Philomena (Movie Tie-In)

A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search

Foreword by Dame Judi Dench
Look inside
New York Times Bestseller

The heartbreaking true story of an Irishwoman and the secret she kept for 50 years and the basis for the major motion picture starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan

When she became pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to a convent to be looked after as a “fallen woman.” Then the nuns took her baby from her and sold him, like thousands of others, to America for adoption. Fifty years later, Philomena decided to find him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Philomena’s son was trying to find her. Renamed Michael Hess, he had become a leading lawyer in the first Bush administration, and he struggled to hide secrets that would jeopardize his career in the Republican Party and endanger his quest to find his mother.

A gripping exposé told with novelistic intrigue, Philomena pulls back the curtain on the role of the Catholic Church in forced adoptions and on the love between a mother and son who endured a lifelong separation.
Martin Sixsmith is a journalist and the author of several fiction and nonfiction books. From 1980 to 1997 he worked as the BBC's correspondent in Moscow, Washington, Brussels, and Warsaw, and from 1997 to 2002 as director of communications for the British government. He lives in London. View titles by Martin Sixsmith

About

New York Times Bestseller

The heartbreaking true story of an Irishwoman and the secret she kept for 50 years and the basis for the major motion picture starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan

When she became pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to a convent to be looked after as a “fallen woman.” Then the nuns took her baby from her and sold him, like thousands of others, to America for adoption. Fifty years later, Philomena decided to find him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Philomena’s son was trying to find her. Renamed Michael Hess, he had become a leading lawyer in the first Bush administration, and he struggled to hide secrets that would jeopardize his career in the Republican Party and endanger his quest to find his mother.

A gripping exposé told with novelistic intrigue, Philomena pulls back the curtain on the role of the Catholic Church in forced adoptions and on the love between a mother and son who endured a lifelong separation.

Author

Martin Sixsmith is a journalist and the author of several fiction and nonfiction books. From 1980 to 1997 he worked as the BBC's correspondent in Moscow, Washington, Brussels, and Warsaw, and from 1997 to 2002 as director of communications for the British government. He lives in London. View titles by Martin Sixsmith

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more