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cecarson's review against another edition
4.0
Eye-opening to a situation I could never experience with viewpoints I’d never considered. An often overlooked aspect on adoption stories.
sydneylinn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
avisreadsandreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
christie_esau's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely not an easy read but so important (especially for adoptees, adopters, and those in their close circles). A moving, somewhat painful memoir of a Korean woman adopted at birth by a white family, and her experiences throughout her life. Some folks connected to adoption will find this a hard read generally; others might find it specifically tender if they've dealt with infertility since the author has two biological children. Very important reading.
shimauchiha's review against another edition
3.0
Read this if you're interested in:
-Transracial adoptions
-Searching for birth parents
-Short books that feel like a long personal essay
My thoughts:
This book is a perfectly fine story of the (Korean) author's adoption into a white family and her decision to search for and connect with her birth family when she is in her late twenties and having her own child. It's written in a very straightforward, almost conversational tone. Unlike what the narrative often implied, I didn't find it to be a particularly new narrative of adoption. If you've ever read anything on the subject as written by adoptees, you're likely to find a lot of similar ideas in this book. I found it very easy to read, however, I was not too emotionally invested or involved in the story. Often, I found the author to pull away from some of the more personal or emotionally challenging aspects of the story, which is well within her rights, but not my personal preference when reading memoirs. Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars.
I'd recommend this if you kind of felt like reading a memoir/non-fiction but wanted it to be short and relatively easy to read.
-Transracial adoptions
-Searching for birth parents
-Short books that feel like a long personal essay
My thoughts:
This book is a perfectly fine story of the (Korean) author's adoption into a white family and her decision to search for and connect with her birth family when she is in her late twenties and having her own child. It's written in a very straightforward, almost conversational tone. Unlike what the narrative often implied, I didn't find it to be a particularly new narrative of adoption. If you've ever read anything on the subject as written by adoptees, you're likely to find a lot of similar ideas in this book. I found it very easy to read, however, I was not too emotionally invested or involved in the story. Often, I found the author to pull away from some of the more personal or emotionally challenging aspects of the story, which is well within her rights, but not my personal preference when reading memoirs. Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars.
I'd recommend this if you kind of felt like reading a memoir/non-fiction but wanted it to be short and relatively easy to read.
novelvisits's review against another edition
3.0
My Thoughts: Nicole Chung was born prematurely at a Seattle hospital. Shortly after birth, she was given up for adoption by parents who felt ill-equipped to care for her. Nicole was welcomed into the home of a childless caucasian couple. Growing up in small town in Oregon, Nicole often felt the sting of being different and soon came to realize the pain this caused was not something she could share with her parents. As Nicole Chung grew toward adulthood her desire to find out more about her birth family grew stronger and stronger. All You Can Ever Know is her moving account of her journey toward making the initial decision to reach out in search of this family and all that came after. I thoroughly enjoyed Chung’s memoir and especially think it’s an important book to read for anyone involved in a cross-cultural adoption. She gives the reader a lot to think about while remaining true to BOTH her families.
Note: I received a copy of this book from Catapult (via Edelweiss) in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks!
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/nonfiction-november-mini-reviews/
Note: I received a copy of this book from Catapult (via Edelweiss) in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks!
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/nonfiction-november-mini-reviews/
daniup's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
rudyyy's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful :””) Nicole’s writing style is so clear and lovely. Extremely direct and coherent descriptions of her emotional landscape as a child growing up as a Korean adoptee in a white fsmily, and later as a soon-to-be-mom undergoing the reunion process with her birth family. I loved learning about her relationship with Cindy in particular. Just sad, informative, lovely, and hopeful!