As you know, I’m always reading multiple books at any given time and one has to be non-fiction. Last month I received an email about Taken At Birth by Jane Blasio and I was immediately drawn to it. The next day I was checking my daily headlines on People.com and there was Jane front and center. I knew then that I had to read her book….and I was, and still am blown away at her story.
I hadn’t heard of the Hicks Clinic or the Hicks babies prior to reading this book, so I went in not knowing what I was about to read. Jane discovered early in life that she was not only adopted by her parents, but actually sold by someone to her parents. Her older sister was as well.
Jane takes us on the journey of what it was like to not only try to find her birth parents, but to uncover the truth of what happened all those years ago at the Hicks Clinic. What you have to remember is that her birth and her journey were all during a time when DNA tests weren’t an everyday thing like they are today. Computers and the internet weren’t what they are today. Jane was taking this journey on her own and talking to everyday people, doing research in libraries, and slowly piecing it all together.
I’m not one for spoilers, so I’m not going to tell you how it ends, but I will share that Jane includes more than just her own story. Incredible enough as it is on its own, she shares the stories of some of the birth mothers she meets and the story of Dr. Hicks.
I enjoyed that the book was written not only from her perspective, but from the views and narratives of those who were also involved. As someone who spent decades looking for my own sister, I have a great appreciation for the work Jane put into her search and in helping others on their search.
If you’d like to read Taken At Birth, I’m giving away a copy of the book! Send me a DM or email and I’ll randomly select someone by August 11, 2021!
