Victorian Adoption Network for Information and Self Help.

Serving the post-adoption community for over 25 years.

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Suggested Reading

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Adoption (General)

  • Brodzinsky, D. & Schechter, M. (eds) The Psychology of Adoption, OUP, New York. 1990
  • Brodzinsky, D, Schechter, M & Henig, R. Being Adopted: The Lifelong Search for Self, Doubleday, New York. 1992
  • Holloway, Sara (ed.). Family Wanted: Adoption stories. Granta Books, London. 2005
  • Robinson, Evelyn. Adoption and Recovery: Solving the mystery of reunion. Clova Publications, SA. 2004 and Adoption Reunion: Ecstasy or Agony? Clova Publications, SA. 2009
  • Verrier, Nancy. The Primal Wound: Understanding the Adopted Child. Gateway Press. Baltimore. 1993 and Coming Home to Self, Gateway Press, Baltimore. 2004

An Adoptive Parent’s perspective

  • Wall, Josephene. Between Two Circles, Parker Pattinson Publishing, NSW. 2005
  • Wunderle, Nola. Kartya’s Story. Random House Australia. 1999

An Adopted Person’s perspective

  • Dessaix, Robert. A Mother’s Disgrace, Angus & Robertson, Pymble, NSW. 1994
  • Lifton, Betty Jean. Lost and Found, Dial, New York. 1979 and Journey of the Adopted Self, Basic Books, New York. 1994
  • McCutcheon, Sandy. The Magician’s Son: a search for identity. Penguin Australia 2006
  • Phillips, Zara. Chasing Away the Shadows. Gateway Press, Baltimore. 2004

A Birth Parent’s perspective

  • Clapton, Gary. Birth Fathers and their Adoption Experiences. Jessica Kingsley, UK. 2002
  • Cole, Christine A. (ed.). Releasing the Past: Mothers’ Stories of their Stolen Babies, Sasko Veljanov 2008
  • Coles, Gary. Ever After: Fathers and the Impact of Adoption, Clova Publications, SA. 2004 and The Invisible Men of Adoption, Memerus Books, Vic. 2010
  • Harkness, Lisa. Looking for Lisa. Random House Australia. 1991
  • Jones, Merry Bloch. Birthmothers – women who have relinquished babies for adoption. Chicago Review Press Inc. 1993.
  • Robinson, Evelyn Burns. Adoption & Loss: The Hidden Grief. Clova Publications, SA. 2003 andAdoption Separation: Then and now. Clova Publications, SA. 2010

A Childhood in ‘Out of Home’/Institutional Care

The following titles are located with Open Place, Suite 1, 8 Bromham Place, Richmond, 3121 [phone 9421 6162], the Support Service for Forgotten Australians in Victoria

  • Bringing Them Home. Commonwealth of Australia. 1997.
  • Forgotten Australians: Report on Australians who experienced institutional or out-of-home care as children. Commonwealth of Australia. 2004
  • Lost Innocents: Righting the Record – Report on Child Migration. Commonwealth of Australia. 2001
  • Frampton, Phil. The Golly in the Cupboard. Tamic Publications. 2004
  • Golding, Frank. An Orphan’s Escape, Thomas C. Lothian. 2005.
  • Hill, David. The Forgotten Children. Random House. 2007.
  • Humphreys, Margaret. Oranges and Sunshine. Transworld Publishers. 2011
  • Murray, Suellen et al. After the Orphanage – Life beyond the Children’s Home. UNSW Press. 2009
  • Penglase, Joanna. Orphans of the living. Fremantle Arts Centre Press. 2005
  • Shayler, Kate. The Long Way Home, Random House. 2001 and A Tuesday Thing, Random House. 2004