Book Review-When You Were Born in Vietnam

When You Were Born in Vietnam by Therese Bartlett with photographs by William Bartlett is a lovely hardcover book that can really help open up the lines of communication between you and your child. And if we have anything in common, it’ll make you want to either hop on the next flight to Viet Nam or start to update your home study papers The author and photographer are the parents of two kids from Viet Nam, so they really have a firm grasp on the emotions behind a Vietnamese adoption.

The story line is beautifully simple and touching; with the author speaking as a parent talking directly to her child. One of my favorite parts is when she tells her child that there were many people in Viet Nam who cared for him and “they still think about you today.” Looking at the photographs of real families, adorable children and the country brings tears to my eyes and makes me so incredible nostalgic for Viet Nam. This book covers the entire adoption process and does a good job in explaining adoption, why children are placed for adoption and how they come to have their forever families. I also like that the author touches on the history and culture of Viet Nam a bit.

While I greatly appreciate the honesty of the book, there are some parts to be aware of before reading this to your young child or your child who you may not have discussed certain issues with. There is information given about the different circumstances that his birth mother/parents may have been in and the fact that some children will never be adopted.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for parents and children alike. I think our kids will love to see the pictures of the children who have been through similar experiences as them. My husband and I bought this book after we had Ella’s referral and we were waiting to travel, so it definitely pulled on our heartstings then; and it still does now.

Related Links:
Book Review: Ten Mice For Tet (another great children’s book)
Purchase this book

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