“Janine writes about her journey of discovery in a relaxed, conversational style, in a present tense first person voice, and this draws the reader into the conversation. The style is immediate and immersive. Janine’s love for her adoptive parents is very clear. …Subsequent chapters are contributed by adoptees, also writing in the first person, and this enables the reader to feel as if they are sitting having a chat with the person relating their story…
Janine advocates for the right of adoptees to retain their own documentation, not to have their previous existence ‘wiped out’ by the stroke of a bureaucratic pen… Janine calls upon adoptees and readers, in fact, to trust themselves and their instincts, to open their minds and to value themselves, not to look to others for validation. …Janine is a staunch and passionately vocal advocate for the rights of adoptees… This book will make you reconsider what you thought you knew about adoption. “ ~ Reviewed by FIONA INGRAM
“Janine Myung Ja’s Adoption Stories, is an informative and revealing book that deals with the social issue of inter-country adoption. An adoptee herself, the author certainly knows what she’s writing about. This is a book that tries to collect the various stories of adopted children from Korea, Africa, India and other countries, ending up in cultures and countries that are a world apart from where they originally come from. It also exposes the problematic adoption system that leaves some adoptees deprived of their basic human rights. Designed to inform all adoptees of their emotional and legal rights, this book tackles an issue that is mostly neglected by lawmakers from all over the world. And these are highly interesting and revealing stories that the whole world should know about!” Reviewed by MARIA BELTRAN
This is a book that looks at an entirely different side of the world of adoption. While many people think that they are saving these children, who would otherwise be entirely unwanted or neglected, there is an epidemic of adoption trafficking and children who have been ripped from the arms of loving and caring parents for a completely new life. The stories of these children and what their lives have become, whether with a healthy and happy home or a traumatic and dangerous one, are stories that need to be told…” Reviewed by SAMANTHA DEWITT (RIVERA)
Your Gift of Joy helps adults who were possibly trafficked for adoption purposes share their stories: editing, formatting, proofreading, audiobooks, translation, cover design, marketing, and distribution to those who love to read.