Book Review: The Search For Dixie Lee

Title: The Search for Dixie Lee by Sharolyn L. Sievert
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Pages: 116 pages
Format: Paperback
Genre: Adoption search

Synopsis: Sharon Bette Koepp had been raised by strict, religious parents. Arnold Koepp was an elder in the church; Mamie was the organist and choir director. Life revolved around not doing anything that would make the neighbors talk. Who was to know that during the Search for Dixie Lee, Sharon would find a family that had everyone talking? The Search for Dixie Lee is a true story; taken not from the front page headlines, but from scraps of paper, family stories, old letters, and of course, the court records. It could be the story of anyone, your own mother or father, perhaps even yourself.

(31) Review: Written for her mother Sharolyn Sievert researches the past to find her mothers birth family.  What she finds is a story of a birth mother trying to keep her family together, and a system that was more interested in taking it apart than helping them stay together.  Sharon (Dixie Lee) and her sister were placed in an orphanage by the court system stating that they were the youngest and therefore the most likely to find a new home.  Sharon's birth mother didn't want to lose her children but with 6 young children a missing husband and no money it was easier to give in than to fight.

Sharon's adoption wasn't ideal, her parents cared for her but were strict, religious and not very warm and loving.  When she was older, like most adoptee's Sharon searched for her past and in doing so uncovered some shady dealings within the courts, and a whole posse of siblings that she had longed for as she grew up an only child.

Sharing court documents and old family photos this book takes you on a journey that was Sharon's life. In the end she discovers her siblings and her family, most of who remember her and had lost hope of ever reconnecting.  While a little faith based and preachy in places for me it is an interesting story of searching for your roots and discovering family.  Unfortunately it doesn't paint a very nice picture of adoption but unfortunately there were many such stories as this from that era, luckily adoption has since changed.