The Price of Children

The Price of Children is the never-told story of how the Vatican and the American Catholic Church sent nearly 4000 children of unwed Italian mothers to the United States for adoption between 1950 to 1970, falsely labeling them “war orphans” then later “orphans.” With the religious stigma of unwed motherhood turning families against daughters, and a Church and State wanting “illegitimate” children sent abroad, mothers were lied to, given forms to sign that they didn’t understand, or even told their baby had died, all to further supply this international adoption pipeline. Maria Laurino’s investigation began from a family discovery: a chance phone call from her cousin revealed that he had been one of these children, leading her to uncover an adoption scheme overseen by the highest levels of the Vatican.

Told through the voices of its perpetrators and victims, The Price of Children reveals stories of cruelty and corruption, of shameful decisions made by the powerful over the powerless. Beyond this shocking story, The Price of Children speaks to the legacy of patriarchy and how ancient Christian beliefs about female purity continue to affect women’s place in the world. As debates over abortion, IVF, and even contraception take center stage again, The Price of Children addresses urgent questions about women’s lives and makes clear how much is at risk in contemporary America.

“I could not put this book down. An amazing read…I was spellbound by the variety of stories revealed here of heartache, of children longing for their mothers and mothers forced to give up their children. Lives were changed irrevocably, and she warns us that they can be changed again in a similar, though more-up-to date manner. One of the best books I’ve recently read.” —Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Olive Kittredge‍

An extraordinary work of investigative journalism.” — Corriere della Sera

“By shedding light on the mistreatment suffered by single mothers of that time, [The Price of Children] invites all women to defend those civil rights which, today, are questioned in many parts of the world.” — Vanity Fair Italia

"[An] astonishing investigative work. . . . Maria Laurino’s painful, very rich and very human book. . . . Helps us ask fundamental questions about the present and the future.” — Doppiozero