Switched At Birth: My Life in Someone Elses World

By Frederick J. George

Book Overview

After inexplicably being placed in the wrong bassinet at the city hospital, the author grew up with a nagging feeling of somehow not belonging, and with a father who always suspected the child was not... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439204829
• ISBN13: 9781439204825
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
• Length: 218 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

An Outsider Within....

"Switched at Birth" by Frederick J. George tells the author's life growing up as someone else. How so? It all started the day he was born and then promptly placed with the wrong family. A simple case of mistaken identity easily corrected if caught at the right moment turned into a lifetime of learning to live in a world not readily accepting og outsiders...even those that appear to be from within. With an introspective voice, the author takes us into the world he grew up knowing and the world he always knew was there. It was amazing to "see" first hand how even though he was separate from his DNA matching family, he still developed traits identifiable later in life. The humorous stories mixed with more seriuos revelations give balance to the book, making it enjoyable for regular readers of this genre as well as the seldom meddler. Certainly worth a spot on your future to be read list....

a great read!

This is a captivating memoir about a man who had been mistakenly given to the wrong parents by a nurse, and how he was raised, treated, and what led him to discover his true origins and family roots. I have a high standard in the books that I read and enjoy, and this was definitely one of the best memoirs that I have ever read. An even better part about this book is that it is completely true. The author explains that though he understands her true parentage and attempts to bond with her real mother, the people he was raised by are his true parents. I reccomend anyone to read this book. I absolutely loved it, and so should you.

Switched at Birth

Switched at Birth offers the reader an insight to the life of a man that grew up in the wrong family. Wrong being by his DNA. This book shares the life of Fred George. He wanted to share what his life was like when he was growing up so his birth mother would have some idea of who her son was. He had always knew he didn't quite fit in with his family the George's, but their was nothing he could do at the time. He made the best of the situation he was in. This book was a very entertaining read. I found myself unable to put it down. I think everyone has always thought to their selves at one time I wonder if I was switched at birth. Now you can read the story of someone that truly was.

Not what I was expecting, but definitely a worthwhile read

When I first heard about this book I was expecting a great saga-the drama of being switched at birth, the trauma to a child who had to grow up in a family where he didn't belong with a father who thought he was the product of his mother's affair. I was surprised to discover that this read more like a history book than an off-the-shelf paperback, but once I moved beyond that I found this to be a very poignant read. The purpose of this book, written by author Frederick George, was not written to describe his switch at birth but to fill in the birth mother he met decades after his birth on the events of his life. Parents who have given their children up for adoption always have the same questions-how were you raised, were you happy, how was your school/early work/experiences, etc. Because Helen Churchman was denied the right to get to know all of these things as Frederick was growing up because the nurses switched the two babies at birth, this book tells the story of Frederick's life from his birth to his present with the George family. It's an interesting historical accounting, complete with pictures, that provides readers with an up close view of the culture of the times. I had to laugh when I saw hairstyles and clothing left long in the past! Readers, knowing his history, will feel for Frederick as he time and time again crosses paths with his destiny before ultimately discovering that he wasn't who he spent his whole life believing he was-and all of them will cheer at the end when he has the opportunity, after starting a family of his own, to be reunited with the mother who gave him life.

a memoir with a twist

A memoir with a twist, "Switched at Birth" by Frederick J. George examines the coincidences of life. Placed in the wrong bassinet in the hospital, Frederick didn't confirm the switch until he was 57, and the parents he had grown up with were already passed on; his birth mother the only parent left to embrace in this deeply moving time. His father had always been suspicious, even accusing Frederick's mother of having had an affair. He always looked a little different than his siblings in family photos, and had slightly different interests, but Fred had tried to fit in. Fate also tried, making efforts to step in, crossing the paths of both boys and their families over the years. Fred's brother was even friends with the switched boy, Jim. Ironic is the word that comes to mind, almost unbelievable is the tale. Fred shares the histories of both of his families and how he came to understand them. He opens up, telling readers of his relationship with his birth mother, as it began so much later than it possibly should have. The writing is reminiscent of the passed down family legend, purely memoir. An interesting book about a twist of fate.