Midwest Book Review on We’re Not All the Same But We’re Family

Nancy Lorraine’s Bookshelf

 We’re All Not the Same But We’re Still Family
Theresa Fraser and Eric E. W. Fraser, authors
www.LHPress.com
9781615994786, $15.95 PB, $4.95 Kindle, Ages 4-8
9781615994793, $26.95, HC, 42pp, www.amazon.com

We’re Not All the Same, But We’re Family

We’re Not the Same But We’re Still Family: An Adoption and Birth Family Story” is a compassionate book for adoptive kids and families that embraces the concept of exploring a sense of family that is inclusive of both adoptive and birth parents and relatives.

Deshaun is a 13 year old adopted boy who was curious about his birth father. He had some memories of his birth mother, but they were not all positive. He asked his parents if they would help him seek information about his birth father. The search was successful and Deshaun was able to communicate with his birth father using Skype. Eventually Deshuan was taken by his adoptive parents on a long trip so he could meet his father and more members of his birth family.
This openness to an expanded sense of family led to added security and expanded love between Deshuan and his biological family as well as his adoptive family. Some questions that are suggested for exploration by other adoptive families include the following: Discuss feelings about adoption. Imagine what openness might mean for both the child and the family.
Acknowledge similarities and differences among family members. Discuss if an expanded sense of family is possible for their circumstances. “We’re All Not the Same, But We’re Still Family: is a positive, exploratory book that helps children and families confront some of the issues included in adoption. Illustrations of mixed race parents and families add to the richness of the adoptive child/family’s exploration of the child’s birth family and history.
“We’re All Not the Same But We’re Still Family” is recommended for children age 5-6 years and up.
Senior Reviewer

I Miss the Rain in Africa [PB]

978-1-61599-574-5
$21.95
Peace Corps as a Third Act
In stock
1
Product Details
UPC: 978-1-61599-574-5
Brand: Modern History Press
Binding: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Author: Nancy Wesson
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 06/01/2021

At a time when her friends were planning cushy retirements, Nancy Wesson instead walked away from a comfortable life and business to head out as a Peace Corps Volunteer in post-war Northern Uganda. She embraced wholeheartedly the grand adventure of living in a radically different culture, while turning old skills into wisdom. Returning home becomes a surreal experience in trying to reconcile a life that no longer "fits." This becomes the catalyst for new revelations about family wounds, mystical experiences, and personal foibles.

Nancy shows us the power of stepping into the void to reconfigure life and enter the wilderness of the uncharted territory of our own memories and psyche, to mine the gems hidden therein. Funny, heartbreaking, insightful and tender, I Miss the Rain in Africa is the story of honoring the self, discovering a new lens through which to view life, and finding joy along the path.

"Inspiring and educational when it comes to what we can accomplish when we put our best foot forward, I Miss the Rain in Africa shows how Nancy Daniel Wesson and others are putting the needs of others ahead of themselves-and what we can all do when it comes to stepping out on faith and choosing to act." -- Cyrus Webb, media personality and author, Conversations Magazine

"I would think that many of us could learn or strive to live life to the fullest by following Nancy's example. Imagine venturing into new realms-especially at a later time in life when we possess meaningful knowledge for analyzing, but also for applying a critical philosophical perspective on new experiences." Gary Vizzo, former management & operations director, Peace Corps Community Development: African and Asia

"I Miss the Rain in Africa is an absorbing record of the exploration of self by a woman who, at age 64, enters a remote area of Africa to work with an NGO. Part adventure, part interior monologue, this is an account of a 21st century derring-do by an intrepid, intriguing and always optimistic woman who will, undoubtedly, enjoy a fourth and maybe even a fifth act wherever she may find herself." --Eileen Purcell, outreach literacy coordinator, Clatsop Community College, Astoria, Oregon

"Wesson offers a montage of stories and experiences that introduces the reader to the colorful people and challenging life in Uganda. Wesson's observations are shared with humor, respect, and compassion. For anyone who has ever won-dered what serving in Peace Corps or immersing oneself in a radically different life overseas might be like, this book provides a portal." --Kathleen Willis, Retired Peace Corps Volunteer-Community Organizer, former organizational development consultant

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