Tag Archives: Reader Comments

More praise from my readers

My memoir on the U.S. adoption experience is available on Amazon and your favorite online bookseller.

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope all of you had a great holiday and have special memories of times spent with family and friends. For my followers, I want to thank those of you who last year purchased my book, You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are. Your support means a great deal to me.

This also marks the first holiday season where I promoted my book and when I heard back from more of you. In December, some of my readers wrote reviews on Amazon for the paperback version of You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are. Here are a few of those comments:

Shawna
Of all the adoption related books I have read, You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are resonates with me the most, on so many levels. It’s a difficult task to make folks understand what discrimination looks like for adoptees in this country.

Lazarus
You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are is an outstanding, heartfelt, and eye-opening memoir of its author, Rudy Owens, as an incredible 30-year journey to his birthright. It is essential, exhaustive, and compelling reading to those of us who have been passed through this exceptionally misguided, agonizing, and flawed system and for all those otherwise.

Click on my photo to see my video.

Thomas
The subject has always been intriguing to me, but before reading this book I had no idea the depth of issues that could be involved. It successfully tells a very compelling story but also reveals details of the legal roadblocks to adoptees getting the information they are entitled to. Highly recommended.

Please Share Your Reviews:
If you have purchased either an ebook or paperback version of  my memoir, my New Year’s video is for you, encouraging you to join Shawna, Lazarus, and Thomas by sharing your thoughts.

A reader’s most trusted source is his and her fellow reader. I hope to see your names in the comments section soon.

For the months ahead, I am still seeking opportunities to speak and do readings and share the information I wove within my own tale with people who know little about the system that still impacts millions of people in the United States. It can be challenging finding partners willing to host an author who wants to talk candidly and honestly about the history of U.S. adoption and adoption secrecy laws. I’ll share news of future events here.

Initial feedback from my first readers

Rudy Owens’ memoir on the American adoption experience

I published my memoir on the U.S. adoption experience on May 19. I have reached out first to my personal and adoptee/adoption community contacts, as well as people who may find this topic through the Internet. So far my readers have been happy with the work. This is good news.

Speaking on behalf of most writers, we want to ensure our readers have a memorable experience and learn and grow from our storytelling. Sharing stories helps connect people, so we can be enriched and expand our understanding of this wonderful thing called life.

As an adoptee, I want to build a bridge between adoptees and those who know nothing of this large group of diverse Americans, so they can begin to see and understand issues we raise, for ourselves, for our country, and for others. Adoptees have practical and critical knowledge that can improve family laws, parenting and family creation practices, and legal systems in this country.

I will share more feedback later. I encourage anyone who purchases my work to post comments on the Amazon pages for my Kindle version and the paperback version. This will help the book get better search results within Amazon and be introduced to new readers. Here is a sample of some initial commentary:

Reader 1 (May 21)
Owens makes a convincing case for opening up the secrecy surrounding birth records and other documents involved in adoption in the U.S. and for respecting the human rights of all.

Reader 2 (May 22)
Got your book today. First paragraph of preface is killer.

Reader 3 (May 24)
Until now, the only adoption stories I knew of were successful, happy ones. . . . I never even considered the untold stories like yours. So I am glad you’re putting that out there now.

Reader 4 (May 26)
I’m a few chapters in and I’m very much moved by your story and the larger social context you bring to fleshing out a larger, collective secret history.

Reader 5 (May 26)
I’ve read five chapters of your book. You did an amazing research and writing job. I’m just getting started. Lots there. The title is perfect; glad you presented that first.

Stay in touch, and please share your comments.