Abandoned At Birth By Janet Sherlund Highlights The Darker Side Of Adoption

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, Janet Sherlund’s memoir, “Abandoned at Birth,” chronicles her lifelong quest to discover her origins, highlighting the challenges faced by adoptees in accessing birth records and the profound impact of adoption on identity and well-being.

Abandoned At Birth

Only ten US states – Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island – grant access to birth records to adoptees and their biological parents. This deeply restrictive policy creates an insurmountable obstacle for many adult adoptees born during the era of closed adoptions, leaving them grappling with the profound pain of an unknown origin and a lifelong yearning to understand their identity.

Janet Sherlund’s poignant memoir, ABANDONED AT BIRTH: Searching for the Arms That Once Held Me (Forefront Books; May 7, 2024), offers a raw and moving account of this agonizing journey. With unflinching honesty, Sherlund depicts the profound detachment and enduring longing experienced by an adopted child, and the relentless pursuit of answers that defines her decades-long search for her biological mother.

Sherlund’s memoir not only illuminates the personal trauma of adoption but also challenges the prevailing narrative that love alone can heal the wounds of a forced separation.

Like many adoptees of her generation, Sherlund was born to teenage parents. Her mother, compelled to carry the pregnancy in secrecy, ultimately rejected her newborn child, never even looking at her. Armed with only a fabricated narrative about her biological parents provided by the adoption agency, Sherlund embarked on a challenging and often heartbreaking odyssey.

This memoir, filled with unexpected twists, setbacks, and surprising familial connections, is a gripping and ultimately inspiring testament to the enduring human spirit.

I hope it starts conversations about the rights of those given away, loss and grief in adoption, the biology of belonging and identity, and why love is not always enough to extinguish the pain. 

-Janet Sherlund

Janet Sherlund

Janet Sherlund, a graduate of Colgate University and former board member for various educational, healthcare, and cultural arts organizations, dedicated her life to raising her family and serving her community. However, her most profound experience was being given up for adoption at birth. This experience deeply impacted her sense of self-worth and trust, driving a lifelong quest to find her biological mother and achieve a sense of belonging.

Her memoir, “Abandoned at Birth,” fulfills a lifelong dream of raising awareness about the profound grief and loss experienced by adoptees and the need for understanding beyond the simple notion that “love conquers all.” Sherlund currently resides on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Find more from Janet Sherlund now:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4foXxbW

Hardcover: https://amzn.to/3OZaheX

Audible: https://amzn.to/3BzthNQ

Audio CD: https://amzn.to/3BDw1tB

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3OZOZxs

Apple Audiobook: https://apple.co/4fqidRd

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