Adopted: Love, Loss, Family and Reunion

To not know your family story is a huge loss of your sense of self. It has the potential to undermine your well-being and your relationships across a lifetime. Adopted is the powerful and honest account of two of the thousands of children affected by closed adoption in New Zealand, from 1950 to the mid 1970s. Jo Willis and Brigitta Baker both sought and found their respective birth parents at different stages of their lives and have become advocates for other adopted New Zealanders. They share the complexity of that journey, the emotional challenges they faced, and the ongoing impacts of their adoptions, with candor and courage. Closed adoption also exacts a physical and emotional toll on birth parents, partners, and children. Their stories are also told in this compelling book.

Brigitta Baker was adopted during the closed adoption era, and has been in reunion with her birth family since 2008. Her professional experience ranges from advisory roles in the public sector through to positions with large corporations within human resource management, training facilitation, leadership development, organizational development and coaching. Alongside her day job as a senior leader, Brigitta is training in psychotherapy with the aim of working more deeply with adopted people to help them process their experiences. Jo Willis is an adopted person and a specialist in the field of adoption counseling, coaching and education. She is viewed as a leader in personal development within the adoption field. As an adolescent, she lobbied local and national politicians for amendments to be made to the 1955 Adoption Act. At the age of 21 she was reunited with her birth family prior to the change in legislation. Jo then became part of the implementation of the 1985 Adult Adoption Information Act, leading to a 24-year career as a social worker, senior practitioner and supervisor.