Top 10 FAQ of Authors Filis & Marisa Catalina Casey

Filis M. Casey & Marisa Catalina Casey

Photos by Daniel Rios

1. How did you come up with the idea to write Born in Our Hearts?

2. What was the biggest challenge in writing a book that was so close to both of your hearts?

3. What was it like to work as a mother/daughter team?

4. When did you tell Marisa she was adopted?

5. Have you searched for Marisa's birth family?

6. How do you think adoption is perceived in the United States?

7. Has adoption changed in the past 30 years?

8. Who is your audience and what do you hope they take away from this book?

9. What advice would you give to families who are looking into adoption?

10. Any plans for another book?

1. How did you come up with the idea to write Born in Our Hearts?

From the time that Filis founded the Alliance for Children international adoption agency in 1974, adoption has been a normal state of affairs in the Casey household. We had collaborated before and the idea came out of conversations we had about future projects we could do together. Additionally, a few years ago, Alliance adoptive families started posting personal narratives about their adoption experiences on the Alliance website and we received feedback from people saying that they loved hearing about other peoples experiences and they felt they had common experiences. Over the years we have both heard countless interesting and unique stories about how adoption has touched people’s lives and we wanted to share them with the general public.

2. What was the biggest challenge in writing a book that was so close to both of your hearts?

The most challenging part was choosing the stories and not being able to publish them all! Otherwise, although at times it can be difficult to distance yourself from work that is so close to you personally, we found that in this project, our life experiences only helped us to better understand the contributors and what they were trying to say.

3. What was it like to work as a mother/daughter team?

One of the best things about working on this book was working together to do it. An unintended result from the project, but one we were both grateful for, was that working together improved and strengthened our relationship by allowing each other to respect and understand the other person’s perspective. We've learned a great deal about one another and we have even greater respect for each other now.

4. When did you tell Marisa she was adopted?

Marisa was three years old when she was adopted from Bogotá, Colombia. Fluent in Spanish and a very chatty little girl, she knew what was happening when the adoption went through. We have always spoken openly about adoption in our family and there have been times when she did not want to talk about it at all and other times when she had many questions that we have tried to answer as best as we could.

5. Have you searched for Marisa’s birth family?

No, we have never initiated a search for Marisa's birth family. The decision to search is something that each individual must decide for himself or herself. Marisa has never expressed any interest in searching but if she did decide to go down that road one day, the whole family would be supportive of her decision. Either way, it is Marisa's choice and we stand by her.

6. How do you think adoption is perceived in the United States?

Born in Our Hearts intends to make a difference on how the world perceives adoption and those touched by adoption. Six of every 10 Americans have had a personal experience with adoption. That means that they, a family member or close friend were adopted, adopted a child, or placed a child for adoption.

Unfortunately, there seems to be more negative coverage about adoption than positive in the media. We hear stories about scandals and fraud or television shows that are exploiting adoptive families. As a family brought together by adoption and as practitioners in the field, we know that while these cases are serious and need to be addressed, they are the minority.

By compiling Born in Our Hearts, we wanted to educate and inform others about the more positive aspects of adoption while also representing a realistic portrayal of the various sides of what we call the adoption triad: birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive parents. Despite sensationalized coverage, adoption is an option that families are choosing now more than ever.

7. Has adoption changed in the past 30 years?

Over the 30 years Filis has been working in the field, she has experienced a number of trends. Besides the steady increase of families choosing to adopt each year, there has been a shift to international adoption as the more popular option for families. There are a number of reasons why international adoptions seem to be particularly prevalent at this moment in time. The two most pressing, in our opinion, are the seemingly more streamlined process of adoption in some foreign countries and the willingness of families to find loving homes for children in need, no matter where they were born. Today, families come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and nationalities and adoption is just one example of this reality. The face of the nations has been changed and is more diverse.

8. Who is your audience and what do you hope they take away from this book?

Anyone who has been touched by adoption will relate to some aspect of this book and the issues it raises. However, in the end, these stories are about love and specifically the love of a family. Whether or not you are considering adoption, have adopted, or are simply curious, we hope that you will find something in this book that touches your heart. We hope that each person who reads this book will go away understanding a little bit more about the world of adoption and recognizes it as just another way to create a family. We believe that stories are a link for all families and Born In Our Hearts is a celebration of our commonalities as well as our uniqueness.

9. What advice would you give to families who are looking into adoption?

Read this book! Seriously, we recommend talking to other families who have adopted and to contact a number of agencies in your area that provide adoption services. Families should get both personal and professional advice from a number of sources. Definitely ask a lot of questions and find the road that makes the most sense for your family. On this website, we have included a number of links to resources that may be helpful for families looking into adoption.

10. Any plans for another book?

Since all the proceeds are donated to needy children around the world, we would like to write another book to support more children. We are still thinking about how we would structure a second book. Whereas Born in Our Hearts touched upon many aspects of adoption, we are considering focusing on one aspect of adoption in particular and exploring it more in depth in another book. Keep checking the website for more information.