Hole in My Heart

. . . brings to life the struggles of women who wanted a career in an earlier era when abortion was illegal and single motherhood difficult to imagine. Dusky goes well beyond her personal story and forces us to reflect on the most important questions in human life: who we are and who we might become. Meticulously researched, her story shows how she slowly became a major force in the advocacy for open adoption. -Drucilla Cornell, professor emeritus Rutgers University Lorraine Dusky writes with the depth and vulnerability of a mother who has endured great loss, faced her demons, and turned inconsolable grief and heartache into a powerful advocate's voice. A tour de force full of insight and inspiration. -Richard Uhrlaub, President, Adoption Search Resource Connection Dusky turns her grief about losing her daughter to adoption into activism for opening birth records to adult adoptees. Her devastating research shows that the scars she and her daughter received from the adoption industry were not unique. -Marianne Novy, founding co-chair of the Alliance for the Study of Adoption and Culture . . . should be required reading for all parents who are contemplating placing a child or adopting . . . -Elizabeth Jurenovich, director of Abrazo Adoption Services, San Antonio I felt that I was listening in to Lorraine's experiences across the years somewhere between her heart and her skin. -Pam Hasegawa, former board member, American Adoption Congress Hole in My Heart will change the way people think about adoption. -Florence Fisher, founder of ALMA (Adoptees Liberty Movement Association) Dusky shines a spotlight on the harmful outcome of closed adoption and the lasting impact of secrecy upon relationships. -Jean A.S. Strauss, author of Birthright Her restraint in telling her tragic, timeless and redemptive story is an extraordinary feat. A tour de force that should be read by everyone. -Kiana Davenport, author of The Spy Lover and Shark Dialogues . . . a compelling manifesto for why our culture and legal system must re-think and reform adoption down to its roots. -David Smolin, Professor of Law and Director, Center for Children, Law, and Ethics, Cumberland Law School, Samford University . . . a powerful memoir you won't be able to stop reading till the final page. Her story is modern and retro, tough and tender, romantic and profoundly honest. -Delores Teller, past president of the American Adoption Congress Dusky's courageous, honest book puts a human face on the emotional minefield of adoption while navigating an often-hidden truth-that at the heart of every adoption there are issues of loss, guilt, emptiness, abandonment and an incomplete sense of identity. Much more than a good read, Hole in My Heart integrates important research findings that support the universality and truth of Dusky's personal experience. -David Kirschner, PhD, psychoanalyst, author of Adoption: Uncharted Waters With lyrical prose and unwavering commitment, she advocates eloquently for adoption-law reform. -Justice Faith Ireland, Washington State Supreme Court, (Ret.) . . . beautiful, powerful, and painful. -Nancy Verrier, author of The Primal Wound