You’ll Forget This Ever Happened: Secrets, Shame, and Adoption in the 1960s by Laura L. Engel is a book about a young woman struggling with being an unwed mother in the 1960s south. It will be available May 10 through She Writes Press.
The memoir opens from the point of view of a frightened teenager who finds herself pregnant and at odds with her disapproving parents. What unfolds is a journey to a home for unwed mothers, and the birth of a son the author was forced to give up for adoption.
It’s hard to believe that being an unwed mother was considered a shame that followed a woman throughout her life only fifty years ago. Yet, Engel’s description of the emotions she was experiencing while facing the reality of this heavy secret is vivid and heartbreaking.
Engel does a beautiful job of telling her story while allowing you to imagine yourself in her place. She will take you beyond the birth of her son and his subsequent adoption and explain the feelings of remorse that flooded her for the fifty years that followed. She explains that, although time may pass and “life goes on,” some wounds never heal; the memories and feelings that existed as a frightened teenager remain. The emotion from despair and loss to hope is perfectly conveyed in this book that you’ll have trouble putting down.
I won’t spoil the ending for you, but Engel’s story will warm your heart and leave you with hope that even tragic circumstances can eventually produce a happy ending.
Engel’s book is a reminder that now, more than ever, it’s essential that women’s stories, especially those related to teen and unwanted pregnancy, be told. Engel’s bravery in sharing her story will undoubtedly encourage other women who share a similar experience.
You’ll Forget This Ever Happened: Secrets, Shame, and Adoption in the 1960s is the first memoir from author Laura L. Engel. She was born in Mississippi and currently lives in San Diego, where she serves as president of the San Diego Memoir Writers Association. She is also a member of San Diego Writers Ink, the San Diego Writer and Editors Guild, and the International Women Writers Guild.
