HOW often have we churned out basic details about ourselves on endless forms and in questionnaires?

Most of us take for granted facts such as our date of birth and mother's maiden name.

But Nobody's Child focuses on those whose births and family roots remain a mystery because they were abandoned as babies, left to the kindness of strangers.

It is a compelling read, highlighting the experiences and resilience of those named after hospital wards and railway stations, who are left to guess their backgrounds, to ponder whether their health problems are hereditary, whose 'birthdays' are simply the date they were found.

Among the well-known 'foundlings' featured are Fatima Whitbread and Andy McNab as well as others who have made the headlines simply because of their abandonment.

Kate Adie, who was adopted but was not a foundling, explores what it means to be curious about your roots but to never have the answers.

The interviewees are upbeat and positive, if slightly wistful but with little bitterness shown towards long-lost mums.

Drawing on historical research and contemporary interviews, Adie sheds light on how the fate of a foundling differs starkly depending where someone was born.

Each chapter has a fresh focus, from the 18th century philanthropist who established a foundling hospital in London to the lawless street children in Russia and the killing of unwanted babies in America.

Nobody's Child steers clear of being melodramatic or over-sentimental but is likely to touch a chord in every reader.

Updated: 10:43 Saturday, October 22, 2005