Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey - Hardcover

McElmurray, Karen Salyer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 082032681X ISBN 13: 9780820326818

Publisher: University of Georgia Press, 2004

Synopsis

Surrendered Child is Karen Salyer McElmurray's raw, poignant account of her journey from her teen years, when she put her newborn child up for adoption, to adulthood and a desperate search for the son she never knew. In a patchwork narrative interwoven with dark memories from her childhood, McElmurray deftly treads where few dare―into a gritty, honest exploration of the loss a birth mother experiences.

The year was 1973, a time of social upheaval, even in small-town Kentucky, where McElmurray grew up. More than a story of time and place, however, this is about a girl who, at the age of sixteen, relinquished her son at birth. Twenty-five years would pass before McElmurray began sharing this part of her past with others and actively looking for her son.

McElmurray's own troubled upbringing and her quest after a now-fully-grown son are the heart of her story. With unflinching honesty, McElmurray recounts both the painful surrendering and the surprise rediscovery of her son, juxtaposed with her portrayal of her own mother, who could not provide the love she needed. The dramatic result is a story of birthright lost and found―and an exploration of the meaning of motherhood itself.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Winner of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Award for Creative Nonfiction

About the Author:

KAREN SALYER MCELMURRAY is an assistant professor in the creative writing program at Georgia College and State University. She has received dozens of honors, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Sherwood Anderson Award, and the James Purdy Prize for Fiction. She has published essays and stories in numerous magazines and journals.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Georgia Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 082032681X
• ISBN 13: 9780820326818
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 249