Friday, February 24, 2012

Kay Bratt- Guest post and Chasing China Review



I thank you once again for stopping by! I love having visitors. My guest today is author Kay Bratt.  So, I'll go ahead and turn the floor over to Kay, and then we'll get to the Chasing China review aferwards.

Kay? You're on! 

Many parents and grandparents in this mountainous region of terraced rice and sweet potato fields have long known to grab their babies and find the nearest hiding place whenever family planning officials show up. Too many infants, they say, have been snatched by officials, never to be seen again.” New York Times, Asia Pacific

When I read those words, I felt a sudden streak of anger that the Chinese people once again have been trodden on by their government. This story was only one of many about what they now call the Hunan scandal—one that caused ripples of fear throughout households of adoptive children all over the world.     
I have been an advocate for China’s children since 2003 and this latest discovery really put me ill at ease. I began to wonder how a parent goes on with life knowing that their child was unfairly snatched from them. Would they challenge the government and try to get them back, or cower in fear of the well-known punishments interference with the blue suits can garner them?

Those thoughts soon led me to wonder what it would be like to be adopted at an early age and know next to nothing about your birth parents. I have had close interaction with the adoption community for years and while many children are well adjusted and happy, there are some who as they grow older long to know—just know. That is not to say they are not happy or that they don’t love their families, they just want to find the truth.

In the months since the Hunan story broke, there have been adoptive parents who have gone in search of evidence of their child’s finding details. Where were they found? Who found them? Is there an indication of a birth family that may be searching? Can they establish that their child was truly abandoned?

Proof is what they seek, for no true adoptive parent sets out to become entangled in anything unsavory when it comes to building their family. While it is now becoming evident that the Hunan scandal is not the norm for children who arrive at the orphanage, there are still parents and children out there who will never truly rest until they have found the truth of their story.

Mia, the fictional character in Chasing China, is one of those girls. Adopted from China at the age of four, she grows up in a healthy and loving environment. That love however, does not change the internal yearning she feels to know how her story began. When she becomes of age, she sets out to find the truth.

As Mia’s story unfolds, the reader will follow her through the trials and adventures of becoming familiar with a land she was born in but does not know. The reader will also see the story from the POV of a family who only remembered one day they had a beautiful little girl, and then the next she was gone. Their refusal to give up hope that they would meet her again one day, and Mia’s tenacity to uncover the truth, may or may not bring them together to find the answers they both seek.



Wow, Kay. That's just....haunting. What an informative and eye opening post.



And now, the Chasing China review.



BLURB:  Mia is beautiful, talented and has the world at her fingertips. But what makes her different than the average college student who juggles a heavy workload and a rat of a boyfriend? Many years ago she was born to an unknown family in China but soon discarded to fend for herself in a busy train station.  Fate stepped in when Mia was taken to the local orphanage and adopted at the age of four by her American family. Life has been good for her, or at least as much as she has allowed it to be while pushing her deep feelings of abandonment to the back of her mind. Finally she has decided that in order to move forward, she must confront her past. Mia takes a journey to the mysterious land of her birth and embarks on a mission to find answers. As she follows the invisible red thread back through her motherland, she is enamored by the history and culture of her heritage--strengthening her resolve to get to the truth, even as Chinese officials struggle to keep it buried. With her unwavering spirit of determination, Mia battles the forces stacked against her and faces mystery, danger, a dash of romance, and finally a conclusion that will change her life.


My thoughts:


Chasing China is an emotional story of self discovery. Mia is adopted, and though she's very loved and has been taken care of, it's only natural for her to want to find out who she is and where she's from. That journey leads her to things she's never known.  Chasing China is a beautifully written story that will chill you to the bone. I dare you to not find yourself emotionally involved with every aspect of this story. Once I finished the book, I sat and thought long and hard. THat's what this story does. It makes you think. It makes you look at your life and reevaluate things. Kay Bratt has created a realistic fictional story that stays in your mind for a very long time.




Website: http://kaybratt.com/

To buy Chasing China at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-China-Daughters-Quest-ebook/dp/product-description/B00632ITY8/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&n=133140011&s=digital-text

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kay-Bratt/112957968144

Twitter: twitter.com/kaybratt


BIO:
Kay Bratt is a child advocate and author, residing near the base of Wacau Mountain, in the rolling hills of Georgia with her husband, daughter, dog, and cat. In addition to coordinating small projects for the children of China, Kay is an active volunteer for An Orphans Wish (AOW). Kay lived in China for over four years and because of her experiences working with orphans, she strives to be the voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. Kay kicked off her career as an author with her best selling memoir titled Silent Tears; A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage. Since that time she has been writing material to entertain readers while raising awareness of world issues. Kay is the author of The Bridge, Mei Li and The Wise Laoshi, and an upcoming novel titled A Thread Unbroken.

Thanks for visiting today! 




2 comments:

  1. What a wonderful review and guest post!

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  2. Thank you so much for having me at your site, Nikki. I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated that the Storm Goddess was going to review my book. Whew! So glad that's over. *big smile*

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