Portals tells intertwining true life stories of adopting and being adopted as an older child. Spanning forty years of development the saga is told both from the perspective of Lillian, adopted at age nine, and of her adoptive father, each of them writing alternating chapters. Lillian frankly relates the harrowing abuse and neglect of her early childhood as well as her turbulent post-adoption adolescence including runaways, hospitalization, and leaving home at seventeen. Her psychologist father, William Miller, offers an honest inside perspective on the challenges of parenting a child through these turbulent years. Ultimately it is a redeeming tale of persistent love and post-traumatic growth as the two streams of their lives flow together in adoption and then apart again as Lillian nurtures a family of her own.
""Portals is a compelling autobiography, really two autobiographies, as told through the voices of a father and his adopted daughter. Together they share their stories of trauma, commitment, conflict, perseverance, and faith. That the father is a world-renowned psychologist adds even more complexity to their experience. This is a must-read for those who are looking for a tale of resiliency and hope.""
--Melinda Hohman, Director and Professor, School of Social Work, San Diego State University
""A heartbreaking autobiographical story. . . . Through more than three decades Portals illustrates how post-traumatic growth can occur. . . . Portals is a harrowing tale. But it also is the story of Love."" [from the Foreword]
--George Eman Vaillant, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
""Few books better convey the wisdom we need to go through--and grow through--traumatic experience. Readers will feel more alive and more able to face life's challenges.""
--Dale Larson, Professor, Counseling Psychology, Santa Clara University
""In this inspiring tale, a father and his adopted daughter each share their accounts of the endless struggles of dealing with the 'blows' life inflicts on them and their strengths in adapting to or overcoming them. The authors are refreshingly open about discussing their difficulties. I found their candor very moving; it made the book difficult to put down.""
--Allen Zweben, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research, Professor, School of Social Work, Columbia University
""This is a fascinating tale of two lives intertwined by daunting circumstances, ultimately proving how people can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles.""
--Pat Roberts, Artist and Author, Flag Is Up Farms, Solvang, California; parent of 47 foster children
William R. Miller is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico. Having published more than fifty books and hundreds of scientific and professional articles, he has been listed by the Institute for Scientific Information as one of the world's most cited scientists. He and his wife Kathy Jackson live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Lillian Kathleen Homer is the proud mother of two children. She and her brother Richard were adopted together following a traumatic early childhood. After living in New Mexico for forty years she and her husband Jeff now own and operate Shakti Cove Cottages in Ocean Park, Washington.
