New to Harlow’s Monkey? Start here.

Welcome to Harlow’s Monkey, a website and blog about the experience of transracial and intercountry adoption from the adopted person’s perspective. This site contains the blog that I began in 2006 as well as many resources on transracial and intercountry adoption.

To learn more about who I am click here. To learn about why I named this blog “Harlow’s Monkey, click here.

This website was created by and for transracial and intercountry adopted persons – and therefore is written with that audience in mind. I welcome adoptive parents and adoption professionals who come to this site with an open mind for learning and understanding the adoption perspective from the adopted person’s point of view. There are many websites and resources that will validate the adoptive parent and adoption professional’s perspectives, but this is not the aim of this site.

I have lots of information for adoptees: links to adoptee writers and poets, visual and performance artists, books written by adoptees, adoptee scholars to follow, and blogs and websites you might be interested in. Be sure to let me know if you think there are some resources that should be included. I am always updating, but also keep in mind this blog is not for advertising your adoptee-related product – but I do want to know about any projects you may be working on and I will include it if I think it is applicable to the goals of this site.

Adoptive parents, please begin here with my suggestions for ways adoptive parents can be allies to transracial and intercountry adopted persons. I also have links to resources, and you may also want to check out the resources for professionals, and the books, films and other adoptee-centric links on this website.

Adoption professionals, my hope is that the essays and links to resources will be helpful to you as you consider the adopted person’s perspective and keep their best interests in the forefront of your mind as you work with children and parents through the adoption process. My research found that adoptive parents and adopted individuals really struggled with professionals, particularly those working in adoption agencies, mental health therapists and counselors, school staff (teachers, administrators) and clinical hospitalization program staff (psychiatrists, nurses).

If you are an adoption, child welfare or mental health professional, I have resources for you here. You may be interested in the resources for adoptive parents as well, and I also encourage you to read my suggestions for how to be an ally to transracial and intercountry adopted persons. I will also be including links to research I find interesting.