“A powerful decade-long study of adoption, Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, reveals the grief of the American mothers for whom the choice to parent was never real. Adoption has always been viewed as a beloved institution for building families, as well as a mutually agreeable common ground in the abortion debate, but what is adoption like for the women who surrender their children?

Over the span of two decades, sociologist Gretchen Sisson, Ph.D., conducted over one hundred in-depth interviews with women who relinquished infants for domestic adoption. She brings their stories to light in her book, interweaving their intimate, moving testimonies with historical and political context. Sisson deftly examines the forces shaping American motherhood, including poverty, religion, and politics. She strips back the feel-good guise of adoption, exposing the coercive strategies employed by private adoption agencies and situating it within the history of family separation in the United States.

Registration requested to join us in person. To watch live online (no registration needed) visit: https://vimeo.com/event/6005601. A recording will be available to watch on The Community Library’s Event Archive.”