Chasing China by Kay Bratt

Mia has come to China to discover the truth about her birth family.  She is one of the many Chinese girls who were adopted overseas.  Although Mia had a wonderful childhood and a loving adoptive family, part of her cannot rest until she discovers more about who she is, where she came from, and why her birth family deserted her at the age of one in a train station, leaving her to spend several years in a state-run orphanage before being adopted at age four.

When Mia visits the orphanage where she lived with a translator, she is appalled at the shabbiness but even more at the emotional starvation the children there encounter.  In order to feed, clothe and educate so many children, every minute of their day is strictly scheduled, and the caretakers don't have time to give praise or affection.  The children are treated as items on an assembly line.  Mia is also suspicious when her questions go unanswered or given an airy reply of  "Later".  She is unsure if her translator is giving her all the information the officials speak.

As the days go by, Mia explores other avenues to discover her past.  She meets Jax, another Chinese-American who helps her.  Jax is in China on an internship and is willing to help Mia find out whatever they can.  They post fliers and hunt down clues.  Mia also starts to work with a group of foreign women; expatriates who are in China for a year or two and who have chosen the orphanage as a charity.  Through these avenues, Mia gets closer to the truth, but it is uncertain if she will ever discover what occurred all those years ago.

Kay Bratt has worked in the field of overseas adoption for many years.  Chasing China allows her to educate readers as she entertains them, and to share the issues surrounding intercultural adoptions.  This book is recommended for readers interested in adoption, and those interested in other cultures.