Adopt International: Everything You Need to Know to Adopt a Child from Abroad. O Robin Sweet & Patty Bryan. 1996. 430p. FS&G. Americans complete more than 10,000 international adoptions annually. This book is a godsend for those contemplating the process. The authors stress, however, that the task is not for the faint-hearted or those who only wish to “rescue” a child from his or her past; prospective adoptive parents must instead be prepared to give the child a future. The book thoroughly covers all legal, social, cultural, personal, and bureaucratic procedures involved, from selecting a placement agency to enrolling the new family member in an American school. Sweet and her husband have experienced the international adoption process, and she and Patty Bryan have produced a detailed, realistic guide highlighted by first-person accounts and numerous appendixes of adoption agencies, support groups, newsletters, and other resources. This could easily become the bible of a burgeoning adoption phenomenon. — Patricia Hassler. © 1996, American Library Association. All rights reserved.

Adopted Child, The: Family Life With Double Parenthood. Christa Hoffman-Riem. 1989. 276p. Transaction Publications. Takes the reader through the decision to adopt, the adoption placement procedure, and the transition from “applicant” to “Mother and Father.” A central concern is secrecy and disclosure with regard to the adopted child ’s origins.

Adopted Children. Jan De Hartog. rev ed. 1987. 265p. Adama Books. (Reissue of book previously published as The Children: A Personal Record for the Use of Adoptive Parents in 1969 by Schribners.) In this book, Mr. de Hartog gives us personal accounts of adoption of Asian children in the 1960s, but his observations and insights are equally applicable to intercountry adoptions today, particularly in light of the fact that intercountry adoptions are an ever-increasing component of the whole picture of adoption. His book is not a “how to,” but rather a “what to do after” guide.

Adopted Children at Home & at School: The Integration After Eight Years of 116 Thai Children in the Dutch Society. RAC Hoksbergen, F Juffer & BC Waardenburg. 1987. 105p. Swets & Zeitlinger B.V. With the intercountry adoption of children being an ever-more-common phenbomenon, the question arises as to how the adaptation of foreign children in Western society is working out. This book gives an account of the investigation into the experiences of 88 Dutch families with 116 children adopted from Thailand, providing information of interest to adopted children, adoptive parents and interested professionals.

Adopted They Come With Love. John T Strausser. 2006. 58p. Infinity Publishing. Two baby girls adopted from China into our family. As they were growing up it became clear that the things they were doing, their life experiences and the things that they said would be something to remember. Here, in this book, are the real life experiences of Mayli and Baiyin and their new family. The events were all written down as they occurred, and tell how they reacted and how they were treated. The things recorded in this book are not only for parents of adopted children, but I am sure it will bring back memories for many grandparents. Is it not a fact that we, as humans, cannot recall all the good things our children did as they were growing up? May this book help you to remember.

Adopting a Daughter From China. Denise Harris Hoppenhauer. 2006. 234p. iUniverse, Inc. From the Author of Adopting a Toddler, Denise Hoppenhauer brings you Adopting a Daughter from China. Written for first-time parents, the practical advice offered here combines the challenging aspects of parenthood, with personal experience and the unique needs of adoptive families. This easy-to-read book covers every aspect of adopting from China: preparing the nursery, changing a name, the baby wardrobe, child development, selecting a pediatrician, child safety, feeding baby, the wait, packing for your trip, travel to China, early days together, pre- and post-adoption resources, and more. About the Author: Denise Harris Hoppenhauer is the author of Adopting a Toddler: What Size Shoes Does She Wear?. She is the Executive Director of Adobaby, LLC, which specializes in Adoption Consultations and Dossier Assistance. She lives in Greenville, SC, with her husband Michael and their two children Callie and Sean.

Adopting Alesia: My Crusade for My Russian Daughter. Dee Thompson. 2009. 202p. Scribblerchick Books. What do you do when you encounter a spirited little girl in a Russian orphanage and know in your heart that she is yours and you have to adopt her? For single, childless, 40-year-old Dee Thompson, it began with an astonishing dream of a little girl reaching out to her. Meeting the little girl led to an almost two year odyssey that changed Dee forever. Throughout the adoption, hurdles kept popping up that sent Dee reeling—a job layoff, an uncooperative orphanage director, a boyfriend who broke her heart, friends and family members telling her she was crazy, an uncaring agency that kept telling her to choose a different child—and many others. Despite everything, Dee’s faith in God, support from her mother, and single-minded conviction that she had to bring her daughter home helped her stay on course. Letters from her daughter Alesia brightened the long, scary months of waiting. Finally, all the mountains had been moved, and a mother and daughter came home from Russia, a family at last.

Adopting Eldar: Joy, Tragedy & Red Tape. Randall Baker. 2005. 240p. Authorhouse. From the Publisher: At its simplest, this is the story of an adoption. Simple stops there. How is this different? The 13-year-old boy initiates the process himself. None of the boy’s living parents has ever met each other, and they do not share a common language. He comes from one of the remotest, yet loveliest, locations in the world—the North Caucasus. The rules for this process are unfathomable, especially as he comes to America at precisely the moment the USSR collapses. The parents—all of them—decide to form an extended family, which is how Siberia comes to a guest house in Bellingham, WA. At every point where the process seems irremediably impossible, exactly the right person appears with the powers to cut through the Gordian knot; over and over again. At the final moment, when everything has been achieved, the story takes a turn no one could have anticipated, and another roller-coaster is set in motion. This is a book that takes you to Europe’s highest mountain, to Moscow in chaos, to the streets and valleys of Bulgaria, and the palaces of Vienna, all part of the unimaginable tangle that begins when a 13-year-old Russian sends a fax to America. Anyone who has been involved with adoption, or has contemplated adoption, will feel the twists and turns, the emotional peaks and valleys. Normally, international adoptions involve infants, who in effect, start an entirely new life before they are old enough to remember anything about their pre-adoption days. On the other hand, a 13-year-old is already formed; has a culture and a language (which isn’t yours); has parents who have raised him—so why would they let him go? He still loves his birth parents, and they have raised him well. So, what is going on? Inthis case, has had more than his fair share of tragedy, dislocation and trauma, and is in for a lot more before the book is done The story truly has all the elements of a suspense novel, and it teaches you never to take anything for granted, never to give up, and never to think that anything is hopeless. There is deep, deep sadness in this book, as well as the miracle of two families fusing into one. There is a lot of laughter too, and many, many wonderful characters, some of whom could have stepped out of the pages of Dickens. Furthermore, what happened next—well that is even more remarkable. But, that is another story.

Adopting in China: A Practical Guide/an Emotional Journey. Kathleeen Wheeler & Doug Werner. 1999. 128p. Tracks Publishing. In recent years the Chinese government has made it easier for foreigners to adopt Chinese babies. There are currently over 4 million Chinese baby girls in orphanages, and the number of Americans adopting these orphans keeps growing. Adopting in China is a resource guide for people interested in adopting a Chinese baby—what to do, where to go, who to see, and how much. It simplifies important information about procedures, forms, and agencies. It is also a personal story of a middle-aged couple’s quest to become parents—why and how they made the decision and what went on before, during, and after their trip to China.

Adopting In Russia: Your Rights & the Law. Irina Mikhailovna O’Rear. 2002. 296p. Russia Legal Press. Adopting in Russia is a book that contains clear and comprehensive information about adopting in Russia and the Laws that apply. These important laws have been translated from Russian into English and provides the readers with true and accurate content in order to understand their legal rights as they apply to adoption in Russia. It is also intended to answer many of the common questions that will guide adopters through their adoption and decision-making process.

Adopting Natasha: My First Year as a Mother. Carol Lee. 2002. 90p. Publishing Cooperative. Adopting Natasha: My First Year as a Mother describes the realities of adopting an older child from Russia. In vivid personal detail, Carol Lee shares her experiences with international adoption procedures, the Russian legal system, and the considerable at-home preparation involved in adopting. Most importantly, she describes what it is really like to suddenly become mother to a four-year-old, non-English-speaking child. After 40-plus years of being single and childless, the author grapples with the challenges of being a new mom. To her surprise and glee, she also finds herself engaged to a Russian man.

Adoption: International Perspectives. Euthymia Hibbs, ed. 1991. 342p. International University Press.

Adoption & Spirituality: A Practical Guide & Reflections. John D Rudnick, Jr. 2000. 144p. Willis Music Co. Based on his personal journal, the author combines the details of an international adoption with religion, the Bible and spirituality. Intimate reasons why his family adopted (including experience with infertiltiy and failed private adoptions), the process they followed, and the positive effects on their family are provided. The practical advice, expectations, and considerations have applicability to both domestic and international adoption. About the Author: John D. Rudnick, Jr. and his wife, Kathleen (Cranley) are the parents of Katie, Jonathan and Jane. A native of Boston, MA, and a U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps veteran, he served as a healthcare administrator for 25 years. His responsibilities included management of several children’s social services programs. Mr. Rudnick traveled to China in 1996 to complete the adoption of their youngest daughter, Jane. He is a frequent speaker and writer on the topic of international adoption.

Adoption in Eastern Oceania. Vern Carroll, ed. 1970. 422p. (Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania, Monograph #1). University of Hawaii Press. Contains 15 papers. Includes: A. Howard, et al., “Traditional & Modern Adoption Patterns in Hawaii”; A. Hooper, “Adoption in the Society Islands”; R.I. Levy, “Tahitian Adoption as a Psychological Message”; P. Ottino, “Adoption on Rangiroa Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago”; V. Carroll, “Adoption on Nukuoro”; M.D. Lieber, “Adoption on Kapingamarangi”; M. G. Silverman, “Banaban Adoption”; H.P. Lundesgaarde, “Some Legal Aspects of Gilbertese Adoption”; B. Lambert, “Adoption, Guardianship, & Social Stratification in the Northern Gilbert Islands”; J.L. Fischer, “Adoption on Ponape”; R.G. Goodenough, “Adoption on Romonum, Truk”; A. Howard, “Adoption on Rotuma”; H. W. Scheffler, “Kinship & Adoption in the Northern New Hebrides”; W.H. Goodenough, “Epilogue: Transactions in Parenthood”.

Adoption in Worldwide Perspective: A Review of Programs, Policies & Legislation in 14 Countries. RAC Hoksbergen & SD Gokhale, eds. 1986. 242p. Swets North America, Inc. Wherein the adoption policies and practices of the United States, Sweden, The Netherlands, Britain, Korea, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Chile, Australia, Germany (FRG), Israel, Denmark and Canada are examined. The object of the book is to inform those in many countries who are involved about the history and the way adoption takes place elsewhere.

Adoption Nation: How the Adoption Revolution is Transforming America. Adam Pertman. 2006. Families With Children From China Edition. FCC of Greater NY. A revised version of Adam Pertman’s groundbreaking book, with new essays and updated information on key issues. The updated edition coincides with the Chinese New Year (the Year of the Dog), and it contains new material highlighting the experiences and contributions of a rapidly growing community of families across the United States; indeed, as this book is released, the 50,000th child is being adopted from China into an American family. This remarkable community has been especially active in integrating Chinese culture into family life and has actively sought—based on the experiences of earlier Asian adoptees—to learn what aspects of parenting in a transracial family were successful, and where greater sensitivity and different approaches were needed. Because of its activism, visibility and sheer size, our community has played a major role in the revolutionary transformation of adoption in the United States during the past decade.

Adoption Romanian Style. Janet Winkel. 2007. 185p. PublishAmerica. In August of 1990, while relaxing in bed and watching 20/20, I learned about the horrible conditions and poor care that Romanian orphans receive. My husband and I were so moved by this program that we felt the Lord wanted us to do something. We prayed earnestly. Despite being in our late forties and thinking about retiring, the difficulties of the culture shock, the language barrier, the bad conditions, and the Gulf war, we decided that I would go to this third-world country and try to adopt two children. This is the five and a half week account of my stay in Romania and the things that I saw, heard and went through while I experienced Adoption Romanian Style.

Adventure, The: The Quest for My Romanian Babies. George Klein. 2007. 192p. Hamilton Books. Born from Professor George C. Klein’s adoption of two Romanian babies in 1990, this work is a personal and analytical autobiography. Compiling data from the 1989 Romanian revolution, the oppression that led to the overthrow of Communism, and his personal experiences in Romania, The Adventure is primarily a description of the torturous process he and his wife endured in order to adopt two babies from a Romanian orphanage. It is also an examination of Romanian society from an institutional, national, and global perspective. The author analyzes individual issues such as forced pregnancies, neglect in orphanages, and economic deprivation. Professor Klein examines how the Romanian Communist Party held power in that era and explores the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. His adept study discusses the various socio-economic and political factors that led to the collapse of Communism, and, ultimately, to the successful adoption of his Romanian children. About the Author: George C. Klein, Ph.D., is a professor of Sociology/Anthropology at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, IL.

Alternate Path, The. Deirdra Barron. 2006. 166p. PublishAmerica. The Alternate Path is the story of one family’s adoption of two preschool Russian orphans. The true story begins with a description of the adoption process, then the book presents the issues encountered in adopting older children from another country. It is both humorous and touching. The problems encountered are not what is expected, and solutions come from everyday living and loving. Adoptions have become such a large part of family creation, yet little is written about the process and the challenges. One family’s real-life struggles provide an insight into what adoption can be and how a family can grow together.

“Are Those Kids Yours?”: American Families with Children Adopted from Other Countries. Cheri Register. 1990. 250p. Free Press. Cherie Register drawns on her experience as the mother of two Korean-born daughters and interviews with adoptive families to illustated the special challenges multicultural families face.

At First a Dream: An Adoption Journey. Vic Goguen. 2005. 202p. iUniverse, Inc. A solitary figure stands stoop-shouldered at the entrance to a closed China Air terminal at JFK, and he feels a creeping vulnerability that is foreign to him at age fifty-three. Peering through the rain and fog at the ghostly glow of streetlights on deserted airport roads, he wonders what in heaven’s name he is doing there…alone…in the middle of the night…six thousand dollars strapped to his leg…and agonizingly unsure he’ll be able to get to Cambodia in time. At First A Dream chronicles the frustrating, emotional roller coaster that led Jan and Jim Pacenka to pursue an adoption, all the way to Phnom Penh. The book highlights key events leading to their life-altering decision, and captures the drama of Jim’s five-day intercontinental steeplechase to Cambodia, a Murphy’s Law scramble to beat an adoption moratorium stopwatch triggered by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. At First A Dream is a story about a journey, both figurative and literal—a journey embraced by a man and a woman wanting to share their lives with a child of the universe. It is a story of love, courage, and above all else, perseverance.

Baby Boat, The: A Memoir of Adoption. Patty Dann. 1998. 256p. Hyperion. Using actual journal entries, The Baby Boat is one woman’s poignant chronicle of her family’s journey to adopt an infant from Eastern Europe. With wry humor, this moving memoir recounts the many hurdles involved, from the tedious paperwork and endless waiting, to that joyous flight home with their new son. Written by the author of Mermaids, this book is equal parts humor and emotion.

Bamboo Cradle, The: A Jewish Father’s Story. Abraham Schwartzbaum. 1988. 242p. Philipp Feldheim. An American professor in Taiwan finds a newborn baby girl abandoned. True story of an adoption.

Before We Found You. Druid H Joyner. 2006. 56p. AuthorHouse. A family looks and sees empty places everywhere—at their kitchen table, on the family’s swing set and in their arms. Someone is missing. They find out about a little girl who needs a family. They go to find her and bring her home, and all of their empty places are filled. A wonderful story of adoption! About the Author: Druid H. Joyner thinks there is nothing better than a good story and has been telling and writing stories her whole life. She tells this particular story with great joy since it is a story she has lived! She and her family live in Charleston, SC.

Before Your Were Mine: Discovering Your Adopted Child’s Lifestory. Susan TeBos & Carissa Woodwyk. 2007. 192p. FaithWalk Publishing. Anyone whose life has been touched by adoption understands the importance of learning about and then sharing an adoptive child’s birth heritage. This comprehensive resource helps adoptive parents prepare for their roles as storytellers, a privilege unique to the adoption experience. It helps parents embark on a sacred journey of discovery as they learn how important it is to know and honor an adopted child’s lifestory. In this book, parents are invited to bring their child’s story to life by making a Lifebook to provide a message of hope in the midst of fragmented experiences of the past. While there have been several books written about Lifebooks in the past, Before You Were Mine is the first resource that includes a faith perspective. Adopted children eventually want and need to know their birth story and their parents want and need to tell it in a healthy way. In this book parents are shown important lessons on timing, shaping, affirming, embracing, imagining, honoring and praying. Encouragement is provided through practical advice and easy-to-use forms to freely express their thoughts and feelings; capture facts, events, and moments; and imagine where information is missing all to create a Lifebook of their own. About the Authors: Susan TeBos is the mother of three internationally-adopted children. She has an M.A. in communication and is a frequent speaker on adoption, and a Lifebook coach. Carissa Woodwyk is a Korean born adoptee. She has an M.A. in counseling psychology and works as a licensed professional counselor and a marriage and family therapist in private practice.

Beyond Good Intentions: A Mother Reflects on Raising Internationally Adopted Children. Cheri Register. 2005. 183p. Yeong & Yeong Book Co. Cheri Register does not cushion her advice for the comfort of international adoptive parents—instead, she focuses on what we need to know to help our children grow strong. Some of her advice and insights are not easy to accept nor pleasant to hear, but I am grateful for her help in arming me to help our two internationally adopted children. They may not now have, and may never have, the reactions and feelings that she describes, but if they do at least I will have some sense of where they are coming from—which is a place I know nothing about from my own life history. All too many of us cannot see beyond our adoration of our children to their unique needs, and Ms. Register’s book strives to help us over that huge blind spot. This book is one of a handful that people thinking about adopting transracially/internationally or who have already done so should have on their shelves to consult again and again. — Susan Johnston

Beyond the Blue. Leslie Gould. 2005. 352p. WaterBrook Press. From the Inside Flap: In 1975, an American girl named Genevieve loses her mother when a plane full of orphans crashes in war-ravaged Vietnam. Miles away in the countryside, seven-year-old Lan, a Vietnamese girl, is forced out of her family home by her own brother who has joined the Viet Cong. Worlds apart, these two girls come into womanhood struggling to recover a sense of family—until their journeys suddenly converge. Lan has grown up in the harsh realities of post-war Vietnam, but she yearns for a better life for her children. Meanwhile, Genevieve marries and, faced with infertility, decides to adopt a child from the country her own mother loved so deeply. But the uncertainty and risk of international adoption threatens to overwhelm both women before their hearts and their families can be healed. Beyond the Blue is the story of enormous losses, unthinkable choices, and the transforming power of God’s love for the children of the world. About the Author: Leslie Gould is the author of Garden of Dreams. She works as an editor and writer in Portland, Oregon where she lives with her husband and four children.

Birth Is More Than Once: The Inner World of Adopted Korean Children. Hei Sook Park Wilkinson. 1985. 73p. Sunrise Ventures. This book was born out of the author’s doctoral research based on her investigation of the inner world of adopted Korean children. This groundbreaking study reveals the inner thoughts and feelings of transracially adopted children by Caucasian families in the US. In the author?s words: “My experiences with them furnished me with many insights. I learned about the special meaning of physical differences and why being teased or ridiculed becomes a crisis. I came to understand behaviors such as the tendency to overeat, to hoard food, to refuse to speak Korean, to shun other Koreans, and to be extremely conforming. I also found the significance of the tension generated by the words “Korea” and “Korean.” Although written in the mid-1980s, there is much here still relevant to our understanding of how adoption affects the transracial/transcultural adoptee. Recommended for those who like somewhat more academically-oriented research.

Blessings From China: An Adoption Story. Roberta Diggs. 2007. 95p. Tate Publishing. In Blessings from China, author Roberta Diggs takes you on a journey halfway around the world on her mission to rescue two abandoned girls. You will laugh and cry as you follow the moving experience of two first-time parents in their forties. A poignant memoir about the reality of adoption, spiced with humor and the blessings of God. Blessings from China is sure to warm your heart and inspire your soul.

Bobka. Mary Beth Mohr. 2007. 86p. BookSurge Publishing. Born in Kansk Russia, Alexei Damiovovich was thrown out of a window on a frigid Siberian night. He was 22 months old. Neighbors found him and took him to the local orphanage where he lived until we arrived to bring him home to America. Adoption is not an easy process. Adjusting to a new member of the family is equally as hard. Add to that the special needs of that child and you have chaos. This story is about my son’s adoption process and his journey to become a productive member of society. Alexei’s journey has not been an easy one, but it has had its lighter moments. This story is my attempt to capture the most memorable moments of the twelve years he has been with us. Alexei will get a certificate of completion from high school in 2008. Then he begins another journey. — Mary Beth Mohr

Boy from Baby House 10: From the Nightmare of a Russian Orphanage to a New Life in America, The. Alan Philps & John Lahutsky. 2009. 304. St. Martin’s Press. In 1990, a young boy afflicted with cerebral palsy was born, prematurely, in Russia. His name was Vanya. His mother abandoned him to the state childcare system and he was sent to a bleak orphanage called Baby House 10. Once there, he entered a nightmare world he was not to leave for more than eight years. Housed in a ward with a group of other children, he was clothed in rags, ignored by most of the staff and given little, if any, medical treatment. He was finally, and cruelly, confined for a time to a mental asylum where he lived, almost caged, lying in a pool of his own waste on a locked ward surrounded by psychotic adults. But, that didn’t stop Vanya. Even in these harsh conditions, he grew into a smart and persistent young boy who reached out to everyone around him. Two of those he reached out to—Sarah Philps, the wife of a British journalist, and Vika, a young Russian woman—realized that Vanya was no ordinary child and they began a campaign to find him a home. After many twists and turns, Vanya came to the attention of a single woman living in the United States named Paula Lahutsky. After a lot of red tape and more than one miracle, Paula adopted Vanya and brought him to the U.S. where he is now known as John Lahutsky, an honors student at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, PA, and a member of the Boy Scouts of America Order of the Arrow. In The Boy From Baby House 10, Sarah’s husband, Alan Philps, helps John Lahutsky bring this inspiring true-life story of a small boy with a big heart and an unquenchable will to readers everywhere. About the Authors: Alan Philps is a reporter for the London Telegraph. He lives in London, England, with his wife Sarah. John Lahutsky is an American high school student who lives in Bethlehem, PA, with his mother.

Bringing Our Angel Home. Tracy Pillow. 2002. 180p. Writers Club Press. A wee one is found, softly whimpering, on a small patch of dirt in the heart of southern Vietnam. At the orphanage, they discover her name and birth date scrawled on her arm. Although her physical deformity is glaringly obtrusive, her eyes reveal a wise soul full of desperation and a longing for acceptance.

Buryat Journey Continues Overland, The: Siberan Perals at Culture Camp. Suzanne L Popke. 2009. 368p. PublishAmerica. What happens after a single Baha’i woman adopts three children from the Republic of Buryatia in Siberia? Follow the challenges of the author and her family in this sequel to Siberian Pearls: A Buryat Journey. Starting life in a Siberian orphanage presents difficulties for all the children and for their first-time mom, who hopes that her experience as a psychologist will help her cope with each child’s special needs. With humor, candor, and a drive to find information to help her family, the author describes the demands of rural family life in both America and Siberia, single parenting, remarriage, multiculturalism, special education, and mental health problems in children, including ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, learning disabilities, and reactive attachment disorder. How does prejudice affect adoptive families? What can Buryat culture teach us? Can all problems be cured with love? Some of the answers might surprise you.

Butterflies in the Wind: The Truth About Latin American Adoptions. Jean N Erichsen. 2004. 387p. Authors Choice Press. The book chronicles not only the adoption of their three children abroad, but follows each of their children (including their biological son) into young adulthood. It vividly depicts their difficulties in raising teenagers in a cross-cultural, transracial home, and also exposes the frightening conditions facing today’s kids in our public schools, including gang issues, drop outs, and culture clashes. It provides valuable insights to parents and non-parents as well. This book was a real eye-opener and awakened me to the harsh realities our teens must face in what I would have thought were quality schools. Although told from a parent’s point of view, they very effectively explored the emotions, indeed the angst, of their teenage children. — Jo-Anne Weaver, adoptive parent of a Chinese daughter placed by Los Ninos International, and Senior Acquisitions Editor of Education and Developmental Psychology for Harcourt Brace.

Butterflies in the Wind: Spanish/Indian Children with White Parents. Jean Nelson-Erichsen & Heino R Erichsen. 1992. 358p. Los Niños. The authors were already biological parents of three when they adopted infant twin daughters from Colombia in 1973; ten years later they adopted a nine-year-old boy who had lived as a street child and presented a whole new set of challenges. After their first adoption, they helped thousands of other U.S. couples to adopt Latin American children by researching and publicizing adoption sources and procedures. They are founders of Los Niños International, an adoption placement agency, and authors of several other books on international adoption. In this book they cover the phenomenon of cross-cultural adoption, specifically Latino/Anglo cultures, in detail from the perspective of their own varied experiences. The final three chapters are written from the perspective of the adopted children and of a birth mother. See also, My Portable Life (2009).

Bye Bye Baby: The Story of the Children the G.I.s Left Behind. Pamela Winfield. 1992. 182p. Bloomsbury (UK). In 1942, the first of millions of U.S. servicemen arrived in Britain after the attack on Pearl Harbor brought America into the war. “Overpaid, oversexed and over here”—as the saying goes—they swiftly endeared themselves to a generation of British women deprived of male company for the war years, with interesting results. Pamela Winfield is the founder of TRACE, an organization that exists to put the grown-up children of those brief encounters in touch with their fathers across the Atlantic. Sometimes the men had no idea that they had a child; sometimes they died before they could be reached; sometimes the story has a happy ending. When the British army swept through liberated Holland, they left something like 40,000 babies in their wake. Their stories are less happy but the children fathered by German soldiers in Scandinavia are tragic. Many of the children were rejected by their fathers or their father’s families, by their Scandinavian families or by their society as a whole and were either placed in orphanages or mental asylums. Having a GI as a father was certainly by far the best bet. Bye Bye Baby is full of youthful indiscretion and mature reconciliation, related by those most intimately involved. Author of Sentimental Journey, Pamela Winfield was a G.I. bride; she now lives in Surbiton with her family.

Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering. Suzanne Kamata, with 20 women writers from around the world. 2009. 208p. Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing. What happens when your child doesn’t speak your native language? How do you maintain cultural traditions while living outside your native country? And how can you raise a child with two cultures without fracturing his/her identity? From our house to your house—to the White House—more and more mothers are facing questions such as these. Whether through intercultural marriage, international adoption or peripatetic lifestyles, families these days are increasingly multicultural. In this collection, women around the world, such as Xujun Eberlein, Violet Garcia-Mendoza, Rose Kent, Sefi Atta, Christine Holhbaum, Saffia Farr, and others, ponder the unique joys and challenges of raising children across two or more cultures. About the Author: Suzanne Kamata’s short work has appeared in over 100 publications. She is the author of a novel, Losing Kei, and a picture book, Playing for Papa, both of which concern bicultural families. She is also the editor of two previous anthologies—The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan and Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs, and is currently fiction editor of Literary Mama. Born and raised in Michigan and most recently from South Carolina, she now lives in rural Japan with her Japanese husband and bicultural twins.

Can My Father Deliver?. Gladwynne Malligan. 2005. 84p. Xulon Press. From the Publisher: What do you do when you feel the Lord is telling you to do something that your government and everyone else say you can’t? This true story is about an ordinary housewife and mother of four sons from New Zealand who felt led by the Lord to adopt a baby girl from China at a time when neither government approved such intercountry adoptions. When starting on the journey she had no idea that the student uprising—culminating in what was to become known as the Tiananmen Square Massacres, where thousands of students were murdered—would be what finally put enough pressure on the New Zealand government to allow the adoption. Huddled together in a tiny apartment with few supplies and bullets ricocheting around outside and no visa for the adopted child meant there was no escape. But God was faithful to His promise to deliver them by His mighty hand. Although tragedy did hit for them as a family, the adoption brought to a head the need for New Zealand to open its doors to adoption from other nations.

Chere Marraine: Dear Godmother. Anita A Knopf. 1990. 198p. Knopf. Relationship between Eurasian girl in France, born in Hanoi and abandoned, and her adopted American mother.

Children, The: A Personal Record for the Use of Adoptive Parents. Jan de Hartog. 1969. 265p. Atheneum. The story of two adopted Korean orphan girls adopted by the author. An invaluable source of expert practical information and wise and witty advice, covering all major and minor problems they are likely to encounter. The Beginning, Settling down, Family life, and appendices. A Doctor Spock for the adoptive parent.

Children of Dreams. Lorilyn Roberts. 2009. 236p. Virtualbookworm.com Publishing. Children of Dreams is born out of Lorilyn Roberts’ shattered dreams. The inspiring story of turning stolen dreams into life-changing hope not only for her but two destitute children will bring tears to the reader as he identifies with her feelings of insecurity and fear. The timeless theme of God’s faithfulness—the stuff out of which God brings redemption—will leave the reader riveted to the pages of this book. Children of Dreams is more than an adoption story set in the remotest regions of the planet. Facing insurmountable odds—communist blockades, life-threatening illness, betrayal and deceit—Lorilyn Roberts’ courage and determination never to give up will touch the reader. Despair transformed into heavenly joy and evil overcome by God’s redemptive love will inspire even the most skeptical to believe in miracles. Children of Dreams resonates with Biblical truth at a deep level and in a sense is everyone’s story. Timeless in nature, Children of Dreams is sure to be a favorite adoption story for years to come. Ms. Roberts is intimately familiar with adoption, having also been adopted as a child, and is able to present the spirit of adoption, as never before captured, in this tender story. Comparing the adoption of her daughters to her adoption by the heavenly Father throughout the story flows naturally.

Children of Intercountry Adoptions in School: A Primer for Parents & Professionals. Ruth Lyn Meese. 2002. 208p. Bergin & Garvey. Children of intercountry adoption have complex histories that place them at high risk for difficulty or failure in school. Teachers and other school professionals rarely know how to test them, teach them, or meet their needs. This volume explains those needs and offers guidelines and suggestions for maximizing the educational performance of these children and helping them to meet their potential. The volume includes research on children adopted from several countries, including Russia and former Soviet states, Romania, and China. Content includes information from adoption literature on English as a Second Language classes, as well as special education law and research. The volume also presents the stories of real children adopted from Romania, Russia, and China, along with their parents and their interactions with schools in the United States. About the Author: Ruth Lyn Meese is Professor of Special Education at Longwood University in Virginia. Meese is the author of three textbooks and numerous articles on special education. She is also a member of Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA) and the proud parent of a daughter adopted at age four from Russia.

China Ghosts: My Daughter’s Journey to America, My Passage to Fatherhood. Jeff Gammage. 2007. 272p. William Morrow. Aching to expand from a couple to a family, Jeff Gammage and his wife, Christine, embarked upon a journey that would carry them across a shifting landscape of emotion—excitement, exhilaration, fear, apprehension—and through miles of red tape and bureaucratic protocol, to a breathtaking land on the other side of the world where a little girl waited. When they met Jin Yu, a silent, stoic two-year-old, in the smog-choked city of Changsha in Hunan Province, they realized that every frustrating moment of their two-year struggle was worth it. But they also realized that another journey had only begun. Now there was much to experience and learn. How do you comfort a crying toddler when you and she speak different languages? How do you fully embrace a life altered beyond recognition by new concerns, responsibilities—and a love unlike any you’ve felt before? Alive with insight and feeling, China Ghosts is a journalist’s eye-opening depiction of the foreign adoption process and a remarkable glimpse into a different culture. Most important, it is a poignant, heartfelt, and intensely intimate chronicle of the making of a family. About the Author: Jeff Gammage is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He lives with his wife, Christine, and their daughters, Jin Yu and Zhao Gu, in Elkins Park, PA.

China Girl: One Man’s Adoption Story. David Demers. 2004. 193p. Marquette Books. Professor David Demers had a good job and a good life. So why would the divorced man who had never changed a diaper adopt a Chinese baby girl on his own? China Girl answers this question and then tells the adoption story, including the trip to China and life afterward. China Girl is funny, heartwarming and suspenseful. Will this balding middle-aged man learn to care for and bond with Lee Ann, who is struggling to overcome some physical and health problems? Can he love her as much as a mother loves her child?

China Lamb. Sandra Moats. 2006. 252p. AuthorHouse. China Lamb is an inspiring true story of God’s miraculous power and love in the life of a China orphan. Born to persecuted Christians, nutured by a prison guard, later in the worse orphanage that could be thought of in China. Prayers were said by a faithful China Christian, God sent a vision to Sandra Moats, and said “Go get her!” This book is not only inspiring but it is informative. The back part of the book is packed with information on the process of a China adoption, agencies that handle them along with grants and loans that are available to help finance adoptions. There are China orphanage, and orphan fact sheets, and a list of excellent works within China that you can donate to help the orphans. About the Author: Sandra has been married to her husband Ralph since 1962. Together they have four biological children who are grown, and four adopted daughters from China. Sandra home-schools their daughters, holds a Master’s Degree, and is working towards a Doctorate Degree in Biblical Counseling. She is a liscensed Assembly of God minister on Staff of New Hope Assembly of God in Pinehurst, ID, where Ralph is the Senior Pastor. Sandra writes historical articles for The Morgan Horse Magazine, and inspirational articles for national magazines such as Women’s Touch. For three years she has written a semi-weekly inspirational column for newspapers called “Moats’ Mussings” that is in the process of syndication. She published The Classic Old Line Morgan Horse, a historical book about The Morgan Horse, in 1999, and continues to update, and republish because of the demand. Sandra writes a monthly newsletter called The Trumpet that has readership to many parts of the world both through e-mail delivery, and snail mail. Sandra began traveling in China after receiving a vision of Faith on November 10, 1996. During her travels she became involved with the Underground Churches where she taught, counseled, and helped train Christians. She has worked in various China orphanages during the past ten years. Sandra has led missionary teams into various areas, including China, Iceland, Mexico, and cities in the United States.

Chinese Adoption Handbook, The: How to Adopt from China and Korea. John H Maclean. 2004. 286p. iUniverse Star. Adopting a child can be one of life’s most rewarding experiences. Unfortunately, complex policies, legal risks, and fewer available children can make a domestic adoption difficult. International adoption offers a solution to parents yearning for a child of their own. American parents are now adopting over 6,000 children a year from China and Korea. John Maclean’s The Chinese Adoption Handbook is a comprehensive guide to adopting a child from China and Korea. From pitfalls to practical advice, the rewards to the risks, The Chinese Adoption Handbook leads parents through the international maze, including: How the international adoption process works; How to start the process; What you need to know before traveling to China or Korea; Making the most out of your trip—the inside scoop on customs, hotels, and shopping; The children’s homes, the U.S. Consulate visit, and the questions that need to be asked; Medical issues, special adoption doctors, and travel requirements; Post-adoption procedures and much, much more. Practical, accurate, and written with a father’s sense of humor, The Chinese Adoption Handbook is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to adoption from China and Korea.

Come to the Window: Life With Daniela, Our Child From Romania. Christina Goldstone. 1999. 200p. Williams Custom Publishing. Come to the Window is the true story of one family’s journey into the world of international adoption. Daniela Goldstone is a special child who spent the first fifteen months of her life in a Romanian orphanage. She spent those months in an atmosphere of total emotional and sensory deprivation. After her adoption, her life is filled with love and she is exposed to all the world has to offer. As time goes by, her family discovers that Danielas development, like thousands of other children adopted from similar backgrounds, has been negatively affected on many different levels. This is a mother’s chronicle of her family’s efforts to cope with their daughter’s many unusual special needs. This is a story filled with love, hope, set-backs, and most importantly, acceptance.

Complete Book of International Adoption, The: A Step by Step Guide to Finding Your Child. Dawn Davenport. 2006. 416p. Broadway. From the initial decision—Is adoption right for you?—through returning home with your child—How can you ease the transition?—The Complete Book of International Adoption takes parents step by step through the entire process of adopting a child from another country. You will find: An easy-to-understand analysis of the differences between domestic and international adoption; advice on choosing a country, including 25 important factors to consider, such as the waiting times involved and the estimated costs for each of the top placing countries, with charts for easy comparison; a detailed discussion of the potential health issues based on the latest research and interviews with doctors who specialize in international adoption; worksheets and a suggested system for preparing and organizing the extensive paperwork involved; parenting tips to enhance attachment and suggestions for addressing the issues that come up in raising an internationally adopted child; real parents’ stories and advice at every stage of the process; plus all of the information you need to select your agency, plan financially, prepare for the home study, travel sensibly, evaluate your child’s health and integrate your new family. More than just provide the facts, The Complete Book of International Adoption also helps parents manage the emotional rollercoaster that comes with the territory. Sensitive, wise, and often witty, this book is a must-have for any parent considering building their family through adoption. About the Author: Dawn Davenport is the mother of four through both birth and international adoption. She is an international adoption expert for Resolve, the national infertility support organization, and has been interviewed by NPR, 60 Minutes, and Primetime Live. She lives in Brevard, NC.

Complete Guide to Foreign Adoption, The: What to Expect & How to Prepare for Your New Child. Barbara B Bascom & Carole A McKelvey. 1997. 384p. Pocket Books. Thinking about foreign adoption? Know somebody who is? Warning: the journey is gratifying, but is also long and fraught with pitfalls. This comprehensive handbook has vital facts and in-depth coverage of every aspect of inter-country adoption: what to bring, how to make it through the red tape, and how to prepare for parenting a child who may have special needs. Focusing primarily on Romanian “orphans” but applicable to all overseas adoptions, Barbara Bascom and Carole McKelvey remain consistently positive while describing the very real challenges. It’s obvious that these authors know their stuff. After reading this book, so will you.

Cross-Cultural Adoption: How To Answer Questions from Family, Friends & Community. Amy Coughlin & Caryn Abramowitz. 2004.176p. Lifeline Press. International adoption by American families has skyrocketed in the last decade, increasing by more than 300 percent since 1992. In the past three years alone, American families adopted nearly 60,000 children from other countries, and the rate of cross-border adoptions continues to grow. Domestic transracial adoptions also are on the rise. The family unit is becoming the new, scaled-down model for the “great American melting pot.” All of these cross-cultural families engender questions, particularly from small children: “Who are her real parents? Where is she from?” If adults aren’t careful, the answers can have devastating effects; if they are careful, the answers can lay a solid foundation for a developing wisdom about love, families, and relationships. Drawing from their experiences as adoptive parents of foreign-born children, Abramowitz and Coughlin give us Cross-Cultural Adoption, a unique guidebook to help relatives and friends of adoptive families address important questions before everyone gathers around the dinner table. Cross-Cultural Adoption is an invaluable learning tool for anyone whose life is touched by international adoption. Whether you’re a parent or grandparent, a teacher or bus driver, a Little-League coach or Girl Scout Troop leader, you can make a difference. With support and understanding, you can let her know that no matter where she came from, she belongs. About the Authors: Amy Coughlin is an adoptive mom, a lawyer, teacher, and writer. She lives in Center City, Philadelphia with her husband, Rich, and their two daughters, Audrey and Natalie. Caryn Abramowitz is a freelance writer and editor. She is a lawyer by trade and the author of many legal and other types of articles in a variety of publications. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Andy, and their daughter Chloe Skye.

Dark Rice. Maria Eitz. 1975. 120p. Country Beautiful. Autobiographical account of a woman who, as a single parent, adopts a Vietnamese boy of mixed racial background.

Daughter from Afar: A Family’s International Adoption Story. Sarah L Woodard. 2002. 144p. Writers Club Press. This family’s true story, told with exquisite detail, shares the sadness and joys of their long process to adopt an abandoned Chinese baby girl. Sarah Woodard reveals with humor, sensitivity and honesty the adoption process, the journey to bring home her daughter and the ultimate adventure of becoming a mother. It is an absorbing story, beautifully written, in which two different cultures combine and illuminate each other, culminating in a heart-warming ending. But, as this new family is being born, it is really only the beginning.

Dim Sum, Bagels, & Grits: A Sourcebook for Multicultural Families. Myra Alperson. 2001. 304p. Farrar Straus & Giroux. An informed, comprehensive guide to raising a multicultural family How many times do you celebrate the New Year at home? Just once? If your family is Jewish, Chinese, and a few other things besides, you might celebrate twice or even three times a year! As the rate of cross-cultural adoption grows in the United States, new traditions are emerging. These are part of a new multiculturalism that, with its attendant joys and challenges, has become a fact of life in urban, suburban, and even rural America. Myra Alperson’s sourcebook offers families the first complete guide to the tangled questions that surround this important phenomenon. As the adoptive Jewish mother of Sadie, her Chinese-born daughter, Alperson is able to offer personal as well as professional insight into such topics as combining cultures, confronting prejudice, and developing role models. Focusing on adoptive families, she provides guidelines on how families can prepare for their exciting journey toward becoming multicultural. In addition to drawing on extensive interviews with families, Alperson includes a wealth of on-line and “conventional” resources to find books, food products, toys, clothing, discussion groups, and heritage camps that help families to enhance their lives as they build a multicultural home. About the Author: Myra Alperson is a New York-based writer whose books include The International Adoption Handbook, about which Booklist wrote, “her advice and counsel are heartfelt, simply stated, and specific.” She is the adoptive mother of Sadie Zhenzhen Alperson.

Don’t Talk! Don’t Cry!: A Romanian Adoption Experience. Christine L Assad & Judy Jamell. 2003. 154p. BookSurge. He lies naked on the cot, his body nothing more than paper thin skin stretched tightly around a tiny bony carcass. How can he still be breathing? His huge oval eyes are inky pools of pleading passion. “Save me.” They implore. “Save me.” How strong his spirit must be to still be alive in that emaciated body. We must do something. We must help him and the others before it’s too late. But how can we? He will be dead before we can do anything. The pain in my chest stops me from being aware either of my tear-soaked face or the sound of Judy’s sobbing. It was watching this 20/20 program that compelled the authors to go to Romania. This book details the five weeks they spent there, describing the thousands of unwanted children and the horror of a stifled communistic culture unwilling and unable to see past its nose or to accept help with its dilemma. It is a true story of frustration, emotional turmoil and of miracles. Assad and Jarnell were two idealistic, middle-aged women in for the shock of their lives. The experience caused them to question their spiritual beliefs and to sink into a depression that seemed endless. After experiencing the drab poverty of a third world country, they discovered they will never take their plentiful lives for granted again.

Dress for Anna, A: The Story of the Redemption of the Life of a Ukranian Orphan. Deborah Amend. 2009. 186p. CSS Publishing Co. Every little girl loves a pretty new dress, and my daughter Anna was no exception. Trembling with emotion, she ripped open the department store bag that contained her new dress, tights, shoes, and undergarments. Then she pulled out the lavender floral print dress, caressing the silk lining and rubbing her face in the soft fabric. Platya, she whispered. Dress. The quiet was only momentary, though as the reality of the situation sank in. Platya, she then cheered. Halya doma. Halya is going home. Although it was the first time in her life that she had ever owned any piece of clothing, it was not the dress that brought such emotion, but what it represented. The new dress meant that it was finally the day that Halya (whom we would name Anna) would leave the orphanage and travel home to live with her new family. It was a day she had awaited for over three years, and a day that I had worked for nearly as long. A Dress for Anna: The Redemption of the Life of a Ukrainian Orphan tells the fascinating story of how God led Deborah and Rob Amend to adopt a handicapped preschooler from an orphanage in Ukraine, and intricately knit her into their family. Beginning with the circumstances that opened their hearts to adoption, continuing through the entire process, and culminating with the difficult adjustments for Anna as she experiences life in a new culture, this book honestly shares the struggles, grief, and joy the Amend family faced as they followed God down the rocky path of international adoption. This powerful narrative not only provides readers with a clear understanding of the often challenging aspects of adoption, particularly for special needs children, it also offers inspiration by illustrating just how much an average, ordinary family can do when listening to God and following His call. About the Author: Deborah J. Amend is the mother of five children, three of who were adopted internationally. A cum laude graduate of the University of Cincinnati s College-Conservatory of Music, she is a former inner-city music teacher who retired to stay home and raise her children. She is a freelance writer and speaker, focusing on adoption, child advocacy, and a healthy biblical respect for people with disabilities.

Elizabeth Song Shanker: An Adoption Journey. David Shanker. 2007. 68p. iUniverse. A father’s journal of his two-week trip to China with his wife and daughter to adopt their second child is captured from the daily emails he sent to friends and family.

Ethiopian Voices: Tsion’s Life. Stacy Bellward. Photographs by Erlend Berge. 2008. 32p. Amharic Kids. Meet Tsion, an eleven year old Ethiopian girl as she talks about her life and her country. Stunning photographs bring the reader to Tsion s house, school, church, dinner table and more. Informative cultural facts are included. About the Author: Stacy spent her teenage years in Tanzania, and although she has lived and worked on four continents, she holds Ethiopia especially close since adopting their Ethiopian-born daughter. In response to the lack of Ethiopian resources for adoptive families, she wrote, Our First Amharic Words. Together with her husband, Paul, she launched Amharic Kids. Stacy and Paul live with their two daughters in Minnesota but look forward to the day when they spend extended time giving back in Ethiopia.

Euro-American on a Korean Tour at a Thai Restaurant, A: Perspective of an Adoptive Parent of Korean Kids. Chris Winston. 2006. Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network. When Euro-American parents adopt children from other countries their level of self-understanding will be tested. Their ability to handle challenges and obstacles in this path to self "re" discovery will be an important part of the adoption experience for their children and for themselves. In each chapter of Chris Winston’s new book, she examines those issues specific to the interethnic adoptive family experience—and weaves her own perspective on her adoption experience with perspectives shared by her own children, adopted adults, other adoptive parents, birth parents, Koreans, Korean Americans, and Asian Americans. While the book’s focus is on experiences with Korean adoption, the experiences are transferable to inter-ethnic adoptions from any country. About the Author: In April 1988, Chris Winston and her husband, Mark, began to experience life as the adoptive parents of a one year old Korean-born daughter, Diana, and a nine-year-old son, Alexis, who was born to them. Their son David, then five and a half, joined the family from Korea in December 1989. The founder of two adoption community organizations, Friends of Korea in Northern California and The Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN), a national networking organization, Chris’s life’s work has been in creating opportunities for dialogue. She hopes that this book will be one more such opportunity. Proceeds from this book will be used on projects that promote better insight and understanding within the adoption community.

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Expect A Miracle: One Couple’s Compelling Story of Faith & Hope. Mary Petrucci Suarez. 2004. 124p. iUniverse, Inc. Expect A Miracle reveals the frailties and strengths buffeted by disappointment after disappointment during one couple’s lengthy and formidable efforts to become parents. As the author and her husband began their journey into the world of infertility they had no idea as to what degree their love for each other would be tested. It portrays the most emotional, stressful and out of control time in their lives. The author expresses her most intimate and deepest thoughts as she and her husband struggle to survive their greatest tragedy. It uncovers the differences between individuals as each attempt to understand why bad things happen to good people. It provides comfort and support to those inflicted by the death of a child. Eventually it details the author’s experience with the adoption process and finally at long last reveals the rainbow breaking through the clouds when they brought home from another continent and into their lives a bright eyed smiling miracle. (A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital’s Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group. Lawrence & Memorial Hospital is a not-for-profit, general, acute care hospital located in New London, Connecticut.)

Faces of Layla: A Journey Through Ethiopian Adoption. Jennifer Armstrong. Foreword by Melissa Faye Greene. Photographs by Emma Dodge Hanson. 2007. Emma Dodge Hanson & Melissa Faye Greene. Faces of Layla, a book of stunning photographs of children at Layla House orphanage in Ethiopia by Emma Dodge Hanson, with a Foreword by Melissa Fay Greene and text by Jennifer Armstrong. Emma Dodge Hanson captures the lives of the children at Layla House.

Finding Myself, Finding My Daughter: An Open & Honestly Written Journal About a Womans Struggle To First Find Herself & Then Her Adopted Daughter. Cheryle Ann Rietmann. 2005. 128p. iUniverse, Inc. Originally intended as a journal to chronicle the lengthy journey to international adoption, Finding Myself, Finding My Daughter is the sincere and heartwarming memoir of a woman who soon discovers she must find herself before she can adopt a child. In the first pages of her autobiographical tale, author Cheryle Rietmann reflects on her turbulent childhood and a violent first marriage that brought her to the brink of suicide. Eventually, Rietmann finds happiness after marrying Gregg, her second husband and the father of her two sons, but the desperate ache to find the lonely little girl she has envisioned for years finally becomes too much to ignore. Gregg and Cheryle begin the mound of international paperwork that finally leads them to an orphanage in Ukraine and to their beautiful daughter, Ola. By reflecting on her learned lessons of love and perseverance, Rietmann is at last able to recognize and accept the path that led her halfway across the world to an orphanage full of the hopeful faces of children. Finding Myself, Finding My Daughter will become a guide and companion for anyone who has ever searched for themselves and their place in the world, ultimately teaching them that each and everyone of us, in our own small way, can make a difference.

Finding Yasha. Mickey & Len Sirow. 2006. 58p. Booksurge Publishing. Finding Yasha is a very personal account of a shared family experience. It all began with a son’s desire to become a single dad and his parents’ willingness to support him in that endeavor. The odyssey took them to Ukraine where the heart-wrenching search to identify a child to adopt began. The decision to create a Sketchbook/Journal was the result of their wish to document the anxieties and difficulties, the highs and lows, and the ultimate joy in finding Yasha.

For Spacious Skies: Journey in Dialogue. Pearl S Buck, with Theodore F Harris. 1966. 221p. John Day Co. This is a dialogue between Pearl S. Buck and her interlocutor, Theodore F. Harris, discussing among other issues “how she came to put virtually all other interests aside to dedicate her energies to the children of American servicemen in Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam ...” She and her interlocutor “... probe deeply into her past, from childhood on, seeking the sources of her present attitudes and actions, and producing intimate insights and recollections that she has never before disclosed to her readers.”

Forever Lily: An Unexpected Mother’s Journey to Adoption in China. Beth Nonte Russell. 2007. 240p. Touchstone. The number of international adoptions increased more than 20 percent between 2000 and 2005 according to State Department figures. Furthermore, many of these adoptions are from Asian countries. State Department figures, which are based on the number of immigrant visas issued to orphans coming to the U.S., show that China, South Korea, India and the Philippines are among the top 10 countries of origin for adoptees. Mainland China is number one. Lily Russell knows she is Chinese and that she came from China, but for several years the 8-year-old didn’t think anything of it. Lily was certain that all babies came from China. But when she went with author Russell and her husband to China to adopt a second child and observed the process first-hand, it was a bit like “finding out Santa Claus doesn’t exist.” Today, Russell says Lily, who was adopted from an orphanage in China when she was 13 months old, doesn’t want to deal with the fact that the two are not biologically related and that they are different.

From Ashes to Africa. Josh & Amy Bottomly. 2009. 196p. Tate Publishing. The bitter taste of ashes was left in the Bottomlys mouths after learning their hopes of parenthood were shattered. Barrenness, regardless of the cause, causes heartache and pain so harsh it seems impossible to approach life again. But for Josh and Amy Bottomly, Africa opened a door to a new life, the life they had dreamed of. Through a little baby named Silas Tesfarmariam, the Bottomlys found their dreams realized. Clouding this new life were the storms of Africa—where beauty and tragedy, wealth and poverty, and humanity and sub-humanity coexist in a jagged tension. Thrown into the squalls of this drastically different culture, the native Oklahomans learned to see God in a different light. Not only is he the giver of children, hes the manager of nations and the keeper of hearts. Join Josh and Amy Bottomly—and Tesfarmariam too!—in this inspiringly true journey from ashes to africa. Like the authors, your life will never be the same again.

From China With Love: A Long Road to Motherhood. Emily Buchanan. 2005. 312p. John Wiley & Sons. From the Publisher: When Emily Buchanan married her husband, Gerald, after a fairy-tale romance, she assumed children would soon follow. The perfect wedding must surely lead to the perfect family. Emily had a successful career and a loving husband, yet she knew that she would not feel fulfilled unless she also had children. But the journey to motherhood was to be a long and painful one. Three miscarriages later she found herself struggling against the stigma of infertility and doubts if she could, or should, ever become a mother. She decided it was time to look at adoption. Emily and Gerald’s desire to adopt a very young child meant looking abroad yet, as a journalist, Emily knew only too well the sad plight of some children in the developing world who were trafficked to Western couples. She was determined that her child should come from a country where adoption was properly regulated and China, where many baby girls are abandoned, seemed an obvious choice. It was a road that took her through an arduous adoption process which made her again confront the life and tragic death of her own mother. Eventually the mountain of bureaucratic and emotional challenges gave way to the utter joy of bringing up Jade and Rose her two Chinese daughters. About the Author: Emily Buchanan is an award winning journalist and broadcaster. Educated at St. Paul’s Girls’ School, Sussex University and City University, she has worked for the BBC for over twenty years. As a producer and correspondent for BBC News and Current Affairs she specialised first in politics and more recently in the developing world and religion. She has made documentaries for Newsnight, Assignment and Correspondent on BBC 2 and has presented Radio 4’s A World in Your Ear. Currently she is a World Affairs Correspondent, living in London with her husband and two children.