For author Nicole Chung, her adoption was more of a curiosity. Growing up Asian in a white family, Nicole always knew she was adopted. But she did not know much about her biological family and never had the urge to know until she had children of her own. Why was she left by parents she knew so little about? She knew she had been a sick baby and that she had older siblings; did those reasons have something to do with it? Chung eventually tries to start a relationship with her biological family, finding kinship but also some negative developments that keep her at a distance from this new/old family.

I love a book with short chapters. It helps make it more enjoyable and makes a quicker read. I read this for a book club and it is not something I would have picked on my own. It was an easy read and for people who enjoy biographies may like this.

On the downside I feel this was a story that could have been told as a short story or an article in a paper. There was a lot of stretching her story out.

All You Can Ever Know is a look inside the mind of an intelligent woman raised by a family full of love, but not all the information for a child of a different race. Adoptees and those who consider adopting will find solace and strength in a woman who learns that blood is not always thicker than water, but love can be a bridge to new horizons. As for me it was not a favorite but maybe others will gain something from reading this book.

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