Blog Review: this woman's work

Dawn Friedman, who blogs at this woman's work: writing, mothering, and writing about mothering, is one of the most important thinkers writing on the ethics of domestic infant adoption. I wish she would hurry up and write a book, which I will promptly read and review, but in the meantime, if you are interested in or considering domestic adoption, her blog is a must-read.

Dawn is the mother of an 11 year old biological son and an almost 5 year old transracially adopted daughter. Her daughter's adoption is fully -- and beautifully -- open, and her daughter's other mother is an important part of their family. She writes with great insight and honesty, always grounded in her own personal experiences, and with a passion for reform in an industry much in need of it. What I love about Dawn is how right she is, without being righteous; how unflinching and self-confident she is in her views without being smug and self-congratulatory; how humble and real she is without any sense of false modesty. She is not only able, but eager, to grapple with complexity, of which there is no shortage in the world of adoption. Perhaps most importantly, she does all this without ever failing to be kind and generous and open-hearted.

In the past few days, Dawn has been answering questions posed by readers about her views and experience of adoption, and this is a great place to start. For a more thorough overview of Dawn's thinking, go to the "Archives" link at the top of the page, and then scroll down to the topics, where I believe "Adoption" tops the list.