Lisa J. Turkheimer

Write to Pitch Assignment Hatched A Memoir of Discovery and Love from the Heart of an Adoptee By Lisa J. Turkheimer Story Statement Lisa, an adoptee, receives an e-mail from a close match on Ancestry.com, which catapults her into a full-blown investigation to find her biological family. Once Lisa finds her biological family, new truths about her origins invoke mixed emotions. As Lisa begins to develop relationships with her biological family, memories from her past resurface, helping her make sense of all the scattered puzzle pieces that will soon complete her life. Antagonistic Force Lisa, the protagonist's mother, Joyce, never wanted Lisa to find her biological family as she feared being replaced. Lisa struggles with her decision to find her biological family as she feels she is being disloyal to her parents. Throughout Lisa's childhood and adulthood, her relationship with her mother was complicated and contentious. Joyce had difficulty expressing love, leaving Lisa wondering if her mother ever really loved her. Bryce, Lisa's daughter, initially encouraged her mom to find her biological family; she thought it would be cool to know the truth about her, and her mom's origins. However, nothing could prepare Bryce for the deep connections her mom/Lisa made with their new biological family and the frequency with which they visited and spoke on the phone. Bryce was subtle at first with her underhanded negative comments towards her mother and her new biological family. Eventually, Bryce's emotions came to a head, revealing her reasons for her erratic behavior. Breakout Title Hatched The Blue Speckled Egg Sub-Title A Memoir of Discovery and Love from the Heart of an Adoptee Title Comparison Inheritance by Dani Shapiro and Hatched by Lisa J. Turkheimer Memoirs, Inheritance, and Hatched are similar in that both memoirists were in their fifties when they discovered their origins through Ancestry.com. Both women had to play detective when putting together the details of their life stories. In addition, they each had to learn to tread through uncharted water, eventually discovering their new biological truth. The difference is how Shapiro and Turkheimer embrace their new biological connections. Shapiro is more guarded concerning her relationship with her biological father, which was slow to develop. Turkheimer's father-daughter relationship moved at a quicker pace and developed into a mutual loving relationship. Shapiro's story encompasses a lot of information about ATF- (Artificial Insemination) as Turkheimer delves into closed adoption during The Baby Scoop Era of the sixties. Both memoirs are reflective accounts of the environments in which the memoirists grew up. Forgotten memories resurface, unveiling a new understanding of their existence that they eventually make peace with. Surrender by Marylee Macdonald and Hatched by Lisa J. Turkheimer Surender is a memoir from the perspective of a birth mother, and Hatched, also a memoir, is from the perspective of an adoptee; both memoirs are accounts from the Baby Scoop Era. The protagonist in each story gives you varying insights into all the pros and cons of such a dramatic event: separating a baby from its birth mother and the consequences that follow. The most significant difference in each memoir was how the memoirist continued their relationships with their biological families. In Surrender, after the reunion, the birth mother and her son went years without contact. In contrast, in Hatched, the adoptee and her biological family equally spent years developing their relationships, which ultimately created an unbreakable bond between them. Hook Line Lisa has an adventurous spirit, always living her life to the fullest; however, as an adoptee, she always had a desperate need to know her true-identity; until one fateful day, she received an email from a close match on Ancestry.com, catapulting her on a quest to find her biological family, and so much more. Protagonist's inner conflict Throughout Lisa's life, she desired to know her true identity; she was always aware that somewhere, out there, were people, her people, that she was born from and somehow belonged to. If it were not for her biological parents, she wouldn't exist, which prompted Lisa with questions: why am I here? What is my purpose? Unfortunately, Lisa was a statistic from the Baby Scoop Era, and because of the archaic closed adoption system, she endured part of her life with a void that resided in her heart. During Lisa's search for her biological family, she found some pictures online of various people who might be her relatives. She immediately begins to worry that they may not want to be found, and that she could be disrupting their seemingly happy lives. Lisa was fearful: what if her birth family did not like her? Protagonist second conflict Once Lisa found her biological family, she was torn about telling her adoptive mom about finding her birth family as she never wanted to make her mom feel like she was not being loyal or grateful. Additional Conflicts While Lisa develops relationships with her birth parents, she tries to be strong and combats having expectations of them.. Lisa's birth mother comes to New Jersey for a weeklong visit. Unfortunately, Lisa endured listening to her birthmother rant about what a sinful, shameful thing she did back when Lisa was conceived, which caused Lisa to feel extremely hurt and defensive. Lisa battles whether to introduce her biological dad to her parents as she is worried about what their reaction will be. She waits over a year and a half before finally introducing them. (At the time of the introduction, Lisa's mother had the beginning stages of dementia, and her father was plagued with full-blown Alzheimer's.) Although Lisa is ecstatic to know her biological family, she is sad that her daughter Bryce does not feel the same way, which causes a buildup of tension that results in a blow-up. Setting The primary setting is in the Garden State of New Jersey, and the secondary location is in the Peach State of Georgia. The North meets the South. Lisa, a Jersey girl, couldn't believe her birth parents were both from Georgia! If Lisa had not been put up for adoption, (she would have been a Southern peach.) When Charles, Lisa's Biological father, first received a voicemail message from a girl from New Jersey stating she had a personal matter to discuss, he immediately thought, "I've never been to New Jersey, and I don't know anyone from there, It's a Scam!" No matter what Lisa's and Charles's preconceptions were on how different they both seemed to one another and how contrasting they lived their lives, they would soon see the likeness between them as well as the similarities of the country settings of South Jersey and Georgia.