In Their Own Voices

Nearly forty years after researchers first sought to determine the effects, if any, on children adopted by families whose racial or ethnic background differed from their own, the debate over transracial adoption continues. In this collection of interviews conducted with black and biracial young adults who were adopted by white parents, the authors present the personal stories of two dozen individuals who hail from a wide range of religious, economic, political, and professional backgrounds. How does the experience affect their racial and social identities, their choice of friends and marital partners, and their lifestyles? In addition to interviews, the book includes overviews of both the history and current legal status of transracial adoption.

Rita J. Simon is University Professor in the School of Public Affairs and the Washington College of Law at American University.

Rhonda Roorda was adopted into a white family in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. She is coordinator of financial and support services at a nonprofit educational advocacy organization in Lansing, Michigan.

Extremely informative and emotionally compelling.

This book is the story of every person who has lived in an environment in which he or she didn't quite fit.... Yet, while the stories in the book are universal, they are also deeply personal and incredibly touching. You cannot read this book without being changed.