From the introduction: “Adoption shows up a lot in literature and pop culture. But most of the time, our stories are written by non-adoptees. … The lack of authentic representation—of literature about adoptees, by adoptees—can lead to one-dimensional, even harmful portrayals of adoption and adoptee characters.” This is an essential collection providing important visibility of adoptee voices to young adult readers. The 15 stories span a range of genres, including realistic fiction, fantasy, and science fiction, and will appeal to a variety of reading tastes. Most stories are prose; one is a graphic short story. Some of them address adoption and being a transracial adoptee directly, while some use metaphor or feature plotlines in which adoption is an essential part of the protagonist’s identity but not the plot. What they all speak to in one way or another are the emotional complexities that these young adult adoptees and transracial adoptees navigate, including the sense of loss or feeling of being an outsider that most experience no matter how loving their adoptive families are, as well as the microaggressions and racism that they face in the world and, sometimes, in family spaces that should be safe. All of this unfolds through stories with characters and circumstances that are individual and distinct. (Age 12 and older)

"An emotion-filled collection." —Kirkus Reviews

A CCBC 2024 Choices for the Fiction for Young Adult category!

Two teens take the stage and find their voice . . .

A girl learns about her heritage and begins to find her community . . .

A sister is haunted by the ghosts of loved ones lost . . .

There is no universal adoption experience, and no two adoptees have the same story. This anthology for teens edited by Shannon Gibney and Nicole Chung contains a wide range of powerful, poignant, and evocative stories in a variety of genres.

These tales from fifteen bestselling, acclaimed, and emerging adoptee authors genuinely and authentically reflect the complexity, breadth, and depth of adoptee experiences.

This groundbreaking collection centers what it’s like growing up as an adoptee. These are stories by adoptees, for adoptees, reclaiming their own narratives. 

With stories by:

• Kelley Baker
• Nicole Chung
• Shannon Gibney
• Mark Oshiro
• MeMe Collier
• Susan Harness      
• Meredith Ireland
• Mariama J. Lockington
• Lisa Nopachai
• Stefany Valentine
• Matthew Salesses
• Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom
• Eric Smith
• Jenny Heijun Wills
• Sun Yung Shin
• Foreword by Rebecca Carroll
• Afterword by JaeRan Kim, MSW, PhD