Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage

Kay Bratt has captured the heart of the orphan child of China through her work there. We have a son and daughter adopted from Chinese orphanages, as older children, and both born with special needs. Silent Tears opened a floodgate of emotions with answers to the many questions I've had over the past years raising our son and daughter and trying to understand their earliest years living in Chinese orphanages. Kay speaks with the honest compassion of a mother's heart for orphaned children worldwide. As a mother to 7 children, 5 through foreign adoption, and an adoption website owner, and moderator of a military adoption support group, I found Kay Bratt's book to be a light of hope and truth for the orphan child. Barbara Burke www.adoptionfamily.org

I see most reviews coming from adoptive parents, and so far so good...I think Ms. Bratt will probably get some negative feedback from adoptive parents along the way who have more of a `don't want to know' attitude which could anger them when they suddenly are faced with a true look at how their adopted child may or may not have been treated. This author was obviously not worried about that and wrote from the heart. I appreciate the honesty she gave in telling her story. While I am not an adoptive parent, and have no intentions of being so, I enjoyed this book. I am in general just a book-lover...of all kinds. I judge it by how long it took me to read it, if it made me laugh and if it made me cry... this one did all that. As a bonus, I hope the honest look at this one particluar orphanage will cause more people, Chinese or non-Chinese, to strive to make a difference with orphaned children around the world.

Kay, This is Le Men's dad. (Le Men was a heart baby in the orphanage described in this book.) I wanted to write to you and let you know what an astounding service you have done in the publishing of your book. You have provided a glimpse into a world that many, including myself, are unable to fathom and terrified of realizing really exists. As the father of eight, I love my children more desperately than most people can comprehend. And so, it is difficult for me to comprehend situations of abuse and neglect like you describe. I would not have had the strength and determination that you showed to continue returning. I have great confidence in my skills and ability to succeed in many areas in this world. In the battle you faced, I am ashamed to say I would have failed. My love for children would not have been sufficient to overcome my weaknesses. You asked in your book how God could let these children suffer. I believe in a loving and compassionate God. But, I also believe that we have free will and that nature will play its role of random change within our lives. The whims of men and culture created the situations you describe, not God. God provides the canvas and the paint. We provide the hand. He gently guides the brush when we ask Him. As I read your book I started out with anger as I read of the suffering of the children. As I read deeper into your story I began to understand, as you did, that the staff in the orphanage were buffering themselves emotionally in a situation that was largely a no win situation. It brought to mind stories from the Civil War and Vietnam where doctors quickly amputated limbs to save a life because there were not sufficient resources, personnel or supplies to save limbs or lives of all those injured. Better to save something than to lose it all. But, it takes an emotional buffering to operate in such situations as you describe. I do not think I could have faced it. Until I read your book, I did not understand the linkage my wife and I truly played in adopting our four lovely children from China. People tell us 'what a wonderful thing you have done'. We reply 'we did it out of selfishness, an overwhelming desire to have more children in our lives and our family'. I am sure many think we are being modest, but this is very true for us. We never approached adoption as a means of rescuing a child. We were driven by an incredible need to love children. Frankly, it was a need that neither of us fully understood then or now. We did not know of the desperation of the children other than through fleeting comments or inferences or rumors. Now, I understand that God was guiding my wife and me in ways we did not recognize. We were definitely responding to your prayers without knowing of you or the influence your prayers were having in our lives. I know in my heart that God spoke to us and guided us even as you spoke to Him. So, have faith that God does listen to prayers and does work in ways we can not fathom. Thank y

I started this book intending to read it slowly. Well, I could not put it down! It is beautifully written and insightful. I love the honesty of the author as she is down and then back up with her emotions. She gives an excellent picture of what life is like in a Chinese orphanage which is shocking to say the least. The best part; however, is that it is a "journey in hope". I am so encouraged to see what one person can accomplish. We should all be so blessed to find an area in our lives that we can make a difference. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

As the mother of a child adopted from China, I was very interested in reading this book. When it arrived, I couldn't put it down until I got to the last page and yes, I cried throughout. Kay Bratt tells an important story about the institutional environment so many of our children were raised in. Understanding the trauma they have been through goes a long way to knowing how to help them recover. While this is the story of one orphanage in one country, I imagine the scenarios could be true in far too many places. A must read for parents adopting from an orphanage.