Introducing "Adopted and Seen: Your Personal Guide and Journal" by Lara Leon

Imagine a book that finally puts words to what you've felt but couldn't explain, one that validates experiences others have dismissed and recognises adoption as far more complex than the stories we were told. For many adopted people, there's a sense of unease that has been there for as long as they can remember. It might be the feeling of being on the outside, even within your family, the way certain dates stir something you can't quite name, or how relationships seem harder to navigate than they should be. You may have been told it shouldn't matter so much, yet something deeper remains, something unspoken that few seem to recognise or understand.

The story adoptees were given

Most of us grew up with a simple story about adoption, one that emphasised rescue, second chances, and happy endings. Our role in that story was to be grateful, to succeed, and to prove that adoption worked. Feelings of loss or confusion did not fit, so we learnt which parts of ourselves were acceptable and which were better kept hidden. Questions about our origins, the losses that occurred before we had the words to describe them, and the sense of being different were all expected to be forgotten. When they were not, we assumed the problem was with us.

Perhaps you have carried this weight quietly, unsure whether anyone would understand. Perhaps you adapted so well that nobody noticed. Either way, you may have wondered whether your feelings were legitimate, whether it was too late to ask questions, or whether there was something wrong with you for not being able to simply move on.

What this book offers adoptees

Lara Leon's Adopted and Seen: Your Personal Guide and Journal was written specifically to address this gap. As both a therapist and an adopted person, Lara has worked extensively with the adoption community. She understands adoption from both perspectives, combining professional knowledge with lived experience.

This book does not tell you how to feel or what your story should mean. Instead, it provides validation, recognition, and space to explore your experience without judgement.

What adoption research now tells us

Contemporary research into early separation, attachment, and trauma is finally catching up with what many adopted people have long sensed. Separation from our first mother creates a rupture that shapes us profoundly. The loss of our origins affects how we understand ourselves, and the need to adapt and survive in unfamiliar circumstances creates patterns that continue long after childhood ends.

This is not about blame, but about acknowledgement, recognising that our responses are understandable given what we have experienced, and accepting that we were not imagining it.

What Lara’s book covers

The book explores the different aspects of adoption through both professional insight and lived experience. It examines the prenatal environment that shaped us before birth, the impact of that first separation, the challenges of growing up feeling different or unseen, and the patterns that often carry into adult relationships. It also addresses the shame and guilt many adopted people carry, the dates that can trigger unexpected grief, and the reality of reunion or choosing not to search.

Each chapter includes reflection questions and journalling space, inviting you to consider how these themes appear in your own life because your story is your own. Yet you may find yourself recognised on these pages in ways you have never experienced before.

Who this book is for

This book is for those who have spent years questioning whether their feelings were valid. For those who adapted so well that nobody noticed what they were carrying. For those who struggled and were told they should be grateful instead. For those who are only now beginning to understand that their difficulties may be connected to experiences that occurred before they could express them.

It is for anyone who has ever felt caught between loyalty to the family who raised them and the need to honour their own truth. For those who wonder whether it is too late to begin asking questions. For those who are tired of performing gratitude while silencing their authentic experience.

What you might find

This book does not shy away from the realities of adoption. It is honest about the impact of early separation and the patterns many of us develop. Yet what readers often find is relief, permission to stop carrying so much alone, recognition that their instincts were right, and the beginning of a more compassionate relationship with themselves.

There are no simple answers or quick fixes. Healing from adoption-related trauma is an ongoing process that looks different for each person. What this book offers is a framework for understanding yourself better, tools for exploring your story with compassion, and the reassurance that you are not alone in this.

Why this matters

We are at a turning point in how adoption is understood. The fairytale narrative that dominated for decades is finally being questioned. Research is confirming what adopted people have always known. More voices are speaking up about the reality of adoption, the grief, and the ongoing impact of that first separation.

This book is part of that shift. It does not simplify or sanitise. It insists that adopted people deserve to be seen fully, not just in the parts that make others comfortable. If you are adopted, or if you care about someone who is, this book may offer insight that changes how you understand yourself or them. It may be the start of a healing process that is long overdue, or it may simply help you feel less alone.

Your story matters. Your feelings are valid. You have survived more than most people recognise, and Adopted and Seen is here to reflect that back to you.

"Adopted and Seen: Your Personal Guide and Journal" by Lara Leon is available now through Amazon.