The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Lost Daughters of China
Book Review: Perfect for adoptive extended family
Summary: 5 Stars
I was delightfully surpised by this book. I'm an aunt-to-be of a neice from China and have been looking for any information I can find for family members of adoptive parents. This book turned out to fit the bill perfectly. Evans beautifully interweaves her own story of her daughter's adoption with a broader, factual picture of international adoption from China. Although this is only one family's experience, it enlightened me on what my relatives will and are going through on their adoption journey. It also filled in many of the gaps in my knowledge of China's infamous "one child" policy and how this affects women and children's lives in China every day. It is chilling when Evans gives statistics on the number of China's daughters that have been lost. And yet at the same time you can not help but be filled with hope to read of the perfect matches between adoptive parents and their Chinese daughters. Evans approaches her subject with obvious thoughtfulness and care and you can't help but care right along with her. I recommend this book not only for adoptive parents but grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends of parents adopting from China.Book Review: Less ambivalence, more analysis needed
Summary: 3 Stars
I commend Karin Evans for tackling this subject, and for sharing a deeply personal story with universal applications. I have often wondered how adopting families feel about benefitting from such an appalling situation. The author is honest about her ambivalence, but I felt frustrated that she cast the problem largely as a rural vs. urban dichotomy, where "progress" and "jobs" and "education" were offered as the answer to rural poverty and the backward ways of those poor farm folk. Perhaps this is China's solution, but it needn't be ours. North Americans buy vast amounts of goods made by China's sweat shops, so you can be sure that there are many more "red threads" tying us all together than simply those of love for an unknown child in a distant land. The author just barely scrapes the surface of our relationship with China, of our willingness to exploit their labour and their lives so that we have access to cheap goods. We need more dialogue on this whole issue: The Lost Daughters of China is a start.Book Review: Unbalanced, repetitive, outdated
Summary: 3 Stars
I gave this three stars because there is some interesting information here, and it presents a few useful ways to think about Chinese birth mothers. But overall, it isn't a very good read.I have a low tolerance for sanctimoniousness, and the tone of this book is pretty irritating. I found it very anti-China and quite blind to the ways that some of the problems she illuminates about China are both present in the U.S. and partially a result of US policies on birth control/abortion and foreign/UN aid.
It also needs some serious editing. There's enough material here for an excellent long-ish article. As a book, though, it is repetitive.
And, if you like sugary sentimentalism, you'll like what she has to say about motherhood, but if you prefer more balanced prose, this isn't your book. MUCH BETTER is Emily Prager's Wuhu Diary, which offers a much better way of thinking about China AND a better way of understanding Chinese birth mothers.
Finally, as someone going through the adoption process, I found the information about adoption here a bit outdated.
Book Review: The best book I have read in years!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very inspiring book. This book is a great insight on the "adoption" trip and all the paperwork we went through to make our family. I have made sure I have kept a copy for my 2 daughters so that they can read it when they are able to understand the "adoption journey". I would recommended to anyone who has adopted, who is going to adopt, or has any curiosity about adoption.Book Review: Beautiful Book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an A+ book! I'm 17 and have a beautiful sister from China. My trips to China have inspired me and I plan to pursue life helping China/orphans! Karin Evans book is very good. I hate reading but this book was too hard to put down! To be reminded of the atmosphere of China & how it is from someone else's point of view. This book is great for those who just want to know more about China's Girls, and adoptive parents should definitely read it! In fact I'm going to read it again-starting tonight :)