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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Born in Busan, South Korea, I spent seven weeks with my birth family and the next four months in an orphanage and foster home, before being flown to Washington, D.C. to my adoptive family. I was raised in a Jewish American family with my older sister, who was adopted domestically. A classic adoptee overachiever, I excelled in school, went on to college, and then to law school, working as a family law litigator for five years before leaving the dark side for a family law legal clinic.

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My life changed when my husband and I decided to adopt our oldest son from Korea. The experience forced me from the warm but limiting adoptee fog, the  cloud of denial that adoptees must fight through to become whole, and left me feeling shocked and overwhelmed by the true breadth of feelings experienced as an adoptee adopting. This continued with the adoption of my second son, the birth of my daughter, and the continued parenting of my kids.

I currently spend my day homeschooling my sons, chasing my baby daughter around the house, and spoiling my dog with a lot of walks to clear my head. And in between all those things, I write. 

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I began writing in my journal at six years old, describing the deliciousness of a "balony" sandwich and graduated each year through various notebooks, first covered with unicorns and cats, then spiral notebooks, and then leather bound ones. Regardless of the container, the writing filled the pages and became my own private sanctuary. When I let a friend of mine in on my writing, she told me about a writing group called Adoptee Voices and I finally felt comfortable enough to share it.

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My hope is that other adoptees, adoptive parents, or those who serve in both roles like me will feel seen, be inspired to share their story, and more wholly navigate the lifelong experience of adoption. 

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