A New American Family

A Love Story

Peter Likins (Author)
Paperback ($17.95), Hardcover ($29.95), Ebook ($17.95) Buy
By most accounts Pete Likins has had a successful life. But his personal accomplishments are only the backdrop for the real story—the story of his family, whose trials and triumphs hold lessons for many American families in the twenty-first century.

This poignant but ultimately empowering memoir tells the story of Peter Likins, his wife Patricia, and the six children they adopted in the 1960s, building a family beset by challenges that ultimately strengthened all bonds. With issues such as inter-racial adoption, mental illness, drug addiction, unwed pregnancy, and homosexuality entwined in their lives, the Likins’ tale isn’t just a family memoir—it’s a story of the American experience, a memoir with a message. With circumstances of race, age, and health making all of their children virtually unadoptable by 1960s standards, Pat and Pete never strayed from the belief that loyalty and love could build a strong family.

Both Pete and Pat have served as teachers, and Pete’s long academic career—holding positions as a professor, dean, provost, and then president—illuminates more than just his personal success. Pete’s professional attainments produce a context for his family story, wherein high achievements in educational, athletic, and financial terms coexist with the joys and sorrows of this exceptional family.

“Likins' memoir portrays the evolution of the nuclear family in the United States as family dynamics and structures change in our endlessly diverse country.”—Santa Cruz Sentinel




"Likins doesn't linger on tragedy, but celebrates a rich life."—Tucson Weekly
A New American Family
200 Pages 6 x 9 x 0.7
Published: February 2013Paperback ISBN: 9780816530410
Published: February 2011Hardcover ISBN: 9780816529315
Published: December 2012Ebook ISBN: 9780816501106

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