Jane Jeong Trenka

In the wake of the tsunami, some well-intentioned Americans looked into adopting orphaned children. Perhaps they should read Jan Jeong Trenka’s memoir, The Language of Blood, before buying a ticket to Jakarta. “Remember that your joy as a parent is a direct result of your child’s first loss,” Trenka cautions adoptive parents. A Korean-born child adopted into a white Northern Minnesota family, Trenka writes of her search for her birth mother, who was forced to give her up, and her struggles to come to terms with an Asian identity her adoptive parents never recognized. Her story, told in part through one-act plays, dream sequences, and crossword puzzles, won a 2004 Minnesota Book Award. 7001 York Ave. S., Edina; 952-847-5900