The Secret of Me: A Novel in Verse

The acclaimed story of an adopted teenager's quest to find her place among family, friends, and the wider world.

Being adopted is a fact of life in the McLane household: fourteen-year old Lizzie, as well as her older brother and sister were adopted as infants. But facts are not feelings, and what it feels like to be adopted is something Lizzie never dares discuss with her loving parents, let alone with outsiders. Lizzie yearns to confide in others, especially her friend, Peter. Yet something stops her. Will Peter think she is "less" because her birthmother gave her away? Would telling be disloyal to her adoptive parents?

To make sense of her life, Lizzie pours her emotions into her poetry—list poems, sonnets, free verse, sestinas, blues—about her family, best friends, basketball, the dance. Then a tragic accident occurs, and Lizzie knows she must find the courage to speak.

In an afterword, the author discusses her own adoption and the beneficial powers of reading and writing poetry. Also included are a guide to the book's poetics and recommended books and links about adoption and poetry.