China's Hidden Children: Abandonment, Adoption, and the Human Costs of the One-Child Policy
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.47 (673 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 022652907X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-12-06 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Johnson, the foremost authority on adoption and child abandonment in rural China, debunks the popular notion that birth parents viewed abandoned daughters as ‘throwaways’ at worst, second-class citizens at best. “One cannot come away from this book without a much deeper understanding of the terrible human toll caused by the One-Child Policy. Contrary to the constructed narrative, efforts to keep a daughter collided with a nearly insurmountable wall of laws designed to support the One-Child Policy—with no regard for the best interests of the child. Johnson honors the stories of the birth parents, adoptive parents, and the relinquished daughters caught in the vortex with her sympathetic and sophisticated analysis.”
Were it not for the constant threat of punishment for breaching the country’s stringent birth-planning policies, most Chinese parents would have raised their daughters despite the cultural preference for sons. As the Chinese government cracked down on those caught concealing an out-of-plan child, strategies for surrendering children changed—from arranging adoptions or sending them to live with rural family to secret placement at carefully chosen doorsteps and, finally, abandonment in public places. The decision to give up a daughter, she shows, is not a facile one, but one almost always fraught with grief and dictated by fear. &
Not written clearly Cape Pug There is a lot of information in this book that I feel is important. However, the way it is written makes it very difficult to follow and take in. There is a lot of repetition. Constant references to what will be ahead in the book and explaining what and why things are in the book. It reads very strangely and that takes away from the information. Every chapter reads like a forward.. Must read for Adoptive Parents of Children from China Anne M. Andersen Solid long term scientific on the ground studies of the real and changing reasons why children in China ended up in orphanages and adoptions over 20+ year period of time. Also suitable for adoptees 15 and above who want real information instead of the stories fed to their parents by adoption agencies and government officials. It gives a lot more perspective on the heartbreaking choices . All adoptees from China and adoptive parents with Chinese children should read this book Excellent book! Prospective adoptive parents should read this book too.Kay Johnson is an adoptive parent as well as an authority on China, a College professor of Chinese studies.She has done years of research on this topic. Finally the truth is being told instead of the propaganda that has been so wodely shared and believed. Thank you kay for writing this amazing book. Please keep writi