ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the consequences of the irreversibility of particular kinds of experience for memory. Memories of troubling events can take on the status of defining experiences, becoming central to the life of the person who lays claim to them. It is in this sense that we use the term 'vital memories': memories that become pivotal to trying to make sense of a life The book concerns with experiences that are difficult, distressing, sometimes painful to recall and troublesome to accommodate in one's current sense of self and ongoing personal relationships. These are experiences that leave a mark that cannot be simply ignored or made irrelevant. The book explains about adoptive parents who wrestle with the dilemma of how to preserve the personal history of their adopted children without forcing them to engage with all the details immediately.
