What They Stole: A Familicide Rooted in Intercountry Adoption - Paperback

$27.50

What They Stole: A Familicide Rooted in Intercountry Adoption - Paperback

Name: What They Stole: A Familicide Rooted in Intercountry Adoption - Paperback
Brand: BooksCloud
SKU: 9781685970673
Price: 27.50 USD
Availability: InStock

by Paige Towers

$27.50

Book Overview

In 1955, following the devastation of the Korean War, Bertha and Harry Holt made headlines for adopting eight Korean children. Driven by evangelical convictions and emboldened by a special act of Congress, the couple founded the Holt Adoption Program, which would facilitate the migration of tens of thousands of Korean children to the United States over the following decades.

The Sueppels were among the families profoundly shaped by the legacy of the Holt Adoption Program. To their suburban Iowa City community, Steven and Sheryl Sueppel were kind and charitable, humble yet magnetic--seemingly ideal candidates to adopt. But in 2008, when Steven found himself facing federal embezzlement and money laundering charges, he murdered Sheryl and their adopted children before ending his own life.

Paige Towers traces the interwoven histories of the Holts and the Sueppels, exploring the deeper, often hidden complexities of intercountry adoption: the ethical gray zones, the influences of religion and race, and the global inequalities that made such large-scale child migration possible. Meticulously researched and sensitive with its storytelling, What They Stole examines how good intentions can coexist with systemic harm--and how the consequences of systems like the Holts' can reverberate across generations.

ISBN	9781685970673
Author	Paige Towers
Publisher	University of Iowa Press
Genre	History and Relationships
Format	Paperback
Published	May 2026
Language	ENG- English
Pages	390
Weight	1.0 lb
Target Audience	Adults
Print Size	Standard Print