“We were born a week apart, in the same hospital, to different mothers.”
adoption
‘How Did This Man Think He Had the Right to Adopt This Baby?’
“Army Rangers killed her parents. A Marine is raising her in America. But her Afghan family says she was taken under false pretenses.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, our editors recommend stories by Carla Ciccone, Lex Pryor, Bhavya Dore, Michelle Cyca, and Casey Lyons.
How America Saved Millions of Dogs—By Moving Them
“It is a good time to be an American dog. In the 1970s, as many as 20 million dogs and cats were euthanized each year. That number has declined precipitously. The ASPCA now estimates 390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats are euthanized each year, down from 2.6 million as recently as 2011.”
52 Years in 11 Days: A Son, Facing Death, Finds His Father
“After struggling with cancer for years, Sam Anthony was running out of time. Before he died, he found the courage to mail a letter that he had long been afraid to send.”
Who Am I?
“Edwards isn’t sure how she came into this world, or when or where, but on Aug. 14, 1967, she was discovered inside a pillowcase hidden under a dresser in a vacant apartment of an otherwise occupied West Philadelphia rowhouse.”
The Untold Story of Queer Foster Families
“But these social workers, in some cases inadvertently, were creating something radical: state-supported queer families in an era of intense discrimination.”
‘Our Foster Child Asked Us to Adopt Him – By Drawing Himself on to a Family Photo’
The story of how, after years of difficulty, George finally found his family.
An Addict, a Nurse, and a Christmas Resurrection
Working the night shift on an intensive care unit, Suzanne Ohlmann brushes up against death, Jesus, and her biological father.