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Thu 9 AM | Goodbye, Forever: The Days Of Closed Adoptions Examined ijpr.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ijpr.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Last week, Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd spoke with author Gabrielle Glaser about her new book, “American Baby,” which details one woman s lifelong search for her son. In the 1960s, as a young, unmarried mother, Margaret Erle was forced to place her infant up for adoption and then the records were sealed. In the U.S., unethical adoptions were a common occurrence for decades in the mid-20th century, Glaser reports in her book. After the conversation with Glaser aired, Here & Now’s email was flooded with responses from others searching for their birth parents. “I m crying right now because I m trying to find my family. And it s been 35 years. Iowa refuses to open any records to find my family. And I m 73. It s just heartbreaking,” said Mary Sue Hayes of Colorado in an audio recording. ....
Bookworm: Many layers of surprise inside ‘Eleanor’ Be prepared to be unsatisfyingly satisfied with ‘American Baby’ Terri Schlichenmeyer $35, $47.00 Canada; 698 pages Life, as they say, is an open book. When you re born, someone else starts writing it for you, but it doesn t take long for you to be your own author. Through the years, you ll scribble ideas, compose thoughtfully, add chapters, and crumple pages. Your life s book might be a series of quick notes, long essays, one-liners or, as in “Eleanor” by David Michaelis, you could build an epic story. In today s world, we might call Eleanor Roosevelt s mother abusive: Anna Hall Roosevelt never had a kind word to say to her daughter, often mockingly calling little Eleanor “Granny.” It s true that Eleanor wasn t lithe and beautiful like her mother; she was awkward and stern, a Daddy s girl for an often-absent, alcoholic father. ....
For decades in the mid-20th century, adoptions in the U.S. were shrouded in secrecy. Millions of expecting, unwed mothers were sent away to hide their babies from the disapproving public eye. Their infants were often given to couples in closed adoptions, which meant the birth mother and child would lose their shared history permanently. Margaret Erle gave birth to her biological son, Stephen Mark Erle, whose name was later changed to David Rosenberg, in 1961. She was pregnant out of wedlock, an illegal act at the time in New York state, Glaser says. “Her baby was taken from her by a very predatory adoption system that existed in New York but also existed nationwide,” she says. ....