The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny shares Stephen Rowley’s search for his birth parents and his identity—but it’s more than a singular account of tracking down biological creators.
Within this journey lie encounters with other worlds that Rowley didn’t anticipate, from visiting Chicago and being shocked by its blatant racial segregation and poverty to his radical college years, which led to school administrator ideals that hit a hard wall when he was fired by a politically biased school board.
His motivations for embarking on many journeys of discovery within one lifetime reflected an underlying yearning for connection and understanding that stemmed from his identity as an adoptee and the psychology of unresolved and unknown past influences.
These facets set his memoir apart from most other adoptee discussions of their life purposes and encounters, injecting a note of growth and discovery into its insights about how and why adoptees feel the need to better define their roots and absorb truths about their birth influences.
The juxtaposition of a life story and a life purpose receives close inspection as Dr. Rowley narrates his experiences, his clashes with authority, and the evolution of his personal and career goals, which were always overlaid with the reality of his adoptive status.
Anyone who would better understand the incarnation and impact of adoption on children and adults needs to read The Lost Coin. As it moves through Rowley’s life, it also considers the lasting and bigger picture of personality development and life choices that can stem from questions of origin.
The resulting blend of autobiography and adoptee psychology needs to be made a part of any book club discussion or library strong in analyzing the wellsprings of personality, drive, ambition, and life purpose.
