Vanessa McGrady

Interesting read, but very slow start.KIRKUS REVIEWA memoir from a woman who adopted a baby girl and then supported the birth parents when they became homeless.In her early 30s, McGrady pregnant and fell in love with the idea of being a mother, but then miscarried. Suddenly, the need for a child was foremost in her mind, but her body wouldn?t cooperate and bring a pregnancy to term. So the author and her partner, Peter, turned to adoption as an alternative. After two years of waiting, a baby girl, Grace, arrived. McGrady thought she had it all�house, husband, and childÂ¥and then it began to fall apart. Peter?s drinking led to divorce, but they continued to co-parent Grace. Remarkably, when Grace?s biological parents became homeless, the author took them in. Though they only planned to stay a few nights, they lived with her for a month before moving out, only to come back when they had nowhere else to turn. Amid the tumult, McGrady wondered about the psychological effects for GraceÂ¥e.g., would she still call McGrady ?mom? when her biological mother was living in the house with them? In this open, honest tale, the author shares the intimate thoughts and feelings that led to her decision to adopt, to leave Peter, and to let Grace?s parents into their lives. The conversational tone makes the reader feel like a trusted friend as the author meanders through her thoughts on motherhood and the memories of her parents and childhood and of the men she was involved with prior to Peter. She offers interesting insight into the lives of those who adopt and those who give up a child for adoption, as well as the personal angst that goes along with such a decision.An expressive and love-filled tale of a unique adoption scenario.… (mais)