Many people have been following the story of Artyom Savelyev (Artyem Saveliev). This incident also shed a spotlight on the difficulties adoptive parents face. Parents fearful for the safety of other family members or their communities have spoken out about some of the challenges they’ve confronted with their adopted children. One mother profiled on The Stir: A Café Mom Blog sleeps with a lock on her door, and another warned school officials her son was violent before the eighth grader pulled out a gun at school (Star Tribune, MN, 4/8/10).
Many children in Russian orphanages suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause attachment disorders and developmental delays. So living with and loving these children can be difficult. One organization that offers support for these parents is the Ranch for Kids Project, which helps adopted children, especially those from Russia. Its equine therapy and outdoor program provide healing benefits for these "at risk" kids.
Leap Books author Jacqueline Horsfall also explores the ties between Russian adoptees and nature through the eyes of her 16-year-old protagonist, Darya, who was adopted from Russia and brought to America as a child. Darya feels a strange, mystical connection to the deer the rest of the town is intent on hunting. But is that tie strong enough to fight her whole community, especially when she is struggling to overcome deep feelings of isolation and insecurity?
Watch for Horsfall’s timely book, For the Love of Strangers, coming from Leap Books in Fall 2010.
Showing posts with label Darya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darya. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Russian Adoptees Wonder: Am I Secure?
Leap Books author Jacqueline Horsfall has firsthand knowledge about Russian adoption, which prompted her to write For the Love of Strangers.
From the time Horsfall's 16-year-old protagonist, Darya, is taken from the orphanage, she is plagued with doubts. Does the stranger who adopted her truly love her and want keep her? Or will Darya someday be sent back to Russia? With skill and sensitivity, Horsfall explores this delicate balance in the adoptive child's relationship with her new and foreign parent. Though Darya is a strong lead character, one who chooses to take on a fight against the town's leading citizens, her life is colored by the sadness and uncertainty of her early life and the constant fear that being adopted does not mean being loved or secure.
The fact that Darya's fears could be real was brought into stark relief by the media over the past month or so. Seven-year-old Artyom Savelyev lived out Darya's nightmare when he was sent back alone to Russia in April 2010. ABC's Good Morning America captured this heartbreaking story in a video called "Adoption Gone Wrong."
From the time Horsfall's 16-year-old protagonist, Darya, is taken from the orphanage, she is plagued with doubts. Does the stranger who adopted her truly love her and want keep her? Or will Darya someday be sent back to Russia? With skill and sensitivity, Horsfall explores this delicate balance in the adoptive child's relationship with her new and foreign parent. Though Darya is a strong lead character, one who chooses to take on a fight against the town's leading citizens, her life is colored by the sadness and uncertainty of her early life and the constant fear that being adopted does not mean being loved or secure.
The fact that Darya's fears could be real was brought into stark relief by the media over the past month or so. Seven-year-old Artyom Savelyev lived out Darya's nightmare when he was sent back alone to Russia in April 2010. ABC's Good Morning America captured this heartbreaking story in a video called "Adoption Gone Wrong."
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Hot Topic: Russian Adoptions
"When I heard about the adoptive family who sent their 7-year-old boy back to Russia, I was saddened, but I wasn't surprised," said Josephine Ruggiero, parent of three Russian siblings and author of the article, "When Adoption Isn't Easy" (Newsweek, 4/26/10). Neither was Leap Books author Jackie Horsfall.
Jackie's soon-to-be-released novel, For the Love of Strangers (Fall, 2010), mirrors the attachment and behavioral issues faced by adoptive families, and now splashed across news headlines: "Shipping an Adopted Son Back to Russia" (New York Times 4/9/10) and "Why Won't Anyone Adopt These Kids?" (CNN, 4/28/10).
"It's a hot news item now," Jackie says, "but I wrote the first draft of my novel over ten years ago, after learning of a friend's trip to Russia to adopt two children. I saw the adjustment struggles these kids were having right from the start."
But Jackie also saw glimmers of hope after traveling to St. Petersburg. "Russia has many problems but also a powerful mythology, one I've allowed my 16-year-old protagonist to personify. I hope every struggling Russian child, and his or her adoptive family, can identify with Darya's situation and have a conversation about it."
Jackie's soon-to-be-released novel, For the Love of Strangers (Fall, 2010), mirrors the attachment and behavioral issues faced by adoptive families, and now splashed across news headlines: "Shipping an Adopted Son Back to Russia" (New York Times 4/9/10) and "Why Won't Anyone Adopt These Kids?" (CNN, 4/28/10).
"It's a hot news item now," Jackie says, "but I wrote the first draft of my novel over ten years ago, after learning of a friend's trip to Russia to adopt two children. I saw the adjustment struggles these kids were having right from the start."
But Jackie also saw glimmers of hope after traveling to St. Petersburg. "Russia has many problems but also a powerful mythology, one I've allowed my 16-year-old protagonist to personify. I hope every struggling Russian child, and his or her adoptive family, can identify with Darya's situation and have a conversation about it."
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