Should I get my bf an ancestory book about his adopted family's last name he

Question:He was born in Korea but lives in the us and has no ties to Korea at all. Would this be an odd gift for someone who is adopted since it is technically not their family history.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: He was born in Korea but lives in the us and has no ties to Korea at all. Would this be an odd gift for someone who is adopted since it is technically not their family history.

I personally have an adopted son. HIS perception is that he IS a valid part of this family and history, regardless of how he entered the family. Many genealogical purists would not agree with that. You might call me a purist, but my solution for my son, is that he can accept it as "his" heritage, which does not at all close the door on finding his biological lineage. I know who and where his bio mom is.. he presently does not choose to open that door.
But.. there is another side to your question. The generic "family" histories (surname books) are for the most part, total rip offs. The ones I know of, make NO EFFORT at actually researching anything.. including a list of addresses/ phone listings of persons with the name is NOT a family history. PLEASE, it is waste of money, even if he was not adopted.
Depending on his adopted family's perspective.. you might work with his mom to create a scrapbook for him, with pictures and mementos of his childhood, etc. That would be a real memento of who he is today.

I think it depends on the person and they handle their adoption. Some people don't handle it well and it hurts to talk about their birth family.

Plus it depends on his age too. He may not be mature enough to handle it well.

Also you may want to look and see how his adoptive parents will handle it.

You may want to talk it over with someone he is really close to like his best friend and see how they think he'll handle it.

No, for two reasons.

First, unless you are paying a competent professional $50 an hour for 40 - 80 hours to research the book, it won't be about his family in particular; it will be a conglomeration of facts about people with his (adopted) father's surname, with no (or little) genealogical value. I've been doing genealogy for 30 years and I'm fascinated by it. I would not appreciate a book about the Pack family that someone bought from Ancestry. I've mentioned that as casually as I can to all of the people with whom I exchange gifts. If I wouldn't like it, he wouldn't.

Second, he's adopted. He probably loves and respects the family that brought him up, but his connection with his adopted parents' dead great aunts and uncles is tenuous at best.

Knit him a muffler.

has he showed interest in having one? if so get it for him