In Search of Mom: Journey of an
Adoptee by Michael
C. Watson Jerry
Hicks. Los Angeles Times. Includes gripping dialogue! Dorothy
Jean. Writer. Watson's middle initial should be
"P"... for patience and
perseverance. Jan
Norman. Orange County Register. Michael Watson tells of his journey in
colorful detail in the grayness of
uncertainty that only other adoptees can
appreciate. Book
Description Michael Watson had two moms. One was his
adoptive mother who raised him from
birth. The other was his birthmother whom
only existed as an obscure portrait in
his consciousness. From the tender age of
seventeen, Watson embarked on a quest to
connect the missing link to his past.
Without fear of failure, Watson struggled
to defeat every obstacle in his path.
Twenty years later Watson found the
truth- his biological family was told he
had been stillborn!
Currently the
president of Gallery of Diamonds jewelers
in California, Watson shares his poignant
adventure that launched the largest
Mother's Day writing contest in the
nation, called Why Mom Deserves a
Diamond, in which over 100,000 kids have
composed words of love for their own
moms.
In Search of
Mom continues to be an unparalleled
chronicle of human spirit and has become
a timeless testament for every adoptee,
birthparent and adoptive parent. About the
Author Never knowing his natural parents,
Michael Watson was adopted when he was
three days old. He spent most of his life
in New Albany, Indiana, and graduated
with a business degree from Indiana
University. Intrigued with the beauty of
precious diamonds, Watson spent the next
ten years working for an
Indianapolis-based jewelry chain. He
relocated to Costa Mesa, California, and
founded Gallery of Diamonds Jewelers in
1991. Watson is a Gemological Institute
of America-trained gemologist and a
member of the American Adoption Congress.
Watson is
nationally known as the creator of the
legendary Why Mom Deserves a Diamond
contest. Since 1993, over 100,000 kids
have been inspired to compose words of
love for their mothers. Excerpted
from In Search of Mom: Journey of an
Adoptee by Michael C. Watson.
Copyright © 1998. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved. I felt the heaviness of the receiver in
my hand as I placed it against my ear.
Although my grandfather was dead, my
grandmother could still be living there.
I dialed information.
"Operator.
City, please?" echoed a faint but
hurried female voice.
"Uh,
Coatesville. Do you have a listing for
Stewart, Otis Stewart in
Coatesville?" I was completely
prepared for the response, 'Sorry, sir,
no listing.' I was stunned, however, by
the actual reply that resounded into my
ear.
"Hold
for the number, please," and then a
computer artificially blared a series of
numerals. "The number
is...7-6-4-0-8-5-2."
I grabbed a
pen from a far corner on my desk.
"Repeat...
7-6-4-0-8-5-2." The audio-digitized
numerals bellowed evenly spaced and
without gender. I managed to scrawl the
numbers onto a piece of paper and then
replaced the receiver numbly. I stared at
my hardly legible characters. Somebody
must still live there! My grandmother? My
birthmother?
Magnificent! ,
February 6, 1999
Reviewer:
An Amazon.com Customer
In Search of Mom is a fantastic
book for anyone who has wondered what it
feels like to be adopted. Because of
Watsons unique way of involving the
reader, I went through half the book the
first evening. I have already ordered 5
copies for my friends. I highly recommend
this book.
1 of 1
people found the following review
helpful:
A Celebration of
Resiliency! , December 9, 1998
Michael Watson's story of his search
for his birth family is a celebration of
resiliency, drawing in the reader as he
struggles to reconnect with his birth
mother and a family that had been told he
died at birth. The heartening outcome of
his personal journey is the establishment
of his "Why Mom Deserves a
Diamond" essay contest, to which
over 25,000 students have submitted
essays.
adoption
.
Magnificent!,
February 6, 1999 