(18) Chosen with Purpose

I stole this photo from amazon

Title: Chosen with Purpose: A Story of Adoption and Identity by Mark Molzen
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
103 pages
Genre: Adoption

Synopsis: Born to a fourteen-year-old girl and an eighteen-year-old high school dropout, the odds of Mark Molzen being in prison, dying young or becoming a drug addict were far more likely than any other outcome. So how did he beat the odds — becoming a successful, highly regarded public relations professional for an $18 billion, Fortune 150 Company? It’s all because of the plan God had for him—a plan that started when his understanding of adoption radically changed. Mark Molzen’s debut explores the stigma surrounding adoption, delves into what the Bible says about this issue, and examines the inherent power of choosing to accept that adoption is part of God’s plan for our lives. Adopted into the “United Nations of Adoption,” a family consisting of two biological children as well as four adopted children of Native American, Asian American, and African American descent, Molzen’s life circumstances changed dramatically the day he was adopted. But his adoption isn’t really the story. This life-altering book will teach adopted children, young and old, and their parents that to change how they feel about adoption, they must first understand how God feels about adoption and then choose to accept what that means for their life.

Review: This is not my typical book and I'm not a religious person but I had to review this book for work.

Mark Molzen is a black man who was adopted at birth by a white family.  His family also adopted several other children of color in a time when that was rare.  Mark has a very positive and interesting perspective on adoption that was instilled in him by his parents.  Mark believes adoption is part of God's plan and once he accepted this and stopped worrying about what he didn't know about his past his life fell into place.  Through bible quotes and a glass half full outlook Mark explains his family's philosophy on adoption.

Mark has also done extensive research on adoption and includes many statistics on foster children, international adoption and the race of families adopting children of a different race.   He touches on how his family instilled in their children a sense of culture and how they dealt with racism (this was the late 70's), and also delved into the relatively new concept of openness in adoption.  While he doesn't seem to particularly agree with open adoption he does feel that it can sometimes be a good thing. There is an interview with his parents in the back of the book explaining their philosophy on adoption and why and how they chose to adopt outside of their race.  And while I'm not a religious person I found Mark's take on adoption interesting and thought provoking.