Lucky Bastard, by Anthony Akerman (signed)

When he was ten years old, the author was told he'd been adopted. It was a seismic event that turned his world upside down. Nobody was who he thought they were. His mother wasn't his mother; his father wasn't his father; his sister wasn't his sister: his grandparents weren't his grandparents; he wasn't related to any of his relatives; he didn't know where he came from or who he was. This was at a time when adoption was shrouded in secrecy and shame. Birth mothers and adoptive parents signed non-disclosure agreements. Adoption records were sealed. In Lucky Bastard Anthony Akerman takes the reader on his quest to find out where he came from.

Anthony Akerman's memoir is a significant achievement. It is moving, funny, light to the touch, insightful, wry, self-reflective and witty. It is also poignant. Richly illustrated with photographs, and vividly written, it is a profoundly informative reflection, not just on adoption, his own adoption, and the perilous paths all those who adopt and are adopted are obliged to trudge, but on the tender anguishes and idiocies of being human.

Justice Edwin Cameron

Follow this riveting odyssey of an adopted man in this compelling memoir. He defied the odds, crafting plays and words and conquering the world with resilience and passion.

Herman Lategan, author of Hoerkind / Son of a Whore