The Orphan Keeper

By Camron Wright Three Dreamers LLC, 2016, ISBN: 978-1-62972-224-5, 432 pages, $24.99 the-orphan-keeperTaj Rowland has lived many roles in his life ranging from beloved Indian son to kidnapped orphan to adopted American son. His true story is embellished through the new fictional book, “The Orphan Keeper,” by Camron Wright. After being adopted to the United States around age 8, Rowland forgot not only his birth language of Tamil, but also much of his beginning story. As Rowland begins to explore his Indian roots, the memory of his early childhood begins to return in bits and pieces. The pieces start joining together as Rowland discovers an audio tape made by his adoptive parents before he lost his native language. Then as he returns to India, his story continues to connect. Amazingly, through a number of coincidences and much perseverance, Rowland is reunited with his birth family in India. His story of loss and gain, struggle and triumph makes this book stand out in the adoption community. “The Orphan Keeper” is definitely a page turner that will keep readers wondering what the outcome will be for Rowland. As adopting children internationally often comes with surprises and unknown, I feel many adoptive families will relate to the book. Adoptees may relate to Rowland’s struggles adjusting to America, his difficulty fitting into his new world and the challenges he faces in finding both himself and his roots. While much of the backstory about Rowland’s kidnapping and time in the orphanage are fictionalized, it’s easy to see how similar circumstances have most likely led to other lives being impacted much like Rowland’s was. The book is an eye-opening testament to the many ways that corruption can work its way into adoption. As Rowland has overcome many obstacles and challenges in his life, his perseverance and dedication has opened a new chapter of his life that ties his lives in America and India together. “The Orphan Keeper” is definitely a must-read. — Reviewed by Kim Phagan-Hansel

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