Broken Cord

National Book Critics Circle Award

About the Book

"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

The controversial national bestseller that received unprecedented media attention, sparked the nation's interest in the plight of children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and touched a nerve in all of us. Winner of the 1989 National Book Critics Circle Award.

When Michael Dorris, 26, single and working on his doctorate, applied to adopt 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 with challenges stemming from fetal alcohol syndrome, and the sheer willpower and love it took to meet them. The volume includes a short account of his own life by the 20-year-old Adam, and a foreword by Dorris' wife, the writer Louise Erdrich. The Broken Cord won a National Book Critics Circle Award in 1989.

Critical Praise

"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

"A brave, heartfelt, necessary book." — Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club

"A nonfiction masterpiece." — Dr. Jonathan Kellerman, author of Silent Partner

"A sad, beautiful, and very, very important book." — Tony Hillerman, author of Talking God

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