Growing in the Dark (Paperback)

Generations of adults who were adopted as children have been kept in the dark about their original identities. The law sealing birth records, passed in 1935 in California, swept adoption´ s emotional complexities under the rug and made it possible to keep adoption itself a secret. Growing in the Dark takes you through California´ s early adoption laws, highlighting the sealing of records, and discusses the various consequences of this policy as they unfolded throughout the 20th century. Psychological theories, baby sellers, the views of child welfare advocates, and attempts to reverse the sealed records laws are all part of adoption´ s story.