Rooted in Adoption A Collection of Adoptee Reflections

Rooted in Adoption is a collection of 48 short, real life narratives of those with a history of domestic and international adoption and foster care. Adoptees from various ages, ethnicities, and experiences discuss the joys of adoption as well as the challenges of living a lifetime of secrecy and lost identity. Contrary to belief, adoption is a life-long journey. It begins at birth and continues as various life milestones trigger memories of grief, loss, and abandonment. The reality is the only thing most people know about adoption is what they see on television or hear from adoptive parents. Adoptees are the true leading experts in adoption. Adoption is a myriad of complex emotions on what many adoptees describe as an "emotional rollercoaster." Licensed professional counselor and trauma specialist, Jules Alvarado provides the foreword. Rooted in Adoption is a great resource for educators, mental health professionals, adoptive families, prospective adoptive families, and birth families in reunion.

Veronica Breaux was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, through the closed adoption system.
While searching for her own birth family, she began to meet others in the adoption community
and began to realize how significantly adoption had an impact on her own life. She graduated
with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from The University of New Orleans in 2005 and
later went on to earn a master's degree in mental health counseling from Webster University in
2013. Veronica is currently a registered intern counselor with the state of Florida. She hopes that
she can help educate adoptive parents and others in the counseling profession on adoption-
related trauma and be an advocate for other adoptees. Veronica believes no one should be denied
the right to know who he or she is. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, cooking, photography,
traveling, and, for the first time ever, genealogy research. Shelby Kilgore is an adoptee from Korea and has been producing reality/documentary series for the past fifteen years, after graduating from The University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications in 2006. As an adoptee from Korea, Shelby first told her adoption story on camera when she was seventeen. It was a very healing experience for her, and she knew one day she would help others tell their stories. Once Shelby became an established producer, with two Daytime Emmy wins under her belt, she became confident enough to start her passion project of spreading education and awareness about foster care and adoption through the video lens. In 2012, she filmed her first interviews and launched her YouTube Channel: Shelby Redfield Kilgore and Facebook page: —Adoption Awareness. You can find all of her work at wearemirrorlight.com. Reading is one of her favorite things to do, as well as singing and traveling around the world.