|
BECOMING PATRICK A Memoir |
| “Patrick
McMahon is a brave pioneer in the quest for understanding and wholeness
around his adoption. With grace, courage and utter humility, he walks
that fine line between his adoptive family and his birth family. His
story is important to read and to contemplate. And his writing strikes
me as both relatable and poignant. Read his work!” --Jennifer Lauck, author of the New York Times bestseller Blackbird and its sequel Found |
"Among
its many charms and complexities, Becoming Patrick is a book about
the author’s hiding and revealing himself in ways that feel both
natural and fated. We watch McMahon unwind the film of his "other" family’s
past, where, inserting himself into its Patrick-less tableaux, he discovers
as much love and wonder as he does turmoil and despair. Any adoptee
in search of his or her original parents will, after closing this book,
realize that such a mission into a shadow past offers equal doses of
self-doubt and self-determination. Were I on such a mission, I would
have McMahon’s memoir as my guide." --Tom Larson, author of The Memoir and The Memoirist |
| "Patrick
McMahon’s memoir is charming, thoughtful
and a joy to read. I recommend it to people inside and outside the adoption
community because it offers serious insights into our world (and into
ourselves), even as it takes us on a genuinely fun literary ride." --Adam Pertman, Executive Director, Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, author of Adoption Nation |
“Patrick
McMahon has written a memoir that is deeply honest. Your heart aches
for the
man who discovers the most profound lie that
can be told about a baby given up for adoption. Yet here is a heart
that continues the search, a spirit that believes in the truth, and
a writer
who is willing to go where the story takes him. This is a courageous
book and ultimately, an uplifting one.” |
| "When someone invites you into their life, always
realize that it is an honor and a gift. Patrick's tour of his life
as an adopted person is so well written and so beautifully told that
my gift to him must be making sure that others know about Becoming Patrick,
and encouraging them to listen attentively as he takes them through his
journey. I can't recommend this book any more vehemently. There
is so much you will feel and see and learn about the ingredients and
the quest that went into Becoming Patrick!" --Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, CEO and Founder, Center For Family Connections, Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School |
"I
have heard Patrick read excerpts from this book over the years and
there were times when
I feared that I may not live long enough to see
it completed. I’m delighted to find that I have. I thoroughly enjoyed
Patrick’s use of language, which at times is stunningly beautiful.
This delicately and poignantly expressed tale of how his life has been
irrevocably enriched by acknowledging the contributions of both nature
and nurture to the man he has become makes compelling reading. Becoming
Patrick is deep, touching, honest, meaningful and educational in the
very broadest sense of the word. It will enrich all who read it." --Evelyn Robinson, author, counsellor & educator |
| "It's
brilliant. Rarely do I read a reunion story anymore where I feel like
- hey, this is new, these are different insights, this
sheds a spotlight on parts of the adoption experience in a different
way." --Jean Strauss, filmmaker, author of Beneath A Tall Tree and Birthright: the Guide to Search and Reunion |
“In Becoming Patrick, Patrick McMahon takes us on a rich and
detailed journey of searching for his birth mother. We follow revelations
about not just who his biological family is, but who Patrick is. McMahon’s
writing weaves his tale with tenderness and honesty, and never wavers
nor is afraid to present the surprises he encounters along the way. With
lyrical prose, he unravels his true story of discovering much more than
he expected. It’s a love story of mother and son and self.” --Amy Wallen, bestselling author of Moon Pies and Movie Stars |
| “With
courage, humor, and thoughtfulness, Patrick McMahon navigates the complicated
emotional landscape of an adoptee searching
and experiencing reunion. In vividly rendered scenes that thrust the
reader into the physical and emotional moment, he conveys all those specific,
yet universal, pulls between loyalty and curiosity, shame and pride,
private and public. Patrick's added layer, of being a gay man, only enriches
his grappling about identity -- the sensation of playing a role, the
desire for acceptance, the striving, ultimately, to understand one's
true self and live openly, honestly, and completely.” --Sarah Saffian, author of Ithaka: A Daughter's Memoir of Being Found |
“Becoming Patrick is a smartly crafted memoir that paints an
unabashed and uncompromising picture of what it is to confront the anxiety,
apprehension and (hopefully) relief an adoptee must weather while balancing
two families – two loving mothers. What Patrick McMahon discovers
and confronts on his way to ‘becoming Patrick’ may jar the
emotions but will ultimately reward the heart. The alternate theme of ‘coming
out to his original family as a gay man,’ although not profoundly
central to the memoir, is woven throughout its fabric and texture with
insight, humor, and grace.” --Roger Aplon, poet and author of Barcelona Diary and The Man With His Back To The Room |
| "Becoming
Patrick is a compelling memoir in its ability to reveal and also offer
the courage it takes to search into the depths
of one's soul to understand the impact of being adopted. As we follow
Patrick's journey, we see how his search impacts every level of his being,
and we are able to examine our own selves at a deeper level. We also
learn the rewards of risking honest communication. Highly recommend for
all sides of the Triad." --Carol Schaefer, Author, The Other Mother: A Woman's Love for the Child She Gave Up for Adoption and Grandmothers Counsel the World |
“A fascinating and compelling depiction of the life of an adopted
person. Vividly, and with a great eye for detail, Patrick McMahon
recounts how his adoption has helped to shape the man he's become. Of
great interest to anyone who’s been touched by adoption -- or knows
someone who has.” --Barbara Bisantz Raymond, author of The Baby Thief:The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption |
| “Patrick
captures the bittersweet aspects of adoption, search and reunion. His
honesty and humor and an ability to choose just
the right word to describe an emotion or situation makes him a very effective
teacher as he addresses very complex issues. It is so refreshing to hear
the voice of such a talented male adoptee.” --Sharon Roszia, MS, Kinship Center Education Institute |
“Powerfully honest and touching, Patrick tells it like it is,
admitting to the roller coaster of emotions when meeting his first family. I
found his book refreshingly open and honest. Not many memoirs have been
written by a male adopted person, especially not one that offers so much
clarity into the feelings surrounding this path. Congratulations for
Becoming Patrick.” --Zara Phillips, singer/songwriter, filmmaker, author of Mother Me |
| “Patrick's
engaging style of writing invites you to travel alongside him as he
searches for his birth family and finds
what he needs along the way.” --Marlou Russell, PhD, Psychologist and author of Adoption Wisdom |
“The search for family is the search for self, and Patrick at
the end is the completed version of the Pat we meet at the beginning
of this story. Patrick gives us an intimate and insightful look
into his heart and soul on his journey to find family and determine
who he truly is.” --Eileen McQuade, past President, American Adoption Congress |
|
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$15.00 |
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