Pushing Up the Sky by Terra Trevor
Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network; $25.95
 Buy this book
Pushing Up the Sky is a moving and unique memoir by an adoptive mother. Terra Trevor shares her family’s story, as it unfolds from the birth and adoptions of their children, more than 20 years ago, to the present day.
Trevor’s story is no fairy tale, but she writes courageously and honestly about each difficult aspect. When their biological daughter was six and their son, adopted from South Korea, was three, Trevor and her husband decided to adopt a second, older child from Korea. The 10-year-old they brought home had a difficult transition to life in a new family and country. Trevor shares her own struggle to understand and love this child during the adjustment period and, later, to remain committed to her through a turbulent adolescence.
Amid the ups and downs of this tale, Trevor tells the story of loving a son through a losing battle with cancer, and then finding her way through grief to a life that is once again satisfying and whole.
Written from the perspective of a woman who straddles a complex ethnic and racial heritage, the story is suffused with issues of race, culture, identity, loss, and gain. Trevor is part Native American, and she writes about her own exploration and incorporation of that heritage into her sense of self, while simultaneously figuring out how to weave her adopted children’s cultural heritage into their family. Pushing Up the Sky is about a real family facing real challenges, and it’s not a happily-ever-after story. It is a remarkable tribute to the power of family.
Reviewed by Jane Brown, an adoptive mother and social worker, who lives in Arizona. She is the creator of Adoption Playshops for Children and a member of the Adoptive Families editorial advisory board. Back To Book Reviews ©2013 Adoptive Families. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. |
