Echoed in My Bones deals with interracial adoption. I chose to read it as I adopted a biracial child years ago and am interested in the topic. I also read the National Geographic “Black and White” issue (April 2018) with a photograph of twins, one black and one white, on the cover. This book tells of a similar pair of twins. The twins of the novel are separated at birth from their mother—and from each other. Though growing up in neighboring New Jersey towns, they have lives that diverge radically. One is adopted; the other begins foster family hell. This carefully crafted book explores issues of race and privilege. Though Ms. Sturm writes with expertise gained during her years as a family therapist, she understands the weaknesses and the strengths of the foster care system. She never allows her characters to become case studies, though. Rather she writes fully-formed characters with flaws and ambitions, giving the reader multiple points-of-view from which to engage the novel.
By tracing the lives of these twins, Sturm proves that one’s destiny is determined by the color of one’s skin and shows just how entrenched white privilege is. Yet her characters move beyond the expected as broken family bonds reform. This should be required reading.
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