BOOKS ON ADOPTION

 

Parents by Choice by Darin J. DeBlander and Terry E. Deblander

 

This book is a user-friendly book with easy to digest chapters, terminology, and questions concerning adoption and parenting of an infant and a toddler. 

It is an invaluable resource for potential parents, explaining the paperwork, financial, and emotional expectations of adoption as a normal, healthy option for creating a family.  The authors, adoptive parents, present their story in an honest, engaging dialog full of knowledge and perspectives, which allow for a realistic view of living the process.

 

Adoption Wisdom: A Guide to the Issues and Feelings of Adoption by Marlou Russell

 

The purpose of this book is threefold:  to prepare those who are considering adoption; to validate the feelings of adoptive parents, birth parents and adoptees; and to educate people about the lifelong impact of adoption.    By examining the many issues involved in adoption, this book provides the opportunity for the reader to gain a fuller appreciation of the complexities involved in the adoption experience.  ADOPTION WISDOM is a book for anyone who wants to know more about the realities of adoption.

 

Adoption is a Family Affair:  What Relatives and Friends Must Know by Patricia Irwin Johnston

 

Don't you wish that there was an easy way to explain the hows and whys of adoption to your parents and the other members of your family?  Well, wish no more.  Have them read ADOPTION IS A FAMILY AFFAIR.  They'll feel like they've sat down with a close friend to have a coffee-klatsch about adoption.  This book's conversational tone and wealth of information will turn them into adoption experts (and supporters) in no time.

 

When Friends Ask About Adoption:  Question and Answer Guide for

 Non-Adoptive Parents and Other Caring Adults by Linda Bothun

 

Friends and family often have questions about the adoption process, but they may be embarrassed or afraid to ask them.  This book answers these unasked questions.  It shows how friends and family can be supportive of the adoptive family.

 

The Handbook for Single Adoptive Parents by Hope Marindin

 

This book provides much-needed information of particular interest to single adopters.  It is divided into six sections: the mechanics of adoption; managing single parenthood; coping with challenges; personal adoption experiences; frequently asked questions; and studies by professional social scientists showing the success of single parent adoption.  THE HANDBOOK FOR SINGLE ADOPTIVE PARENTS is an indispensable guide for singles who are considering adoption.

 

Fatherhood for Gay Men:  An Emotional and Practical Guide to Becoming a Gay Dad by Kevin McGarry

 

This book is the story of one man's journey down the road less traveled-a single gay man adopting and raising his adopted sons.  This unique book details the emotional, financial, practical and social realities of the adoption process for gay men.

 

 

BOOKS ON FOSTER CARE

 

Do You Want to Be a Foster Parent by Sharon Davis and

Foster Parenting At Risk Children by Sharon Davis

 

Becoming a Foster Parent has many blind alleys that are impossible to negotiate without a proper guide.  Veteran foster parent Sharon Davis leads us through some of these passages in her books.  She guides us through the licensing process, as well as everyday issues.  Her humorous approach to a subject which offers few laughs is both refreshing and enlightening. 

 

Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison

 

The startling and ultimately uplifting narrative of one woman's thirteen year experience as a foster parent.

 

Turning Stones: My Days and Nights with Children at Risk by Mark Parent

 

For four years, Mark Parent was a respected caseworker in New York City's Emergency Services.  Shocking, illuminating, this book takes the readers into a world that many would rather not know about.

 

The Lost Children of Wilder:  The Epic Struggle to Change Foster Care by Nina Bernstein

 

Bernstein takes the reader behind the scenes of the foster care system, revealing its failures through the lens of two people's lives.

 

The Heart Knows Something different: Teenage Voices from the Foster Care System by Youth Communications, Al Desetta (Editor)

 

Forty one articles by teenagers in the foster care system.  Shows the reader from the inside out, the mix of pain and fear and sometimes happiness that the foster care experience involves.

 

Somebody Else's Kids by Torey L. Hayden

 

Four problem children were put into Torey HaydenÕs class because no one else wanted them.  Together, with the help of a remarkable teacher who cared too much to ever give up they became almost a family, able to give each other the love and understanding they found no where else.