Britt Mann interviews Barbara Sumner, author of moving new memoir Tree of Strangers.
Britt Mann: In your book, you challenge narratives around adoption – that adopted people are lucky, that they should be grateful, that being sacrificed by their mothers was an act of love and courage. You have this line – “public discourse rarely describes adoption as detrimental to human development”… What kinds of conversations had you had about this stuff? Is it quite controversial?
Barbara Sumner: I think it is quite controversial. Somebody said to me the other day – and if I hear any line from non-adopted people, I hear this – “Oh so-and-so, they were adopted and they LOVE their adopting parents. They had a really great time!” I guess my response to that is, whether you like it or not, whether you are happy or not, you still have fewer rights than other people.
Read the full interview here.
