TW: Alcohol abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault of a minor
I was so pleased for the opportunity to read Marylee MacDonald's memoir. It is a story of adoption and what shapes us as we grow up. MacDonald was adopted herself, and as a 15-year-old in 1961, she because pregnant and surrendered her son for adoption. In the decades since, she has learned about her birth family and been reunited with her son.
I enjoyed the honesty of her story and the deep sharing of its particulars. In that vein, I found the excerpts of her own diaries especially fascinating. She reflects on her teenage emotions and where her memory now doesn't match what she wrote at the time. The chronology and pacing of the book were excellent. I found it difficult to put down, as I was deeply immersed in her narrative. Parts were heart wrenching.
However, I wish the synopsis had been more forthcoming about the trigger warnings I mentioned above. By weaving in the psychology of adoption for both birth mothers and adopted children, MacDonald tries to tell a universal tale of adoption and accompanying pain and trauma. That generalization didn't ring true for me, especially given the specifics of her story. I enjoy memoirs best for their rich individuality and would have preferred this stay in the realm of her history. That's where it excelled.
I am glad I read Surrender. It added texture to my knowledge of the history of contraception and the limited options girls faced in the 1960s. As she wrote, MacDonald would now say she didn't have agency to make choices, but that wasn't a concept she knew as an adolescent.
Thank you BookishFirst for this signed ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I was so pleased for the opportunity to read Marylee MacDonald's memoir. It is a story of adoption and what shapes us as we grow up. MacDonald was adopted herself, and as a 15-year-old in 1961, she because pregnant and surrendered her son for adoption. In the decades since, she has learned about her birth family and been reunited with her son.
I enjoyed the honesty of her story and the deep sharing of its particulars. In that vein, I found the excerpts of her own diaries especially fascinating. She reflects on her teenage emotions and where her memory now doesn't match what she wrote at the time. The chronology and pacing of the book were excellent. I found it difficult to put down, as I was deeply immersed in her narrative. Parts were heart wrenching.
However, I wish the synopsis had been more forthcoming about the trigger warnings I mentioned above. By weaving in the psychology of adoption for both birth mothers and adopted children, MacDonald tries to tell a universal tale of adoption and accompanying pain and trauma. That generalization didn't ring true for me, especially given the specifics of her story. I enjoy memoirs best for their rich individuality and would have preferred this stay in the realm of her history. That's where it excelled.
I am glad I read Surrender. It added texture to my knowledge of the history of contraception and the limited options girls faced in the 1960s. As she wrote, MacDonald would now say she didn't have agency to make choices, but that wasn't a concept she knew as an adolescent.
Thank you BookishFirst for this signed ARC in exchange for my honest review.