Missing Mila, Finding Family

The writing was a pleasure to read. … The book has a narrative drive that unfolds itself slowly and steadily, but shockingly and in a captivating manner. It’s most basic strength is the raw emotional power of the story and the tremendous coincidence of the particular Salvadoran family to whom the author found herself connected by virtue of the adoption.

Beneath the clearly written history of a far off Salvadoran civil war is the emotional account of a family who adopted a homeless child, only to learn 14 years later that he was being sought by his birth family. What follows is the coming to grips with this reality - with the voices of many involved individuals, resulting in a redefined sense of family love.

Honest, forthright book, very moving story, not whitewashed. Well written, meticulously documented, and filled with fascinating historical background material on Central American politics.

Great book, love having it. I had originally read it in the library, but wanted a copy of my own.

This is a fascinating true story of parents who traced the family of their foreign-born adopted son and how so many lives became enriched in the process. A wonderful read.

This is an articulate, sensitive and fascinating memoir of an international adoption in the early 1980’s. Ward’s account is heartfelt with the excitement and gratification of adopting a young Honduran boy, then subsequently learning how his early history was intertwined with the violence of civil war in Central America. She presents her individual family’s account then adds research about the tragic ’lost children’, the orphans of civil war in the region. The entire book is mesmerizing and touching. Highly recommend it!

Highly recommend this very personal story of an American couple who thought they were adopting a two year old Honduras orphan. Fourteen years later they discover that their adopted son Nelson is really from El Salvador and that he is part of the thousands of children who disappeared during the Salvadoran Civil War. Set against the backdrop of this brutal conflict the books outlines with scholarly detail the journey of the adoptive and birth families who come together with much love to bond as one family. This is a book you will remember long after you have read the last page.

Several months have passed since I read Missing Mila, Finding Family, and this compelling true story told by Margaret Ward remains in my mind. Parents quickly called to Honduras to meet their to-be-adopted son, mystery surrounding the boy’s previous life, the whirlwind of emotions unleashed by Nelson’s birth family relocating him in 1997, and the families coming together and forming strong bonds, all grasp the reader’s attention from cover to cover. Nelson’s deceased mother Mila’s elusive presence is central to the story, as is the backdrop of the Salvadoran Civil War, where Nelson’s birth parents were involved in clandestine activities as guerrillas. Beautifully written, carefully researched, heartwarming, and very highly recommended.

Margaret Ward has written an extraordinary book about her family’s international adoption. This true story is gripping and compelling. The author writes with scholarly accuracy and emotional clarity about her family’s experiences. She details the history of the El Salvador dictatorship and the subsequent revolution. This book describes the journey of learning about their adopted son’s family of origin and embracing them. Ward takes us on a remarkable journey of compassion, empathy and love.

The pinnacle of the book is the author’s mental dialogue with her adopted son’s mother and her wrenching decision to become a revolutionary while she was a mother. The quality of the writing is superb and the lessons we take from this book are timeless and profound.