The Orphan Keeper (Camron Wright)

Why I have this book: I saw it advertised, and as an adoptive mom, I thought it sounded interesting.

I admit, it was a little difficult to read as the mom of a child who was adopted internationally. The story is perplexing. I can't really say a lot, in case you want to read it, but it was disheartening in some ways.

The book itself is enjoyable to read... even with the heavy topic, it's written in an engaging and light-hearted manner. It certainly was thought-provoking. I'm glad I read it, but I guess I was just hoping for a little more understanding about his relationship with his adoptive parents. I know, though, that with such a complex history, it can't all tie up neatly with a bow. I'm impressed with the direction he took to embrace his Indian roots and how he has brought together his two cultures.

I do wish I knew which parts of the story are fact and which are speculation. It's written as a novel, and he later said he didn't remember much about his childhood, so what seemed real at the beginning of the book may have been more conjecture. I don't know how they pieced all that together, like the parts about the orphanage

In any case, I'm glad I read it. I am giving it 4 stars on Goodreads.

ETA: I discovered that they fictionalized some of this story. For instance, it describes his time away at college in another country, however, it turns out he was serving as a missionary for the LDS Church. I'm not sure why they felt the need to change the story; after all, it's his story. Just let it be. That bothers me, and for that, I would like to make this a 3 star book. I still feel the story is important, though, so I left it as 4 stars on Goodreads.

Clean. There may have been one or two swear words.