This week’s reading will touch on how author Lisa Ko became inspired to write a novel detailing the all too common narrative of immigrant children becoming separated from their parents and forced into adoption. Ko writes a fictional story about a woman named Polly who immigrated to the U.S. from China and became separated from her son, Deming. To understand the true weight of this novel, I have focused my research on how exactly forced adoption can impact a child.
As previously mentioned, Polly immigrated from China, and due to the states’ previous implementation of the “One Child Policy,” scholars argue that this population was more likely to be subject to forced adoptions. (Johnson, 1998) These forced adoptions, especially in the case of immigration, can have detrimental, long-lasting effects. Research shows that children who witness a parent become detained or deported are at a much higher risk of developing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or severe psychological distress. (American Immigration Council, 2020) There has also been evidence to show that these effects often follow into adulthood and unfortunately are likely to compound into other issues. For example, adopted immigrant children are more likely to face economic troubles and end up in the welfare system. (American Immigration Council, 2020)
This evidence shows that Ko’s belief that immigrant children aren’t always better off with adoptive parents (there are of course exceptions) holds merit. As researchers explain, foster parents/adoptive parents often don’t understand the cultural differences that can exist and how important it is to be accommodating to these cultural differences. Additionally, children in these situations can lash out from the trauma which only complicates their situation more. To conclude, I believe Ko will draw attention to the previously listed adversities that many children and parents have faced in our system. As Chinese immigrant children can be disproportionately affected by these circumstances, I felt it necessary to highlight the research that is prevalent in Ko’s novel. Her narrative will exemplify how challenging it can be to grow up in this system, and how it will impact Deming who is faced with the difficult task of trying to find his mother after many years of being separated.
Citations
Johnson, K., Banghan, H., & Liyao, W. (1998). Infant Abandonment and Adoption in China. Population and Development Review, 24(3), 469-510. doi:10.2307/2808152
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2808152?seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents
Huang, P. (2018, November 20). What Are the Long-Term Effects of Separating Immigrant Children from Their Parents? Retrieved October 06, 2020, from https://injury.research.chop.edu/blog/posts/what-are-long-term-effects-separating-immigrant-children-their-parents
U.S. Citizen Children Impacted by Immigration Enforcement. (2020, April 01). Retrieved October 06, 2020, from https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/us-citizen-children-impacted-immigration-enforcement?gclid=CjwKCAjwiOv7BRBREiwAXHbv3Krox1pqtU7RjyjRrMZWq2A6gGfcbSViFGgN0ZwQ2k8UtlMw79F2yxoCT7YQAvD_BwE
Mia, I like your analysis of Lisa Ko and the idea of forced adoptions. It provides a good insight to help people understand why/ how forced adoptions happen as well as why someone would want to write a story in order to spread awareness about it. Good presentation!
Hello, I think your research topic is very meaningful. It fits the subject of this article very well. This article tells the story about immigration. Many people think that living with immigrant children and adoptive parents is also very good, and it can also bring them family warmth. But what many people fail to notice is that cultural differences can cause many problems, which can lead to changes in the hearts of children. I never thought that there is such a background behind this article, and even cited the research report of the American Immigration Commission. This is a great article.
Hello Mia!
I really enjoyed your presentation and analysis of how adoption can affect a child. I have seen this first hand as one of my high school best friends was adopted and noticed some of these signs periodically. I did not realize that the one child policy would force more children into adoption at first, but now thinking about it, it makes sense. Overall great job and I think this information is important to think about in context with this novel.
Hi Mia,
Your presentation was very well thought out and addressed the experiential aspects of immigrants identities, often reflecting underlying issues of race and class beyond the black-white Manichean binary. Emphasizing the social climate and cultural context surrounding immigration and subsequent assimilation is extremely important as it also highlights the white “savior” complex associated with the adoption of multi-cultural children.
Hi mia,
Great presentation, The culture differences is a big factor in their lives, therefore the bond of adopting a child is going to be difficult because in order for them to trust you, you must show them you care about them. In order to do that you must learned their culture.