Far From the Tree

Andrew Solomon’s book « Far From The Tree: Parents, Children, And The Search For Identity” is a key reference in my book “Homing In.” He writes about children who fall far from the tree, including LGBTQ children, adopted children, Deaf children, disabled children, and children born with dwarfism. On the first page of his book he writes, “We depend on the guarantee in our children’s faces that we will not die. Children who’s defining quality annihilates that fantasy of immortality are a particular insult; we must love them for themselves, and not for the best of ourselves in them, and that is a great deal harder to do. Loving our children is an exercise for the imagination.” Solomon’s research into families allowed me to better understand the challenge parents face when they adopt a child who is biologically different. Difference can be challenging. Far From the Tree, a recent documentary inspired by the book is being shown at the 2022-2023 Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

In a 2023 interview with Christiane Amanpour Andrew Solomon explains that there is a current backlash against human rights and that some have recently called to ban his book. This underscores how we must never give up the fight for human rights. The film documents families that have found happiness in their differences. While confronting the challenge of being different, how can we find happiness in being ourselves?
 
Here is the trailer for the Far From The Tree documentary:

Here is the video from Andrew Solomon’s interview with Christiane Amanpour.