"WONDERLAND is an important contribution to everyone in the adoption world, from policy-makers to professionals to the millions of people for whom this intricate institution is part of daily life. It vividly shows the very real consequences when bad actors exploit systemic vulnerabilities in the adoption system and – most pointedly – it provides a much-needed reminder of why transparency, equity, honesty, and adoptee-centered practices are vital. Oh, did I mention that it’s a compelling read for almost anyone?" —Adam Pertman, Author of Adoption Nation | President, National Center on Adoption and Permanency | Twenty-year veteran journalist at The Boston Globe, whose "Adoption Revolution" series earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination and transformed the national conversation on adoption.

"Tender, funny, quietly devastating, and deeply moving, Meyer transforms a profoundly personal story into something universal. As she searches for an answer to one of life's greatest questions — what does it mean to belong? — she crafts an unforgettable portrait of a woman born through the black market adoption system. With wit and remarkable emotional clarity, WONDERLAND is a profound meditation on the ways complicated family dynamics and invisible systems of power shape our lives." —T. J. Raphael, award-winning investigative journalist, NPR contributor, creator of Audible's Liberty Lost podcast, contributing researcher at Columbia University's Human Rights Institute - Reproductive Freedom Project 

"WONDERLAND is an unsettling and deeply necessary account of what can happen when maternal desperation collides with greed and systemic abuse. Patricia Knight Meyer's story is a haunting portrait of the Baby Scoop Era. But it's also a warning. As reproductive rights diminish state by state, this memoir argues that we may be headed toward Baby Scoop Era 2.0. Every legislator, every advocate, everyone who touches the child welfare system should read this book." — Brienne Brown, Wisconsin State Representative

“Wonderland is a reckoning… an in your face, here and now, tale of human trafficking. Patricia soulfully unpacks the complicated story of her black-market life…” —Jane Blasio, Author of Taken at Birth: My Journey to Finding Home, as featured in the 2019 TLC/Discovery docuseries, Taken at Birth, an investigation of black-market baby trading.

"WONDERLAND is essential reading for anyone in child welfare, psychology, law, and policy. But most of all, it’s a riveting read. You might think this is an outlier story. It isn’t. Read it twice. First, for the incredible story, then to descend with Patricia down the rabbit hole of lies, secrets and corruption that continues to plague child welfare today. Patricia is an accomplished advocate, a daring detective, and an excellent writer to boot." —Dr Joyce Maguire Pavao, Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; and Founder of PACT (Pre/Post Adoption Consulting and Training), CEO of Pavao Consulting and Coaching, Center For Family Connections. Author of The Family of Adoption, Beacon Press

"Meyer excavates her own identity through deep layers of trauma and trafficking, loss and longing... a coming-of-age story, a personal mystery, and a heartfelt reckoning all in one.” —Gretchen Sisson, Sociologist, Author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood

“Meyer conveys the complexity of the adoptee’s inner life, shaped by uncertainty, hypervigilance, and deep, hearty—sometimes incongruous—love... adoption is ever-present, a force that expands and contracts her world, an alternately frightening and exhilarating wonderland.” —Amy Seek, Author of God and Jetfire

Meyer’s memoir, Wonderland, is its own rabbit hole. Her engaging, heart-wrenching narrative takes the reader down the windy, confusing, exhilarating tunnel that is adoption and adoption reunion. She pulls no punches as she shares with courageous honesty her story as an adoptee, raised in a beautiful and brutal home, who then searches for her birth community. Meyer’s story highlights the pain and trauma not only of the adoption experience but also of infertility and, on a deeper level, what it means to make a family and keep a family. Through her exquisite storytelling, Meyer can take us on this profound journey holding simultaneously the beauty and pain of her life as an adoptee. —Rebecca C. Wellington, PhD, historian and adoptee, author of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

“This memoir unfolds with the momentum of a television series—propulsive and immersive—yet grounded in precise dialogue and careful attention to scene and setting... illuminating the complex realities of adoption, including the lasting impact of falsified records and unregulated systems.” —Dr. Liz DeBetta, Founder of Migrating Toward Wholeness™, author of Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal

“WONDERLAND forces readers to confront a reality that adoption narratives often avoid: that systems built on secrecy make ordinary people complicit in harm. Clear-eyed and rigorously honest, this memoir belongs in any serious conversation about the legacy of the Baby Scoop Era.” —Julie Ryan McGue, Author of Twice a Daughter, Twice the Family, and Belonging Matters

“With unswerving courage, compassion, and a commitment to discovering the truth, Knight weaves together the lived experience of adoptees, first parents, and adoptive parents... she gives voice to both the enduring wounds of adoption and the transformative power of reclaiming our stories.” —Ronit Plank, Author of When She Comes Back, host of Let’s Talk Memoir podcast

“Patricia’s story is a powerful testament to what happens when identity is built on secrecy, and what becomes possible when truth is finally uncovered. Her journey from being sold as a newborn to reclaiming her legal and personal identity decades later reveals the profound impact of trauma, fear, and the lifelong search for belonging. This courageous memoir offers hope to adoptees, parents, and anyone who believes that healing begins when we dare to face the truth.” —Bryan Post, an internationally recognized clinician and speaker, adoption expert, best-selling author of From Fear to Love, and founder of Bondify.ai

Awards: 2026 IndieReader Award Winner — True Crime | 2026 Eric Hoffer Finalist | 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist | 2026 Indies Today Finalist Memoir

WONDERLAND: Memoir of a Black-Market Adoption (Unsolicited Press, November 3, 2026) is supported by an active national publicity campaign including Tier 1 review submissions (NYT, Boston Globe, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, SF Chronicle), a planned review in Hippocampus Magazine, and a 37+ podcast tour with episodes stacked around launch week. The author will appear at bookstore readings across Texas and New Orleans, book festivals, adoption camps and conferences including keynote appearances, and a launch event in Austin, Texas. She is also a proposed panelist at AWP 2027. The author has 280,000+ YouTube views on her birth family reunion story and active platforms at myadoptedlife.com and wonderlandthememoir.com.

DONT MISS THE AUDIO EASTER EGG (HINT: BACK MATTER)

Media contact: Hannah Karau | pr@wonderlandthememoir.com