The other day I was talking to my daughters how every older sibling generally teases the younger that he/she is adopted and how this seemingly innocent statement can affect the other. Call it an eerie coincidence or whatever, the next day, I received a call from Kalyani, my childhood friend with whom I spent most of my growing years, to review her latest book about adoption called Child of My Heart. The book was dedicated to the loving memory of her mother, who had taught me in school.
To say that I was stunned is an understatement! However, Kalyani was absolutely confident that I could write an honest review about her book.
Child of My Heart is something straight out of the author’s heart! She is one of the most passionate and straightforward persons I have known. The book deals with the sensitive subject of ‘adoption’ in an extremely honest manner.
The interviews with the adoptive parents and the adopted children proved that children only need love and care to grow up well. Genes may be an important factor but it is not the only important determinant of a child’s personality. The environment, the people around him/her, play an equally important part in shaping the child.
As a mother of two girls and as the oldest of 3 siblings, I have seen and learnt that not all aspects of a child’s persona are inherited from the birth parents. To quote from the book,” Biological or adopted, a secure child is the result of sound parenting.”
The section on cinematic and mythological references to adoption were extremely interesting to read. I was aware of a few of them, like Superman and Karna, but I learnt about many others. Historical and contemporary examples of inspiring people like Mandela, Jobs etc who were adopted children, was thought provoking.
Kalyani always had a way with words and is quite the wordsmith! Her lucid writing takes you from one page to the other effortlessly and keeps you interested. Her sincere feelings shine through her words and show how close this topic is to her heart.
An excellent book for someone who wants to adopt a child. The author painstakingly gives the why and how of the entire process. The legal aspects of adoption, FAQs, genuine doubts and fears have been dealt with exhaustively. She also reminds us of the Dos and Donts of adoption and guides us through explanations of the tedious legal process. A comprehensive guide to adoption, along with intriguing references from the past and the present, this book is a must read for everyone.
Link for the book on Amazon -
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08MVWNMKW/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apa_i_5KpPFbYSXR3MW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
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