Wish you happy forever

                                  

Wish you happy forever, by Jenny Bowen was an interesting read. It chronicles Jenny's journey of adoption, and her founding and running of the Half the Sky Foundation ( http://halfthesky.org/en ) which has altered the running of many orphanages in China. The reader watches the how one person's passion can grow into something remarkable, and spark passion in others.

I have always wanted to adopt. I have an Uncle, and cousins who are adopted. At first it was this that intrigued me, but the book is about so much more. Yes, the author adopted two little girls from China, but the adoption part isn't her passion. Her passion is the lives of the little children (mostly girls, and kids with special needs) in Chinese orphanages. She wanted to better their lives, and found a way that stays respectful of Chinese culture. That is why she was allowed, by the Chinese government, to create a program, and bring it to a growing number of institutions in China.

I especially enjoyed how blunt and truthful she was throughout the book. She saw disturbing things while visiting perspective locations, and she didn't gloss over them. She spoke of the difficulty of having to leave kids in terrible situations, knowing that she would not be allowed to help them. Changes don't happen quickly., especially when an outsider is trying to make them.

I found it quite interesting that she was able to use early childhood education and human growth and development to finally have her ideas heard. I hate to perpetuate stereotypes, but this seems like a perfect way to appeal to an Asian country. She clearly learned to appeal to her audience's values.