This book is very engaging and interesting. It deals with some hard hitting subject matter. I felt that the author did hold back but that is also understandable as it’s her story to tell.

A heartbreaking story of unfairness and pain. It tore my heart in two and I could feel the pressure and the pain but under that was so much strength and courage.

Heart-wrenching, gut turning, deep. This novel was equal parts eye opener and heartbreak. This was all too common place in the 50s and it is so sad to hear a firsthand account of how horrible society can be.

A heart wrenching and at times heart warming account. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is the true life account of a girl who was made to give her baby up at 15 years old. This happened to many young single mothers back in those days and the book dealt with her ongoing trauma throughout life afterwards aswell as how the system was so flawed at the time. My only criticism of this book was all of the amnesia that stopped us from getting all of the details of the story, whilst I am compassionate and understand the the amnesia brought on by the trauma of it must have been awful for poor Michelle and she must want to remember these things too more than anything, but as a reader I felt I wanted more details than I got and I was really keen to get to the bit with the reunion between Michelle and her then grown up son and to read about that but because of the amnesia there was no mention of what they spoke about, how the first reactions were etc, I should have been reading about that emotional reunion in floods of tears but instead it didn’t raise any emotion in me because of the lack of details.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thankyou to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. A heartfelt and thought provoking read about how Michelle was forced to give up her baby for adoption in 1972 and the lifelong impacts this forced decision has had on her. It was heart wrenching to read of her longing for her son and heartwarming to read of their reunion. As a child of an unwed mother from the 70's myself, who was also adopted out, this was a very touching read. ⭐⭐⭐#netgalley #michellepearson #taken #memoir #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #thestorygraph #litsy #amazonaustralia #bookstagram #bookqueen

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy. This is a really good book, kept me entertained throughout and I would thoroughly recommend to all.

In 1972, Michelle Pearson gave up her son for adoption.

As ‘one of those girls’, she was expected to hide her shame with secrecy. No one should ever find out she’d had a child.

But she never forgot the son who was taken from her.

In the years that followed she struggled with PTSD, traumatic memory loss, agoraphobia and anxiety – impacting every area of her life.

This is Michelle’s story of love, loss and hope; of how over 50 years she has managed the consequences of living with her secret, survived the emotional pain, and finally, after being reunited with her son, the journey to rebuild their lives together.

Touching and emotional read.

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.

This was a really humbling read. Michelle's story is heartbreaking but one that is reflective of the time. I think its really important that these types of story's are shared as they make us aware of the changes that have occurred both in terms of the law and also culturally. Michelle has been through so much however it was really nice to share her journey and I was really rooting for her. I would certainly recommend this for any reader it is an important perspective of a time in history.

A very powerful and gripping story that is difficult to read in some parts but worth sticking with. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Michelle found herself pregnant at a very young age and unmarried. Still in school they both went to her parents who said she could not keep the child and live there. No resources, shamed by her parents she's sent to a home for unwed mothers. After birthing her son she had no choice but give him up for adoption a decision not made by her and a decision that ripped her heart out. It changed her life forever. Michelle's story covers over 50 years of her life and struggle with all she felt with as a result. I hope she gets some peace by writing the book. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this eARC. It's true the shame put on girls found in that position in the past and the unfortunate way they were treated plus the lack of support even from family leading to no other choice but to give the child up..This forced choice created an emotionally broken person. Michelle thrived in her career after but never seemed emotionally stable and doubts herself even as an adult.

This memoir was an emotional, gut wrenching story that was at times very difficult to read. I appreciate the author’s willingness to share her story and journey and her transparency about the true struggle she faced for many years. It’s important to understand the history of what I would call forced birth and how forced birth often led to forced adoption. I’m thrilled with the outcome of this story and for anyone whose life has been impacted by adoption, this is worth a read.

This is the distressing story of the wrong done to Michelle Pearson when she was a young girl, in the name of respectability.

I have no personal experience of adoption, the nearest I have been is a whispered 'confession'[ by a friend at the tender age of seven who told me she was adopted. Given I had no conscious knowledge of adoption at the time, I did somehow understand that this was shameful - this would have been circa 1977. Much later I had a friend who had been adopted by her natural grandparents and later met her younger half-sister who had been adopted out of the family, these adoptions having happened in the 50s and 60s. This story had me feeling a great deal of compassion for everyone involved, especially the first mother.

Michelle's story has opened my eyes to the effects that last beyond the horror of being parted from your child to the life-long consequences of those decisions made by individuals on behalf of a society who chose to demonise women for becoming pregnant.

The story itself is engaging although I did find the opening section a little stilted, once the scene was set and the characters drawn, it is an important book for anyone to read, particularly those who think all of this happened in the past and so what is the use of apologies now!

The byline heading at the top of the book cover "Stolen Lives" fits perfectly as although Michelle did have a life, and so did her son Tim/John who was taken from her, they did have their opportunity at a life together stolen from them by a group of people and organisations who thought being an unwed mother was the fault of the young girl/woman and that they knew better. Rather than support the girl/woman with her child if that is what the girl/woman wanted they "knew best" and all but a few were railroaded into giving up their precious babies for adoption.

Michelle's story is told in a very matter of fact way, stating facts, timelines, dates etc. I think Michelle tells her story in a very forthright manner, straight to the point. I have read other similar stories of forced adoption and I think this style of telling her story about being forced into putting her precious baby son should not be mistaken as coldness, but as a way to try to reign in the tumultuous emotions she must have had to revisit to write this book.

It's almost as if Michelle has had to separate herself from 'young pregnant Michelle' it was in a different era at times in the books it's as if it happened to a different person too but it's important to remember this isn't a fictional story, this actually happened to Michelle, to real people, real lives were and are still affected.
Utmost respect to Michelle for holding back & accepting her sons decision to keep their reunion a secret from his adoptive parents. It must have been a difficult secret to keep as well as agony emotionally keeping it secret too.

I guess Michelle had a 'happy ending' in that she was reunited with her son and is part of his life, not everyone gets this favourable ending. It could have been so very different for Michelle if Tim/John's adoptive mother had got her way. Also can it truly be called a 'happy' ending after all the heartbreak Michelle went through, she was seen as the 'bad' girl from the moment it was revealed she was pregnant.....it takes two to make a baby! Yet Tim was seen as being the 'responsible one.' The 'loose morals' label was definitely hung around Michelle's neck and made heavier to bear both during her stay at the mother and baby home and afterwards in her adult life. I found myself shaking my head, gritting and grinding my teeth in anger at how Michelle was made to feel by those around her. It's so easy to dismiss it all as being down to the era she was living in, her parents religion etc. I dread to think how many women are out their grieving for lost children. The ones too scared to try to make contact, or where there is not enough information or even where the adopted child refuses contact.

I was equally shocked and horrified that this actually happened so recently, I guess it happening in 1972, when I myself was born in 1971 made me feel like it wasn't that long ago. This also led me to the question when did this "forced adoption" actually stop. Sadly I don't think lessons have been fully learnt as those in power with authority seem to always think that they 'know best'. That there is a 'one size fits all' solution to every/any problem or issue that arises.

Summing up, though it feels odd and wrong to use the word 'enjoy' in connection to such a heart rending book but I did enjoy reading it, I found it thought provoking and informative. It made me think about what sort of pressure is put on young pregnant girls these days, or are they given the whole picture as there seems to be much more help available now. I struggled a little at the beginning, not getting on well with the style in which Michelle's story was being delivered. However, I was pulled into the book more and more as time went on, was in tears in quite a few places within the book and wanted to reach through the book and hug both 'young Michelle' and older Michelle on many occasions.

A touching memoir about a young teenager forced to make a life altering decision at 16. Michelle had a baby and couldn’t keep him. She talks about how that event impacted the rest of her life in relationships
, her career, and her mental health.
For people who don’t understand the stigma that was attached to pregnancies outside of marriage, it’s the perfect book to read.

This is a heartbreaking story of Michelle was forced to go through ŵhen she became pregnant at aged 15 .What she was forced to do is truly shocking and a sad indictment of the times in the 70’s.Banished from her home by her parents she was to travel alone to have her baby in a town where no one knew her,and then be to forced to hand her baby son over for adoption after only a few days,without not being told the facts.It has affected her whole life which is another shocking indictment of the times .Luckily she has survived with the help of family and friends to write this excellent book to tell her story which I think needed telling,an excellent book but sad beyond belief I glad she has come out the other side and is now happy.

When I first started this book just from the description I knew that this would be one book that would really grab me. While I have read my fair share of memoirs over the years none of them have ever dealt with this particular subject. I can't imagine having a child and then being forced to give it up just because I was single. It's heart breaking that this was happening at any point in time to people. This story is about exactly that same thing that happened to a young woman named Michelle in 1972. After her child was ripped from her loving arms she never gave up thinking about him and struggled terribly with many mental disorders that occurred because of her trauma. This book was so sad because our author never stopped talking about the love she felt for her baby, when she was pregnant, after she gave birth, and ever after her child was snatched from her she just poured out love for the infant so it was heartbreaking. I can just imagine how painful this book must have been to write and even as a reader and a non mother I really felt her suffering. This book was amazing and a real tearjerker. What I wasn't expecting from this book was a lot of talk about her as an adult and her adult child and all of the friction that this forced adoption caused them as they were older. It is something that happens however you don't read about it to often in these kinds of stories. Such a sad book but very interesting at the same time. I'm so glad that I got the chance to check it out.

I’d like to thank Ad Lib Publishers, Mardle Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Taken’ written by Michelle Pearson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

In 1972 Michelle is fifteen years old and working hard to get to university when she finds herself pregnant. She and her boyfriend Tim want to keep the baby but her parents won’t support her and it’s automatically presumed she’ll hand over her baby for adoption. This is Michelle’s story as she recalls her experiences, the trauma of which has never left her.

‘Taken’ is a moving account of love and loss, and the life that was stolen from Michelle as she coped with the stigma of being a ‘bad girl’. Her distress was palpable as she was expected to hand over her baby to be fostered and then adopted, and it’s not surprising how she struggled with the secrecy of not being able to share her feelings with anyone. I am so pleased that twenty-eight years later she was reunited with her son and accepted as part of his life again. It’s shocking to learn how little support there was in the 70s and beyond for birth/first mothers although in later years improvements have been made. I may not have experienced adoption myself but Michelle’s account has affected me greatly and I’d like to thank her for allowing me to read about her experiences, her pain and later her happiness, and I wish her well for the future.

In 1972 Michelle became pregnant. Back in those days it was considered a scandal if you were unmarried. And so with no other options she was forced to by her parents and her boyfriends parents.

Michelle's tale is heartbreaking, she always wished she had never given him up.

The story tells of our life before and after the baby. Never giving up hope that one day they will be reunited.