If You Could See Me Now: A Chronicle of Identity And Adoption - Hardcover

"If You Could See Me Now is
a vivid and powerful story of first
love, with a twist. Mewshaw's
deep personal involvement in the
story offers a rare perspective -- a
male point of view on pregnancy,
the relinquishment of a child, and
a woman's search for her biological
parents. This true story reads like
the best novels -- once you get into
it you won't be able to put it down."
-- JUDY BLUME
"[A] real bond grew between the adopted child and the man who was not her father but who became her friend. Mewshaw helped Amy patiently and compassionately in spite of his hurts and shortcomings, just as he once helped her mother. There is courage in this exercise, and there is hope. Supported by loving families in the present, these two people went looking for an uncomfortable piece of the past together. Now that they have found it, maybe they both can leave it behind."--The Washington Post

"If You Could See Me Now is a work of art and stands shoulder to shoulder with the best memoirs of our age. Mewshaw's career is a pure wonder and If You Could See Me Now is his crowning achievement."--PAT CONROY

"Mewshaw's considerable skill as writer lends heart and spirit to his bittersweet chronicle....Mewshaw shares his memories poignantly and honestly... The results are powerful, indeed."--Midwest Book Review

"[P]oignant...What makes the narrative distinctive is that the storyteller is not a part of the adoption triad (birthparent, adopting parent, and adoptee), yet it still illustrates the difficulties that adoptees face in researching their biological background and in locating birth parents who had been assured of anonymity...Although true, this story reads like fiction and is hard to put down once started. An excellent addition to all public libraries; highly recommended."--Library Journal
"[A] real bond grew between the adopted child and the man who was not her father but who became her friend. Mewshaw helped Amy patiently and compassionately in spite of his hurts and shortcomings, just as he once helped her mother. There is courage in this exercise, and there is hope. Supported by loving families in the present, these two people went looking for an uncomfortable piece of the past together. Now that they have found it, maybe they both can leave it behind."--The Washington Post

"If You Could See Me Now is a work of art and stands shoulder to shoulder with the best memoirs of our age. Mewshaw's career is a pure wonder and If You Could See Me Now is his crowning achievement."--PAT CONROY

"Mewshaw's considerable skill as writer lends heart and spirit to his bittersweet chronicle....Mewshaw shares his memories poignantly and honestly... The results are powerful, indeed."--Midwest Book Review

"[P]oignant...What makes the narrative distinctive is that the storyteller is not a part of the adoption triad (birthparent, adopting parent, and adoptee), yet it still illustrates the difficulties that adoptees face in researching their biological background and in locating birth parents who had been assured of anonymity...Although true, this story reads like fiction and is hard to put down once started. An excellent addition to all public libraries; highly recommended."--Library Journal

When Michael Mewshaw receives a call from a stranger who says she has reason

to believe he is her biological father, Mewshaw realizes he has been half dreading,

half hoping for this to happen for over thirty years. Just like the young woman

who wants to find the last piece to the puzzle of her life, he thinks it’s possible that

in the same process he will discover the answers to questions that have plagued

him for decades. But first he has to make sure she is who she claims to be.

In this fascinating memoir, Mewshaw confronts his own past, the chaos of his

family, and complicated memories of the woman he once loved who went on to

success as an ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and a member of one of

America’s most influential families. His unusual role in the baby’s birth, her adoption,

and, now, her search for her biological parents sets the stage for a revealing

personal odyssey that offers a quest for identity and a journey of discovery, an

obsession with recapturing the past and righting old wrongs, and the constant

potential for disappointment balanced against the possibility of redemption.

Along the way, by rediscovering who he was and who he has become, he finds

his own life enriched.