Sisters a World Apart

Adoption takes many forms, and is done for many reasons. This true story of three adopted girls describes the many ways in which culture, family dynamics, privelege, greed and love can all play roles in why we do what we do and make the decisions we make. Two girls from an orphanage in Viet Nam are adopted by an affluent U.S. family and are given all one would expect to have in that situation, including older sisters born to the adoptive parents--a ready-made, flag-waving American family. In the meantime, one of the adoptees' identical twin sister was being raised by blood relatives back in Viet Nam. This girl had a very different upbringing with few creature comforts but abundant love and a feeling of belonging. Which was better? The answer isn't as simple as it may seem. The story traces the process of all the adoptions, why the twins' birth mom surrendered them as she did, and the subsequent journey of their gradual paths back to each other. Interesting and thought-provoking.