Surrender-Marylee MacDonald

A Memoir of Nature, Nurture, and Love

Her young life changed in an instant. Now she shares her story with the child she gave away.

Adopted at birth, Marylee's parents told her she was a "chosen child." She tried her hardest to be a model daughter, but divorce sent her into the comforting arms of a handsome Catholic boy.

It's a familiar story. Romeo and Juliet. Theirs was the love story of all time.

Starry-eyed, she surrendered to passion. Unfortunately, it was 1961. Pregnant girls were sent away, and their babies given up for adoption. History was repeating itself.

Nature vs. nurture: Which plays a greater role in who we become? The family we were raised in, or the parents we never knew?

In telling her adult son the story of his birth, can the narrator find compassion for her own wounded inner child?

If you like truthful accounts laced with the passion of youth and the wisdom of age, read Marylee MacDonald's funny and poignant memoir about how we grow up, grow old, and learn to accept ourselves.

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Review

Thank you Bookish First for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Learn to Forget: A Memoir of Pregnancy and Adoption

From the first page I knew I would love this book. Memoirs are becoming one of my favorite genres because of how emotionally tied I become to the person, but I felt this even more with Marylee’s story. Knowing that what is written actually happen just has a different effect on me.

It’s crazy reading everything that she went through. If nothing said this was a real-life story, I would think it was a work of fiction and that is a compliment. The way she expressed her experiences was like you were right there with her. I liked that this memoir doesn’t feel like a memoir. It is written as a story taking us through step by step. This memoir covered her journey as she tried to find her child she surrendered at a young age. It tells us her experience before becoming pregnant, what led to her being pregnant and what happened in her life because she became pregnant.

It was very interesting to see how people in that time reacted to her getting pregnant that young and out of wed lock. Truly it took me by surprise all that they had to sacrifice to keep it a secret. Even though I don’t think I would ever be able to give up my child she explained it in such a logical way of why she felt forced. I felt the pressure from the people around her and social expectations. I also had many moments where I felt bad for her and understood her pain. Like when she realized she wished she was able to keep him.

At first, I wasn’t sure how this book would be able to last over 300 pages but after reading it I feel like we need a sequel. She was only able to touch the surface of her life. At the end you get a quick overview of what happened after her first pregnancy and I am just amazed at what she has gone through and accomplished in her life.

I was never bored in this book. I was always engaged waiting to see what happened next. This book really had a great impact on me, and I don’t think I will forget it anytime soon. This is my favorite memoir I have ever read. Her writing style made it interesting but also for me I have always been drawn to stories where they are emotionally tied like surrendering a child. An impactful story and I definitely recommend.