Dr Barbara Sumner is an author, adoption activist, memoirist, filmmaker and researcher, based in Napier, New Zealand. She explores adoption, society and identity.
Adoption Deconstructed is a Substack newsletter and community for adopted people and those who care about them.
Tree of Strangers
A gripping, deeply personal memoir exploring adoption, identity, loss, and the longing for connection.
A beautifully written, raw and courageous memoir - part personal detective story, part social critique - that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
The Gallows Bird
A story of friendship, endurance, secret identities, and refusing to let history define one's destiny. The Gallows Bird’s vivid storytelling offers an unforgettable journey into a turbulent past.
“It packs a wallop”
John Campbell, TVNZ, on Tree of Strangers
“Completely riveting, wonderfully written, engaging on every level. I have lingered over it, absorbing and marvelling at the writers’ use of language, her honesty, her exquisitely captured sorrow and pain.”
Mike Riddell, author, on Tree of Strangers
“Riveting, informative and insightful.”
Christine Haebler, filmmaker, on Tree of Strangers