Summer Book 13

Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye by Lois Lowry

I have been to four or five Target stores lately, and this book has been on the shelf of EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Because of this, I thought Ms. Lowry had a NEW book out. I read the blurb on the back, and it sounded good, so I bought it. It wasn't until I started the book that I found out that it was published in 1978. Forty freaking years ago, but being presented as something new. Ok, I can give this a shot; there are some things that transcend time, and I thought this might be one of those things. Having finished the book, I am on the fence on that assessment.

This book is about a young woman who is adopted and has decided that she would like very much to find her birth family. This is admirable, and something I would encourage, I think. That said, finding one's biological family in 1978 is very different than it is in 2018. Nowadays, if you have a name, you can plug it into Ancestry.com and get information. If not, you can request their DNA kit or one from 23and Me, swab your cheek, send it in and wait for results (Disclaimer: I am not 100% sure that's how it works, as my only frame of reference is TLC's Who Do You Think You Are?).  In 1978, you had to hope that someone somewhere knew something.

And that's how it was for Natalie, the main character of this book. She has to put in the work. Luckily for her, she has the name of the lawyer who handled the adoption, as well as the name of the doctor who delivered her. She knows the town where she was born. Still, it's not a lot to go on. Natalie chases every lead she can until she comes up with the answers she is looking for.

Which leads me to why I am on the fence as to relevance. I plan to put this book in my classroom library. Will students be interested because the technology that they know of isn't there? Will they like it anyway and view it as a process, almost like a detective finding clues and seeing where they led? I enjoyed the book for the clue aspect, but then, I am in my forties so I will see things differently than they will. Time will tell, I suppose.