What is in a Name

What Is In A Name: A True Story of An Ethiopian-American Hero by Hal Tam

A powerful exploration of transcultural adoption, the invisible wounds of trauma, and the fierce, unyielding power of family love.

When eight-year-old Tsehay arrived in the United States from Ethiopia, his name was easily shifted to Thai-a simple, natural adjustment for everyone involved. At the time, it seemed like a minor detail.

The real complication arose years later, after he served in the Vietnam War. The invisible trauma of combat drove him into a destructive spiral of substance abuse, leading him to sever all ties and disappear into isolation.

Finding him became an extraordinary challenge. Not only had relocation disconnected his biological from his adoptive parents over the years, but a critical barrier stood in the way of the search to find him: His siblings were desperately looking for a brother named Tsehay, while he was known to the world as Thai.

It took a decade of relentless, cross-continental searching and an immense outpouring of sacrifice from his siblings to bridge that gap and pierce through his isolation. This was far more than a return to normal-it was a profound restoration back to a family of deep love and relation, gifting him an entirely new life. Through their unwavering devotion, his true name, his heritage, and his place in the world were finally reclaimed and restored.