Most recent NPR series on Adoption (2007)

This is the series that was aired this summer (in fact, it aired while I was in Korea).

Adoption in America

In a series of conversations, four families and adoptees reflect on their experiences with adoption, and share the stories that define who they have become.

in this Series

Adoption in America: A Series Overview

July 23, 2007 · An adopted child changes a family forever. Families and adoptees have learned that it’s not just family photos that change — but entire family trees, family traditions and family stories that are altered by an adopted child’s own story.

Part 1: Mother, Son Offer Transracial Adoption Insights

July 23, 2007 · When Judy and Bob Stigger decided to adopt nearly three decades ago, they chose children who very obviously didn’t look like them. The white couple adopted two children who are biracial, a decision that meant a lifetime of learning for their family. Web Extra: Advice for Adoptive Parents

Part 2: An Adoption Gone Wrong

July 24, 2007 · After adopting two sisters from India, David and Desiree Smolin were shocked to learn that the girls’ birth mother had been tricked into giving them up. The Smolins say their experience reveals the dark side of international adoptions.

Part 3: A Korean American Reflects on Life as an Adoptee

July 25, 2007 · When Susan Cox was adopted from South Korea, she was quickly Americanized by the Oregon couple who became her parents. Now, more than 50 years later, Cox says, there is more awareness about maintaining a connection to adopted children’s native cultures.

Part 4: An Unexpected Message, a Family Redefined

July 26, 2007 · When author A.M. Homes went home for Christmas one year, a "terrifying" message awaited her. Thirty-two years after giving Homes up for adoption, her biological mother was looking to get in touch. Web Extra: Book Excerpt

Watching a Daughter Grow via MySpace

July 27, 2007 · This week’s series of conversations on adoption in America generated a number of letters from listeners, including one from a woman in San Francisco who uses the Internet to keep track of the daughter she gave up for adoption.