"Of all human rights assaults on Native peoples in the United States, the stealing of Native children is perhaps the most heartbreaking. Adopted by a white couple, Sandy White Hawk grew up without cultural defenses against the onslaught of racism and erasure she experienced. Her eloquent, riveting book takes the reader on her journey back home and toward her life’s work: helping Native families to reconnect and, together, face down generations of trauma."
Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee), writer, curator, policy advocate, and recipient of a 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom
"In this profoundly moving memoir, Sandy White Hawk, Sicangu Lakota, speaks eloquently of her life as a young child adopted by a white family. It is an intensely personal story of resilience and perseverance in spite of trauma, racism, and painful truths. At the core of her healing is her tribe’s Welcome Home song and ceremony for adoptees. To all Native adoptees, this book is a must read. Welcome home."
Denise Lajimodiere (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa), author of Stringing Rosaries: The History, the Unforgivable, and the Healing of Northern Plains American Indian Boarding School Survivors
"Worthy of a novel—but true. A young child is transported to a strange place where she is challenged to overcome events no child should have to face. She lives in a world that doesn’t recognize or accept her, all the while being told that this is in her own best interest. This is a story about the triumph of the human spirit that finds love, acceptance, and purpose in restoring hope to others who were also lost.
William A. Thorne, Jr. (Pomo and Coast Miwok), retired tribal and state court judge
"Since the 1870s, first through boarding schools and then through forced adoptions, federal bureaucrats have permanently removed Native children from their families. Their goal was the erasure of Native people; the result was trauma and severely damaged families. Sandy White Hawk, who lived this adoption experience, has become a strong advocate for Native people and Native families. In this compelling and immensely readable story, her compassion and dignity shine through."
Anita Fineday (White Earth Tribal Nation), managing director, Indian Child Welfare Program, Casey Family Programs
“Sandy White Hawk is 'a child of the Indian race.' This is her powerful memoir of coming home to the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota as an 'Indian adoptee.' It is a story of much suffering and great courage, and it highlights the indelible importance of song, ceremony, culture, and landscape in the arduous journey towards truth, reconciliation, and healing. It is also a journey greatly facilitated by the vision and hard work of many Native mentors, families, and communities. Read this book. It will change you."
Frank Pommersheim, professor of law and associate justice, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Supreme Court
