Does it follow the story structure I've outlined above? Absolutely, but it does it with craft, wit, fierce intelligence, and an astonishing candor that will keep the reader engaged and eager to turn each page.
The author, Theresa Reid, and her husband enjoyed successful careers, hers as executive director of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, his as a physician. Like so many couples, they found themselves unable to conceive on their own or with the help of technology. They decide to adopt from Eastern Europe. Their first adoption, a little girl from Russia, went relatively smoothly. Their second adoption, eventually another little girl, this time from Ukraine, was a series of gut-wrenching, nightmarish events.
There were many false starts and dashed hopes. Mountains of paperwork. Recriminations between spouses stressed by their own fears and doubts. The extreme poverty of Ukraine and the poor conditions of its orphanages were a tough read as this reviewer sat in the comfort of her comfortable, middle-class American home. The story, however, does end on a happy, satisfying note.
Truly, this is a memoir that kept me riveted in every possible way, and not just as the mother of three children, two of whom were adopted as infants from South Korea in the late 1990s. This is simply a first-rate telling of a personal journey to parenthood and self-awareness that any reader would want to dip into and stay awhile.
Now having heaped praise on Two Little Girls, a few caveats and personal observations, this time with my "Adoptive Mom" hat firmly in place.
Ms. Reid is extremely candid as she shares her reasons why she chose to adopt a child from Eastern Europe as opposed to China, Korea, or other sending country. In short, she didn't want to hassle the race thing (and to be fair, there are adoption professionals and transracially adopted persons who would share her feelings on the matter). She also didn't want a child who had "issues." In her words, she wanted the "Princess of the Orphanage" both times. (Her first daughter fit the bill; her second daughter presented possible challenges that gave both the author and her husband great pause).
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - Roberta Rosenberg
Thank you, Natalie!