A review by scribepub
Ten Doors Down: The Story of an Extraordinary Adoption Reunion by Robert Tickner

Tickner’s sensitive portrayal of the woman at the heart of his story is a powerful refutation of an inhuman system that doomed generations of single mothers (described as ‘of low intelligence if not actually retarded’ by doctors) and their children (the so-called ‘clean slates’) to the unimaginable misery of forced adoptions. Hundreds and thousands of families were touched by these policies. This moving memoir tells the exceptional story of one of them. FOUR STARS
Julia Taylor, Books+Publishing

An emotional and deeply personal account of the complexity of family and the need to understand your origins. A great Australian story, which leaves the reader feeling positive about the triumph of humanity.
Anthony Albanese

This book confronts aspects of our shared historical past, some of which are horrible and shameful. I wept in parts. I felt sad and angry in other parts. But this book is also about happiness and hope. It is a story all Australians should read.
Professor Mick Dodson, AM

Magnificently moving. You won’t be able to put it down. A testament to a mother’s love – and a son’s — full of heart, truth, and power. The final pages will break you.
Nikki Gemmell

Ten Doors Down is an intelligent and readable account of one man's attempt to reconnect with his birth family ... To read of this journey is truly a privilege.
Penelope Cottier, Canberra Times

An emotional journey with an insider’s insights into the political and cultural world of late 20th-century Australia.
Michael Madigan, Courier Mail

Ten Doors Down is a memoir on the significance of a mother’s care and the power of familial love ... Ten Doors Down is an emotional and deeply personal story, and Tickner’s insights into family are moving and uplifting.
Georgia Brough, ArtsHub

An epic, emotionally challenging, but ultimately heartwarming story about the power of familial bonds, love and life’s strange coincidences.
Rowan Cowley, The Senior

Optimistic and uplifting … a moving story, and told with economy and great focus.
Debra Adelaide, The Age

Ten Doors Down is [Robert Tickner’s] best book.
Alex Mitchell, Come the Revolution

This highly personal political memoir tells a heart-wrenching story of genealogical discovery and relationship formation ... At its core, Ten Doors Down is concerned above all with the nature of childhood itself. Reflecting on the reprehensible history of forced adoption in Australia, Tickner confronts many problematic historical assumptions about the nature and rights of a newborn child.
Josh Black, Australian Book Review