Be the Change Network

World Pulse Magazine Spring 2007 Voyages

Bones That Float: A Story of Adopting Cambodia

Kari Grady Grossman | Wild Heaven Press, 2007 | Cambodia

Thorough, eloquent and emotionally raw, this superb adoption tale—named for a Cambodian phrase referring to the sacred that rises above the suffering—delivers much more than the expected spiritual journey. Ms. Grossman deftly interweaves her own story with Cambodia’s gruesome history of war and genocide, and stories of two Cambodians—one who escaped the Khmer Rouge and one who did not. With great sensitivity, she grabs at the heartstring, exploring the volatile internal and external factors that inform her multidimensional circumstance and exposing a line of brutality that extends from the Khmer Rouge to the streets of Phnom Penh where preteen girls are purchased. No bystander to injustice, Ms. Grossman continues her efforts on behalf of the people introduced in the story.

Visit her online to find out more about her ongoing work. — Maria Jett

Christine has fun blog to read called Mommy Matters.

Here’s her Bones That Float, part 2

Sitting on the shore of Fiddler’s Lake in the sweltering heat with the blue dragon flies flitting about seemed like an appropriate place to read Kari’s book. As my family fished on the opposite side, I sat reading about the forests of Cambodia, a world away from my little reality. I could almost imagine myself sitting in those forests, instead of these, while I read about one mother’s journey to find another, and her life changing experiences. I read about the life of a Cambodian man, Sovann, who literally struggled for everything that he had, dreaming of his chance at the American dream. Sovann is still dreaming, hoping that one day he will get the opportunity to come to the US and start a new life. And I read about a little girl who lived an unthinkable childhood, and finally got her chance.

Read the rest, click here

Mrs. Broccoli Guy continues the Bones That Float Blog Book Tour with a little discussion group:

This is not a “Book Discussion so much as it’s a “Discussion Inspired by the Book… in other words, you don’t need to have even heard of this book to join the discussion!! I just want to know your thoughts on these two questions:

Does a parent’s love make up for the loss of everything else?
Can you love the people your child was born to?

Click Here to follow and participate in the discussion, it’s fascinating.

Bones That Float: A Story of Adopting Cambodia, by Kari Grady Grossman is a complex and compelling true story of three lives and the deep connection to Cambodia that they all share. It would be a mistake to lable this an “adoption story” and relegate it to the bookshelves of only those who have adopted from Cambodia. In truth there is much more here…

June 16, 2007

More Q & A With Kari Grady Grossman, Author of “Bones that Float: A Story of Adopting Cambodia”

Today I conclude my two-part interview with Kari Grady Grossman, author of Bones That Float, A Story of Adopting Cambodia.

Laura Christianson: What was the most important thing you learned about yourself during the process of writing Bones that Float? Read the interview…