Sarah is smart, sexy, talented, and funny … and less than satisfied with her life. She has a career that she absolutely adores and true romance on the horizon. But there’s something missing — something that has her restlessly scanning the faces in the crowd and asking, Is she the one? Sarah never met the birth mother who gave her up for adoption. And that hole in her past has colored everything that came after it. Now, with the big “three-five” looming, Sarah’s setting off on a wild Manhattan odyssey in search of the woman who gave her life. But the sages say you should be very careful what you wish for. The mother she’s been seeking may not turn out to be the one Sarah finds — and she may just rock Sarah’s world!
Reviews
“Heredity or environment–which makes us who we are? Newman’s first novel, a delicious foray into the frenzied world of a single woman searching for her identity, is chock-full of interesting characters and wicked insights.”
Booklist
“Sarah doesn’t know her mother, and claws at the truth until it bites her back. Ms. Newman is a brave and vibrant writer…lending hope to those whose troublesome pasts are threatening to burn holes in their present progress.”
Elizabeth Richards,
author of Rescue and Every Day
“Newman weaves all of the problems and concerns that English teachers have in their professional lives together with an entertaining saga.”
Professor Bette Brickman,
NCTE Review
“This witty compassionate and amazingly accurate novel is about the search for one’s self-identity–a quest that all of us, whether adopted or raised with our family of origin, must embrace on the path to adulthood. Ms. Newman’s insight into the complexity of adoptee identity issues is unusually candid and precise.”
Marilyn Waugh,
President American Adoption Congress
“About to turn 35, Sarah appears to have it all: ensconced in New York City, she’s adored by her painter boyfriend who is six years her junior; she loves teaching English to foreign students and is working on a book about their struggles to assimilate. But while interviewing a handsome Romanian immigrant…she reveals a secret of her parentage that she has hidden from friends and lovers her entire life. Straightforward and pleasingly plainspoken…it’s difficult not to feel touched by Sarah’s brave search for the truth. This heartfelt novel is sure to interest readers…”
Publishers Weekly
Readers Comments
“In this thoroughly enjoyable book, a devoted teacher of foreign students discovers an age-old conundrum: What to do when what we find is not what we expected. Newman’s characters, sharp, witty and curious, remind us the journey is worthy, no matter the outcome. A delicious read.”
Beverly Gologorsky,
author of The Things We Do To Make It Home
“Nancy Newman’s ‘coming of age’ story…is a captivating novel. The author’s ability to capture the uncertainties, the frustration, and the reconciliation of a less-than-perfect family is right on target. The book grabbed my attention from the beginning and I read it straight through. This is a book I look forward to re-reading.”
Nancy Ashe,
ABOUT.COM
“Sarah is such an engaging character–smart, sexy, quirky, dedicated to her immigrant students. The writing is crisp and witty–it moved me along.”
Professor Patricia Laurence,
City University of New York
“Deftly told, heartfelt…offers a fresh perspective on the complexity of mother-daughter relationships. Follow the story of a woman approaching personal and professional meltdown, as she unlocks the secrets of her past.”
WomenWorking 2000
“A sometimes serious, often humorous, light and entertaining read. This is the story of Sarah Bridges, who is rapidly approaching her 35th Birthday and has become obsessed with finding her birth mother…an engaging first novel and certainly not your typical mother-daughter book.”
Night Times On-Line
“As the compelling story unfolds, the reader is caught up in the suspense of Sarah’s odyssey. Will she find her birthmother? If so, what will happen when they meet? The author writes convincingly of the emotional turmoil, hopes and fears of an individual searching for that missing piece of her past. The book will resonate with readers whose lives have been affected by adoption. For those who have not, it will be an education.”
Patricia Mans,
NACzine
“Definitely one of the MUST READS for all triad members. Sarah’s plight is right on target. Perfect!”
Karen DeLuca, Founder,
P.A. Adoption Reunion Registry
“This book grabbed me right from the first page. I like search stories…and it never disappointed.”
Eileen Heil,
author of Earth Angel and Happily Ever
“Nancy Newman brings humor and insight into some of the identity issues that are common for many of the people who are…still struggling to figure out the seminal issues about who they are and where they came from.”
Dr. Joyce Pavao, author of The Family of Adoption,
Founder of The Center For Family Connections, Cambridge, Mass
“The author portrays the very real feelings and fears of individuals who search for answers about their own identity. She beautifully addresses adoptee and search issues, and, at the same time, provides an enjoyable work of fiction. Highly recommended reading for those touched by adoption, as well as those who are not.”
Kathleen Silbur, Assoc. Dir.
Independent Adoption Center
“I LOVED it! Read it in a single day and READ IT ALL! You
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Pam Hasegawa, Founder and Editor,
Adoption News Service
“Disturbing The Peace is WONDERFUL! The fact that this is not an ‘adoption’ book, but a book about adoption, is incredibly powerful. I loved it and especially so for anyone with a connection to adoption.”
Susan Soon-Keum Cox,
Holt International Children Services
“I love Disturbing The Peace. And the fact that it is a novel that just happens to include an adoption story makes me love it that much more. Nancy Newman’s insights into the world of adoption, and her perceptions of the search experiences are so real…”
Ronny Diamond, Director of Adoption,
Spence-Chapin Family Services
“Thought provoking, and…educational. I enjoyed reading it.”
Karen Vedder, President,
Concerned United Birth Mothers
“Sarah Bridges is a woman of 35 who is unable to commit to anyone or understand herself fully until she searches for and finds her first mother…the book is easy to read and fun. For those who want a love story to read, this novel provides some reasonably accurate understandings of adoption’s deleterious effects on those adopted and the mothers who lose their children to adoption.”
Sandra Pace,
Canadian Council of Birth Mothers
“Nancy Newman has captured the essence of the adoptee’s inner world in this new novel. Disturbing the Peace is a compelling, true-to-life story of an adopted woman’s search for her past, the key to her future.”
Joe Soll,
author of Adoption Healing...A Path To Recovery
“Disturbing The Peace weaves a wonderful tale. The author explores an adoptee’s journey with emotional honesty.”
Deborah Blanchard,
ODS Adoption Community of New England
