Mama: A True Story in which a Baby Hippo Loses His Mama During a Tsunami, but Finds a New Home, and a New Mama

Jeanette Winter;  Harcourt Books, Inc. 2006

Jeanette Winter’s book uses simple, color-drenched paintings and only two words to tell a story about the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia. With compelling illustrations and only the words “Mama” and “Baby” Winter invites readers into the experience of a young hippo separated from his mother by a raging tsunami, and his subsequent connection with a 130-year old male giant tortoise named Mzee. Mama tugs at reader’s emotions while evoking questions about family, loss and possibility. The book is targeted to ages four through eight, but with its minimalist style, Mama appeals to children and adults alike.

While Mama wasn’t written explicitly as an exploration of adoption, Winter’s tale depicts Owen’s loss of his first mother and his adoption—of and by—Mzee. With its sparse language and straightforward plotline, the book offers a beautiful stage for conversations about adoption. Because “Mama” and “Baby” are the only words repeated throughout the book, readers are encouraged to flesh out the tangible and emotional details of Owen’s journey themselves. This allows readers of all ages and developmental stages to engage with the story in different ways, either alone or in conversation.

Through the lens of adoption, Mama is a compelling story. Readers glimpse a full-circle telling of Owen’s journey that honors his early life with his mother as they eat, play, snuggle to sleep, and swim together. Owen and his mother are clearly connected, loving, and devoted to one another.  When the tsunami hits, they look for each other and call out to find their way together, distraught by the danger and their potential separation. Tears cover Owen’s face as he searches for his mama and is rescued by Kenyan wildlife officials. Owen continues to seek his mama, and a mama, as he acclimates to his new environment. When he sees Mzee, Owen’s face breaks into a grin and he exclaims: “MAMA!!!” Clearly, this ancient and enormous tortoise is not his beloved hippo mama, but Owen feels a connection and a pull towards Mzee that allows him reach out joyfully. Mzee reaches back, swimming and eating with Owen, cuddling with him under the stars, and calling him “baby.” On the last page of the book, as Mzee and Owen sleep curled together, Owen’s hippo mama appears above and around the sleeping pair, watching over them.

Mama isn’t a universal or definitive depiction of adoption, but it succeeds at validating important elements. Owen’s hippo mama is present throughout the story—she doesn’t disappear from Owen’s memory or dissolve when Owen connects with Mzee. Owen’s early life with his hippo mama is portrayed tenderly, and at the end of the book, her presence is strong and comforting. Winter also depicts the sadness and loss felt by Owen and his hippo mama, and doesn’t gloss over the tragedy that caused their separation. Finally, Owen and Mzee are infinitely different from each other, but they still bond and attach as family. Winter’s gorgeous illustrations and compelling story set the stage for important conversation about first parents, grief and loss in adoption and transracial or cross-cultural parenting. Mama is a beautiful and tender story, evoking emotion and inviting dialogue.

-Kelly Jeske

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade

Ann Fessler; Penguin Books; 2007

Ann Fessler’s book brings to light the stories of over a hundred women who surrendered their children for adoption during the American postwar period of the 1950’s and 1960’s. In a time when sex education was nearly non-existent, abortion was uncommon and illegal, and the stigmas of being an unwed mother or a child born out of wedlock were socially devastating, these young women were categorically given no choice about their pregnancies. They were sent to homes for unwed mothers, where they were to remain during their pregnancy, give birth and then give up their baby to be adopted by a family with two parents. After relinquishing their babies, these young mothers were told to move on with their lives, that it would be the best thing for them and their babies if they never looked back.

In an interview on Salon.com, Fessler explores several myths about what type of girls got pregnant and gave their babies up for adoption during this time. One myth was that the women chose to put their children up for adoption. Fessler explains that, “the implication is that the women considered all their options — that they had options — and made a decision. When, in fact, most of the women I interviewed felt they didn’t really make the decision at all”. In the words of Joyce, one mother Fessler interviewed, “Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to keep [my] baby, or explained the options. I went to a maternity home, I was going to have the baby, they were going to take it, and I was going to go home. I was not allowed to keep the baby. I would have been disowned.”

Fessler, who was adopted herself, discusses her own search for and reunion with her mother within the book. It hadn’t really occurred to Fessler to search for her own mother until she was approached by a woman who believed her to be the child she had relinquished as a teenager. The book is separated into sections including Going Away, Birth and Surrender, The Aftermath, and Search and Reunion. Within each section, Fessler gives voice to the women she interviewed, sharing detailed accounts of their experiences of loss, grief, shame, emptiness, and rage. Several women who were interviewed for Fessler’s book had never before told anyone about having relinquished their child, and described incredible relief at no longer keeping their secret.

As a parent through open adoption, I found it incredibly painful to read Fessler’s book, but it also felt like a book I needed to read. It feels necessary to bear witness to these women’s stories and these moments in history – as a woman, as a feminist, as an adoptive parent, and as a therapist committed to working for reproductive justice.

I have recommended this book to several friends and family members, both for the historical snapshot of a bygone era and as explanation for my commitment to openness, honesty and transparency surrounding the adoption of our daughter.

-Meg Jeske, M.A.