A review by margieperscheid
Philomena (Movie Tie-In): A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search by Martin Sixsmith

3.0

I devoured "Philomena" in a single day, and enjoyed it. But it wasn't the book I was expecting, nor did it tell the story I really wanted to hear, which is how Philomena Lee herself managed her grief and pain after the horror that was inflicted upon her. What keeps me from giving this book more stars is my discomfort with the attention that was devoted to describing Anthony Lee/Michael Hess's sexual orientation. I'm concerned that, depending upon the attitude of the reader, incorrect connections are going to be drawn between adoptee sexual orientation and experiences of loss. It felt like a terrible invasion of his privacy in an area that may or may not have been directly related to the loss of his mother, his adoption and his subsequent difficult relationship with his adoptive family. Regardless, though, this is a book that must be read to understand just how cruel the world can be - and still is - to unmarried mothers and their children.