Not Nicholson: The Story of a First Daughter – Ann M. Haralambie – (2023)
This is an intense and heartfelt memoir, which the author exhaustively researched and wrote over a period of fourteen years. Haralambie always knew she was adopted, in childhood she felt stigmatized and “other” -- this knowledge and awareness deeply influenced her life. It became necessary for her to understand the reasons for her adoption and her true family history and heritage —a thorough search that would take over 35 years.

In the 1950’s -60’s nearly all adoption records were sealed nationwide to protect the identity of the birthmother, which was culturally accepted and believed to be in the best interests of everyone involved. Haralambie read the memoir, “The Search for Anna Fisher” (1973) and soon met the author/ adoptee Florence Fisher who founded the Adoptee Liberty Movement Association (ALMA) and the first national mutual consent registry that reunited an adoptee with their birth parents. Haralambie, a divorced single mother, became a trial attorney in Tucson, Arizona (1977) and spent her career in child and family law becoming an advocate for the rights of adoptees to gain access to their birth records. The stories in the memoir are intense and long, complete with photos, letters, transcripts, DNA test results, songs, and poetry—and will especially resonate with those who have been adopted and their families. With thanks to BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review

Not Nicholson by Ann M. Haralambie is an interesting memoir about the author's own journey of adoption and her efforts to trace her biological roots. Truly a compelling read.