she was finally able to find them and gain access to her original birth certificate and adoption papers in 2014, with mixed results. She began to realize how ingrained the sense of secrecy and shame still is 50 years later. Understanding the trauma of adoption and inspired by Ann Fessler’s The Girls Who Went Away, Mary went on to make the Baby Scoop Era the topic of her doctoral dissertation, digging through archives and interviewing birth mothers, case workers, and others who had been involved in the process at the time. She has also been involved in drafting a bill and testifying in front of her state legislature, advocating for access of adult adoptees to their original birth certificates. Mary remains committed to advocating for adoptees and birth parents through research, education, and reform. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault [https://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Get-Rid-Me/dp/1960462598] Unspoken by Liz Harvie [https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Liz-Harvie/dp/183770046X] EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl] Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! [https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/] Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE [https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect [https://adopteesconnect.com/] Adoptee Mentoring Society [https://www.adopteementorship.org/] Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law [https://adopteerightslaw.com/] Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/] Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement [https://www.lizdebetta.com/] Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate [https://mosesfarrow.com/] National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted [https://kristalparke.net/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jodi: Art, Identity, and Reunion

Jodi is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee, born in Los Angeles, California, in 1966. For her, adoption has never been a single event but a lifelong journey of searching, questioning, and seeking understanding. She is now in reunion with her father, and both share a deep connection as artists. Jodi lives in Los Angeles with her family. Her story reflects the complexities of identity, family, and belonging, and she continues to honor both the losses and the connections that have shaped who she is today. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault [https://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Get-Rid-Me/dp/1960462598] Unspoken by Liz Harvie [https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Liz-Harvie/dp/183770046X] Sign up to be part of our mailing list and to receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! [https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/] Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE [https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect [https://adopteesconnect.com/] Adoptee Mentoring Society [https://www.adopteementorship.org/] Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law [https://adopteerightslaw.com/] Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/] Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement [https://www.lizdebetta.com/] Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate [https://mosesfarrow.com/] National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted [https://kristalparke.net/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike: Comedy Born from Truth

Mike Knox is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and performing artist whose work blends personal storytelling with observational humor. Originally from Pasadena, California, he was adopted at birth from White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles. Mike Knox is the author of the books Vivien’s Rain, written about his daughter’s experience with epilepsy, and Straight Fish, and Isla Vista Halloween. In addition to stand-up comedy, Mike Knox is a retired Parole Agent now pursuing his passion for acting, improv, and clowning. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault [https://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Get-Rid-Me/dp/1960462598] Unspoken by Liz Harvie [https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Liz-Harvie/dp/183770046X] Sign up to be part of our mailing list! [https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/] Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE [https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect [https://adopteesconnect.com/] Adoptee Mentoring Society [https://www.adopteementorship.org/] Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law [https://adopteerightslaw.com/] Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/] Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement [https://www.lizdebetta.com/] Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate [https://mosesfarrow.com/] National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted [https://kristalparke.net/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Recinda: From Orphanage to Art

Recinda is an artist, writer, and TikTok creator. The chasm between Recinda now and the baby dropped off at an orphanage based in Beirut, Lebanon, is large. She was profoundly changed by her adoption from an American family stationed in Izmir, Turkey, after a seven-year span of life at the orphanage. She had to become adaptive to a new language, an American way of living, as well as the many schools and locations that are an elementary part of military life. Survival is the key component to Recinda’s life, even after leaving her adoptive family, as she was not prepared mentally for an enlarged world view or life. She struggled with the echos of the mental, physical, and sexual abuse of both the orphanage and her adoptive family. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault [https://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Get-Rid-Me/dp/1960462598] Unspoken by Liz Harvie [https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Liz-Harvie/dp/183770046X] Sign up to be part of our mailing list! [https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/] Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE [https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect [https://adopteesconnect.com/] Adoptee Mentoring Society [https://www.adopteementorship.org/] Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law [https://adopteerightslaw.com/] Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/] Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement [https://www.lizdebetta.com/] Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate [https://mosesfarrow.com/] National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted [https://kristalparke.net/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stephanie: Breaking Silence, Building Connection

Stephanie was born in the Chicago suburbs in June 1983 and adopted 4 days after birth. Her birth mother was 19 years old and was an employee of an attorney associate of her adoptive father's.  Through a private adoption arranged by the attorney, Stephanie was placed into a loving adoptive family with two biological children (and later one adopted sister and one biological brother), both of whom were affected by Canavan Disease and passed away when she was still a child—an experience that shaped her deep sense of empathy but also her perspective on family, belonging, and loss. Today, Stephanie is a mother of two girls and a family law attorney, and the founder of her own practice, where she helps individuals and families navigate the often-complicated transitions of divorce, parenting, and rebuilding. She serves as a Guardian Ad Litem advocating for children and assisting adopted children whose parents are going through the divorce process. Stephanie is now reunited with her birth mother and her two half-brothers—an experience that has profoundly impacted her and brought her "out of the fog" while also presenting complexities in her relationship with her adoptive family. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall [https://www.amazon.com/Practically-Still-Virgin-Adoption-Memoir/dp/B0CYGQQR2K] You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault [https://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Get-Rid-Me/dp/1960462598] Unspoken by Liz Harvie [https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Liz-Harvie/dp/183770046X] Sign up to be part of our mailing list! [https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/] Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE [https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect [https://adopteesconnect.com/] Adoptee Mentoring Society [https://www.adopteementorship.org/] Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law [https://adopteerightslaw.com/] Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/] Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement [https://www.lizdebetta.com/] Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate [https://mosesfarrow.com/] National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted [https://kristalparke.net/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.