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A review by bremaura
Surrender: A Memoir of Nature, Nurture, and Love by Marylee MacDonald
4.0
Marylee is both an adoptee and a mother forced to give up her child. As the mother of adopted children, I find the perspective of both sides to be illuminating.
At 15 in 1961, Marylee was given no choice by her family but to give up her child. She was sent to a home for unwed mothers and given absolutely no help. Her mom was her only consistent relationship in the outside world and it was falling apart.
John, the father of the baby, was convinced by his family that his only hope for a future was to separate himself from the situation. A high school student himself, the future spread out before him in endless possibility. The treatment of these two children could not have been any different. Marylee was shunned, sent away, treated as less than others. John had no consequences outside of disappointing his parents.
There is so much glamour given to adoption, the "chosen" child, the selfless mother. In reality, it's a horror -- children torn from their parents and losing the most important relationship that they can ever have. Marylee's experiences show both sides of the tarnished coin.
Blessings on you, Marylee. Thank you for sharing your story!
At 15 in 1961, Marylee was given no choice by her family but to give up her child. She was sent to a home for unwed mothers and given absolutely no help. Her mom was her only consistent relationship in the outside world and it was falling apart.
John, the father of the baby, was convinced by his family that his only hope for a future was to separate himself from the situation. A high school student himself, the future spread out before him in endless possibility. The treatment of these two children could not have been any different. Marylee was shunned, sent away, treated as less than others. John had no consequences outside of disappointing his parents.
There is so much glamour given to adoption, the "chosen" child, the selfless mother. In reality, it's a horror -- children torn from their parents and losing the most important relationship that they can ever have. Marylee's experiences show both sides of the tarnished coin.
Blessings on you, Marylee. Thank you for sharing your story!