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Thanks for the great feedback for THE PEOPLE THEY BROUGHT ME ~ Penny

a Review by Karen Vedder

past president of Concerned United Birthparents - from the spring issue of CUB Communicator

"Once you have the opportunity to listen to Penny Callan Partridge speak at a conference, or a CUB retreat, you are completely drawn to her and want to become her friend. Discovering and reading her books make that desire even stronger.

The PEOPLE They Brought Me is a book of poems, and so much more. Penny, herself, begins this book by writing, “I write a poem to put words to an experience. Then I can dive back in, swim around, maybe get a witness. Sometimes there is even more magic. My words will really sing to someone else, and that person will come walking into my life.”

And that is exactly what this book explores, how people walk into Penny’s life after reading her poetry or hearing her recite them. The poems are magical works of art, and the stories that accompany are fascinating.

Some lines that especially stood out for me:

from “What I’m Proud Of”…

that I got out from under the shame
of being a bastard

got out from under my fear of my
parents feeling abandoned

from “Oregon”…

imagine not knowing
imagine not knowing
how to say the name
of the woman you were born to

from “Are We Orphans?”…

 

every time we want to know of our first parents
and a law says we can’t even know their names

that law is wiping out our first parents
taking them away from us

making us orphans
all     over     again.

When attending an AAC conference, and again at a recent CUB retreat, I was honored to be chosen by Penny to represent her birthmother in a delightful presentation of her “family.” She chose people in the audience to stand with her, holding large pictures of all the parents in her life. She then spoke about how important each of these people have been in the making of who she is today. A valuable lesson for us all."

More Reviews

"a rich buffet of poems and stories that are thought provoking, funny, and poignant.... left me wanting more...."
- Eileen McCabe, President
American Adoption Congress

"Once again, in her new book, Penny captures what so many of us are feeling or thinking or should; she gives
us insights and inspiration and just plain good reading...."
- Adam Pertman
Adoption Nation

"I LOVE LOVE LOVE your new book. It is like having a friend who truly understands me by my bed each
night.... (Plus it's) beautifully produced, beautifully written."
- Alison Larkin, best selling author of
The English American

"I could not put this book down. I was spell bound."
- Joe Soll
Adoption Healing - a pathway to recovery

"If you have never read poetry, Penny Partridge's new book is a great place to start....I especially loved
Adoption Research, with its tone of impatience and irritation. Pandora in Later Life examines how the opening
of the famous box does not destroy Pandora but gives her a future."
- Monica Byrne
Parent Finders, Canada

"Your style is so fresh that (your poems) come alive each time. I especially like the power of the metaphor
of translation that keeps resurfacing and the many cross-cultural images of sisterhood and community."
- Sidney Bremer, Professor Emeritus
University of Wisconsin

"I loved it, I loved it, I loved it, and I'm taking it to my group tonight to share.... This is really a wonderful contribution."
- Jude Gilford,
Tucson Adoption Reunion Support Group