Relinquished

The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood

De: Gretchen Sisson

Narrado por: Angel Pean, Emily Norman, Katie Koster, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Renata Friedman, Si Chen

WINNER, THE 2026 ADELE CLARK BOOK AWARD
FINALIST, NONFICTION, NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS, 2024
FINALIST, 2024 GODDARD RIVERSIDE STEPHAN RUSSO BOOK PRIZE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

"Essential reading." —NPR “Books We Love”

“Dares to imagine a different world where Americans treat adoption like the justice issue it is.” ―Washington Post

“Impressively reported…[Sisson] uses her deep well of knowledge to make the case that adoption is no solution for Americans’ reduced access to abortion.” ―San Francisco Chronicle

A powerful decade-long study of adoption in the age of Roe, revealing the grief of the American mothers for whom the choice to parent was never real

Adoption has always been viewed as a beloved institution for building families, as well as a mutually agreeable common ground in the abortion debate, but little attention has been paid to the lives of mothers who relinquish infants for private adoption. Relinquished reveals adoption to be a path of constrained choice for those for whom abortion is inaccessible, or for whom parenthood is untenable. The stories of relinquishing mothers are stories about our country's refusal to care for families at the most basic level, and to instead embrace an individual, private solution to a large-scale, social problem.

With the recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization revoking abortion protections, we are in a political moment in which adoption is, increasingly, being revealed as an institution devoted to separating families and policing parenthood under the guise of feel-good family-building. Rooted in a long-term study, Relinquished features the in-depth testimonies of American mothers who placed their children for domestic adoption. The voices of these women are powerful and heartrending; they deserve to be heard.

different take on adoption

very thoughtful and well articulated. definitely gave me a new perspective on adoption as a whole

Fantastic Read!

Dr. Sisson does an excellent job at exploring the challenges and downfalls of the adoption industry and the vulnerable girls and women that the industry preys on. Thank you for approaching this topic with so much care and respect. I loved hearing the participants’ reflections in their own words, and the actors in this recording did a great job at capturing the participants’ emotions.

Wish I would have just bought a hard copy

As a birth mother, I was so excited about this book as it touches on some pretty weighty topics, some quite sensitive to me as my child that I placed is now in his 20's. But I really don't like the way this book is read!! I feel like her opinion comes through in her tone and frankly, if you know any birth mothers personally, placing a child for adoption can be VERY coerced and manipulated because of people's opinions. I just wanted a book that I could listen to, gather my own thoughts and opinions, and gain insight into myself and others affected by adoption. Probably going to just buy the book because I am enjoying the books content, just not the reader.

Important information presented in an easy to understand manner

Nice to finally hear such a well researched longitudinal study of the modern treatment of pregnant people in crisis by a predatory industry.

Relinquished

I liked the the actual portrayal of birth mothers. They don't get enough press.