Surrendered Child

the long version

"Surrendered Child is Karen Salyer McElmurray's account of her journey from the teenager who put her new-born child up for adoption to the woman desperately searching for the son she never knew. In a patchwork narrative interwoven with dark memories from her childhood, McElmurray treads where few dare - into a gritty, honest exploration of the loss a birth mother experiences." "The year was 1973, a time of social upheaval, even in small-town Kentucky, where McElmurray grew up. More than a story of time and place, however, this is about a girl who, at the age of sixteen, relinquished her son at birth. Twenty-five years would pass before McElmurray began sharing this part of her past with others and actively looking for her son." "McElmurray's own troubled upbringing and her quest after a now-fully-grown son are the heart of her story. McElmurray recounts both the painful surrendering and the surprise rediscovery of her son, juxtaposed with her portrayal of her own mother, who could not provide the love she needed. The result is a story of birthright lost and found - and an exploration of the meaning of motherhood itself."--BOOK JACKET.