Adoption Healing

I’ll admit: I approached *Adoption Healing* skeptical of yet another book framing adoption as either a fairy tale or a tragedy. But Joe Soll’s work is neither. It’s a *diagnosis*—one that names the specific, often invisible injuries adoptees carry, from the ‘primal wound’ of separation to the ‘adoptee fog’ that can distort self-perception for decades. What surprised me most was how Soll avoids vilifying adoptive parents (a rare feat in this genre) while still centering the adoptee’s pain. His argument that adoption is a form of *complex trauma*—not just a ‘hard start’—feels revolutionary, especially when paired with actionable tools like ‘adoption-attuned therapy.’ O’Connor’s narration elevates the material. She handles the technical sections (like the neuroscience of attachment disruption) with the precision of a seasoned lecturer, but her real strength is the emotional beats. When she voices adoptees describing their ‘paper pregnancy’ fantasies or the shame of feeling ‘chosen but not wanted,’ her delivery is so tender it borders on intrusive—you’ll catch yourself holding your breath. My only critique? The book’s structure occasionally meanders. Soll’s digressions into adoption industry ethics, while important, can disrupt the flow for listeners seeking personal healing over systemic analysis. And at times, the repetition of core concepts (e.g., the ‘adoptee’s split identity’) feels like overkill for an audiobook audience. Still, these are minor quibbles. For adoptees, this is a lifeline. For therapists, parents, or partners, it’s a required listen—provided you’re ready to sit with discomfort.