The Broken Cord

When Michael Dorris, 26, single, working on his doctorate, and part Indian himself, applied to adopt an Indian child, his request was speedily granted. He knew that his new three-year-old son, Adam, was badly developmentally disabled; but he believed in the power of nurture and love. This is the heartrending story, full of compassion and rage, of how his son grew up mentally retarded, a victim of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome whom no amount of love could make whole. The volume includes a short account of his own life by the 20-year-old Adam, and a foreword by Dorris' wife, the writer . The Broken Cord won a National Book Critics Circle Award in 1989.

"As passionate as it is fierce. Intensely personal and moving beyond belief, "The Broken Cord....is a book so powerful it will not only break your heart; it will restore your faith."--Alice Hoffman, author of "At Risk