Complicating and Questioning Adoption ‘Salvation’ Narratives

Have you heard the conventional narrative that parents who adopt are “saviors,” and kids who are adopted should feel unfettered gratitude? What impact does this narrative have when it comes to the complications many adoptees experience? In her recent conversation in the Atlantic with fellow adoptee Tony Hynes, writer Nicole Chung and Hynes dig into the nuances of trans-racial adoption, birth family connection and what it means to grow up hearing you were “saved.” They join us to rethink adoption narratives.