Somebody’s Daughter is the story of nineteen-year-old Sarah Thorson, who was adopted as a baby by a Lutheran couple in the Midwest. After dropping out of college, she decides to study in Korea and becomes more and more intrigued by her Korean heritage, eventually embarking on a crusade to find her birth mother. Paralleling Sarah’s story is that of Kyung-sook, who was forced by difficult circumstances to let her baby be swept away from her immediately after birth, but who has always longed for her lost child.
What a beautifully realized and emotionally rich but subtle novel this is. Lee’s story of one young woman’s search for self in Korea will resonate equally with both adult and young adult readers–a remarkable achievement. –Michael Cart, author of Necessary Noise: Stories of Our Families as They Really Are
Somebody’s Daughter is a gift for those forgotten, for the thousands of Korean children adopted by white parents, for those who search and yearn for a sense of home and self. –Nora Okja Keller, author of Comfort Woman and Fox Girl
If you’re looking for a book that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, then this is for you. Sarah’s search for her mother and Kyung-sook’s search for her daughter are guaranteed tearjerkers. –Taylor Amato, Elle Girl*
Marie Myung-Ok Lee, author of three young adult novels, including Finding My Voice and Saying Goodbye, has received many honors for her writing, among them an O. Henry honorable mention, and both Best Book for Young Adults and Best Book for Reluctant Readers citations from the American Library Association. She is currently a visiting scholar at her alma mater, Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island.