Gamines: How to Adopt From Latin America. Jean Nelson-Erichsen & Heino R Erichsen. 1981. 352p. Dillon. 1985. 150p. Los Niños.

Getting an Heir: Adoption & the Construction of Kinship in Late Imperial China. Ann Waltner. 1992. 226p. University of Hawaii Press. In the late Ming and early Ch’ing periods, the getting of an heir was a complex, even paradoxical undertaking. Using medical and ritual texts, legal codes, local gazetteers, biography, and fiction, Waltner examines the multiple dimensions of the practice of adoption and identifies not only the dominant ideology prohibiting adoption across surname lines, but also a parallel discourse justifying the practice.

Girl Named Maria, A: The Story of an Adoption. Valerie S Kreutzer. 2008. 196p. iUniverse, Inc. She was found abandoned in the lavatory of a cafeteria in Bogota, Colombia. The police who picked her up named her Maria Consuelo. From a stack of would-be parents, Colombia’s welfare agency chose Valerie Kreutzer’s application, and the toddler quickly bonded with her new mom in Washington, D.C. At school Maria struggled with severe learning disabilities despite a superior I.Q., but also blossomed into an award-winning young artist. Her impulsive behavior led to fits and false starts during adolescence, until she found happiness at 21 with David and his extended family. Their love and lives ended in the curve of a rural road in Florida. A Girl Named Maria chronicles an adopted daughter’s struggle with identity and her yearning for a birth family that may have included a twin brother. Maria’s legacy lives on in this poignant personal story of one mother’s unconditional love for her adopted daughter. About the Author: For 23 years, Valerie S. Kreutzer worked as broadcaster, writer, and editor for Voice of America and the U.S. Information Agency in Washington, D.C. Previously, she was an editor with Houghton Mifflin Co. As a freelancer, she has published essays, travel and opinion pieces in journals and newspapers including The Washington Post.

Global Mom: Notes from a Pioneer Adoptive Family. Lana Noone, with Byron, Jennie & Jason Noone. 2003. 26p. Gateway Press. In 1975, Byron and Lana Noone adopted their daughter, Heather, who tragically died, and then their daughter, Jennie, from the Vietnam Babylift. Four years later, they adopted their son, Jason, from Korea. Addressing topics that range from separation anxiety, racism and culture, to elementary school, teen, and college years, the Noone family combines faith, insight, and humor to tell their story. The book’s message is one of hope. “We were a ‘pioneer’ adoptive family, living in suburbia. We raised our children when there were no adoption camps, few role models, and many societal challenges. We thrived, and so will you,” Mrs. Noone says. The story of their journey will inspire and encourage all families ... a "must-read" for adoptive and birth families everywhere.

Greatest Gift, The. Betsy Buckley. 2001. 221p. Creative Arts Book Co. The Greatest Gift is an exploration of the feelings and issues surrounding adoption. In a compelling, engaging narrative, Betsy Buckley interweaves an account of her experience with infertility and adoption with the stories of other adoptive parents, representing 27 different states and Canada. She provides practical information about all aspects of the process, from deciding to adopt to considering the social and cultural realities into which the child will be brought, using discussions with social workers and other professionals to expand and illuminate her anecdotal wisdom. From the Author: The idea of writing a book on adoption began to take shape in my mind shortly after my husband brought our son home from Guatemala in October of 1995, although I had no idea how to go about it. I found myself becoming more and more interested in what other adopting parents had gone through. I began to solicit participants with a twenty-five item questionnaire on infertility, parenting, and adoption that I mailed to support groups and agencies around the country. Here’s a sampling of some of the questions: Why did you want to have children? Was your first desire to have a biological child? Were friends and family supportive of your decision to adopt? How important was it to adopt a child of your ethnicity? What was your biggest fear? As it turned out, using the Internet became my primary medium for collecting stories and information. In the end, the responses came from every section of the country, in total representing twenty-seven different states. I corresponded with one family living in Canada, and an agency director who was living and working in Russia. I heard from many diverse ethnic groups, representing many faiths, and from all economic levels. I learned much about the human spirit—about fortitude, perserverance and hope. I learned, above all, to what degree people were willing to open up their souls to a stranger, revealing the wide range of circumstances that characterizes domestic and international adoption. Along with way I made a few friends. About the Author: Betsy Buckley was born and raised in a suburb of St. Louis. At age thirty-six she fulfilled her dream of becoming a parent by adopting her son Michael from Guatemala. Filled with excitement, unanswered questions and a desire to learn about other adtopve experiences, she began her research for The Greatest Gift. She lives with her husband, son, and daughter, Christie, who was also adopted from Guatemala. She continues to write, and is involved with International Families in St. Louis, a multi-cultural support group for adoptive families.

Growing Girls: The Mother of All Adventures. Jeanne Marie Laskas. 2006. 288p. Bantam. Award-winning author Jeanne Marie Laskas has charmed and delighted readers with her heartwarming and hilarious tales of life on Sweetwater Farm. Now she offers her most personal and most deeply felt memoir yet as she embarks on her greatest, most terrifying, most rewarding endeavor of all. A good mother, writes Jeanne Marie Laskas in her latest report from Sweetwater Farm, would have bought a house in the suburbs with a cul-de-sac for her kids to ride bikes around instead of a ramshackle house in the middle of nowhere with a rooster. With the wryly observed self-doubt all mothers and mothers-to-be will instantly recognize, Laskas offers a poignant and laugh-out-loud-funny meditation on that greatest–and most impossible–of all life’s journeys: motherhood. What is it, she muses, that’s so exhausting about being a mom? You’d think raising two little girls would be a breeze compared to dealing with the barely controlled anarchy of “attack” roosters, feuding neighbors, and a scheme to turn sheep into lawn mowers on the fifty-acre farm she runs with her bemused husband Alex. But, as any mother knows, you’d be wrong. From struggling with the issues of race and identity as she raises two children adopted from China to taking her daughters to the mall for their first manicures, Jeanne Marie captures those magic moments that make motherhood the most important and rewarding job in the world–even if it’s never been done right. For, as she concludes in one of her three a.m. worry sessions, feeling like a bad mother is the only way to know you’re doing your job. Whether confronting Sasha’s language delay, reflecting on Anna’s devotion to a creepy backwards-running chicken, feeling outclassed by the fabulous homeroom moms, or describing the rich, secret language each family shares, these candid observations from the front lines of parenthood are filled with love and laughter–and radiant with the tough, tender, and timeless wisdom only raising kids can teach us. About the Author: Jeanne Marie Laskas is a columnist for The Washington Post Magazine, a GQ correspondent, and the author of Fifty Acres and a Poodle and the award-winning The Exact Same Moon. A professor in the creative writing program at the University of Pittsburgh, she also writes the “My Life as a Mom” column for Ladies Home Journal. She lives with her husband and two children at Sweetwater Farm in Scenery Hill, PA.

Guide to Russian Adoption, A: Professional Counseling & Personal Insights. Alisa W Karwowski. 2008. 208p. Praeger. This practical book explains the process of adopting a child from Russia, from first contact with a Russian agency through bonding with the adopted child back at home. Karwowski provides a resource that parents can carry along as they navigate the paperwork, the home assessment, court hearings, medical exams, and financial components of what can otherwise seem like an overwhelming process. Herself the adoptive parent of two sons from Russia, the author also details common issues families face as they acclimate their new child to their home, family, and American culture. Aiming to break the process into manageable steps, Karwowski incorporates her own experience as a backdrop. Degreed in both psychology and sociology, she discusses sensitive issues regarding the child, which can include issues of abandonment, trust, and attachment. She presents methods adoptive parents can use to see the signs and cope with these issues and more. She also addresses misconceptions commonly held about adoptions from Russia, the country to which she traveled four times across two years, to adopt her sons. In addition to adoptive parents seeking children from any foreign country, this work will also appeal to students of counseling, family studies, social work, and family or child psychology. About the Author: Alisa W. Karwowski is a guidance counselor and licensed counselor in private practice. An advocate for Russian and other international adoptions, she leads adoption workshops for prospective and adoptive parents and their families. She is married and lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Tim, and two sons adopted from Russia, Jack and Charlie.

Gweilo Moments: Notes from Hong Kong on Motherhood, Adoption, Mid-life & Cats. Robin Miniette. 2005. 112p. Chameleon Press. From the Publisher: How does one go about opening one’s heart to an abused six-year old boy who speaks not one word of English? What do menopause and kudzu have in common? Where do we turn for that extra dose of courage, or an extra dollop of humor to help us through the day? Gweilo Moments, a collection of interlocking essays by Robin Minietta, is a thoughtful—and, provocative—meditation on lives that unfold against the backdrop of Hong Kong. Both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, Minietta’s debut book showcases a strong, clear intelligent woman’s voice. About the Author: Robin Minietta, a journalist by training, worked for over a decade as a reporter and producer for public television in the United States. She has won numerous awards for her broadcast work, including an Emmy. Her essays have been published in literary and academic journals in the U.S. Minietta lives in Hong Kong with her husband and three children.

Handbook of International Adoption Medicine: A Guide for Physicians, Parents, & Providers. Laurie C Miller. 2004. 464p. Oxford University Press. Since 1989, American families have adopted more than 167,000 children from other countries. Many of these children have lived in crowded conditions, sometimes with poor standards of hygiene, inadequate nutrition, and limited numbers of caregivers. Some suffer from endemic infectious diseases. Upon arrival, practitioners often fail to recognize the unique concerns of this group. This text provides an overview of the specialized medical and developmental issues that affect internationally adopted children, offering guidelines to the physicians caring for these children and their families before, during, and after adoption. The reader will learn how to advise families prior to an international adoption, how to perform an effective initial screening assessment of the newly arrived child, and how to recognize and manage developmental and other more long-term problems as they emerge. About the Author: Laurie C. Miller is at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston.

Hello, Aibek: A Journey of International Adoption. Kevin Quirk. 2003. 252p. Authorhouse. International adoption is not for the faint of heart. As the author and his wife discover, it takes an adventuresome spirit and an unwavering commitment to follow this trail of heart-stirring joys equaled by gnawing obstacles. The book chronicles the couple’s 25-day trip to Kazakhstan, through Moscow, with flashbacks touching upon poignant passage points earlier in the adoption process. Remembering their agency’s advice to expect the unexpected, they find their way through an eight-hour delay in landing in fog-covered Moscow and not finding their escort at the airport, a host family who’s seldom home, a bizarre Thanksgiving dinner, and their fears about early warning signs of cerebral palsy with their referred baby boy. But from his first smile, Aibek assures them that they have just begun the adventure of a lifetime! Author is donating a portion of proceeds to Little Miracles International’s Orphanage Projects! About the Author: Kevin Quirk is an author, editor, ghostwriter, and counselor. His first book, Not Now, Honey, I’m Watching the Game (Fireside), was featured by ABC’s 20/20, National Public Radio, Redbook, Men’s Health, and The Washington Post. He helps ordinary people share their personal stories through Memoirs for Life (www.memoirsforlife.com), and he guides authors with books in psychology, spirituality, politics, and business through A Writer’s Eye (www.awriterseye.com). A member of the Association of Personal Historians and the Washington Independent Writers, Kevin lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with his wife Krista and son Aibek.

Hidden for Glory, Destined for Adoption. SuDawn Peters. 2002. 256p. The Master Design. In her book Hidden for Glory, Destined for Adoption, SuDawn Peters shares testimonies of God’s faithfulness and love, even in hurtful situations and valleys of uncertainty. Facing head on such excuses as unemployment, age, race, size of their family, and health issues, they have found that nothing could stop God’s plan as they obediently followed Him. From their first adoption over 28 years ago to their latest addition hidden to reveal a surprising double blessing, the journey has been unique. This book is one that no Christian should miss reading. As everyday challenges and seemingly insignificant events mesh into stories of inspiration and great spiritual significance, you will realize anew, that conception is purposed and each life is incredibly special in God’s eyes. Whether you are considering adopting a child, a veteran looking for encouragement, a birth mother struggling with your part in the big picture of life, an adoptee searching for identity, or someone who simply enjoys reading about God’s awesome orchestration of lives, it is this family’s prayer that you will find hope, and renewed vision within these pages. In giving of themselves, they have found the true purpose of life. God does have a plan.

Hola: An Adoption Adventure. Shaina Maidel. 2005. 228p. Authorhouse. Hola: An Adoption Adventure is a chronicle of one woman’s adventures as she struggles with fear while trying to adopt her infant daughter in a politically stressed Third World country. Ultimately, Shaina finds that blind courage and faith are her best tools for survival. Hola is replete with information about the adoption process and its possible pitfalls. It offers a picture of Honduras physically, culturally and politically. At the age of 42, Shaina, a single, politically naive Jewish woman, decides she would like to raise a child. She begins her search for a healthy infant with a public adoption agency, is recommended to a private religious agency and eventually finds herself exploring “foreign” adoptions. Her quest leads her into Honduras and a Kafkaesque series of events guaranteed to keep the pages turning. Hola includes an illegal lawyer wanted by his government, a kidnapping attempt, a non-supportive adoption agency and a certain amount of the author’s own paranoia. It’s filled with action, adventure, suspense, some fantasy and comes complete with a happy ending. This is a true story. About the Author: Shaina Maidel was born and raised in the clamor and clutter of New York City, attended a pristine college in up-state New York and spent the next several years tasting the flavor of various spots on the U.S. map. She finally settled in a typical mid-west town where she resides today. Shaina believes each person has a life defining moment. For Shaina, Hannah’s adoption was such a moment. It coalesced her past, centered her present and led her into an unimagined, exciting and fulfilling future. Shaina spent many years as a teacher of pre-school children, many more as a teacher of public school children and an added number of years as a social worker in the public schools. Hannah’s adoption forced her into an early retirement to begin her fourth and most challenging career—that of parent. Parenting, she says, has helped her define who she is and how she wants to be in the world. It has given her the joy of guiding a young person through the shoals of childhood ills, into the muddy waters of youthful peer problems, through the raging of teen torments; all the while watching Hannah blossom into the beautiful young woman she’s become.

Honor Thy Daughters: A Father’s Story of a China Adoption. Carlos Pineda. 2008. 128p. AuthorHouse. The journey to Samantha was the most unique adventure I’ve ever been associated with. The people we met and the places we saw were inimitable. I stood on the steps of the Great Wall of China and was able to see the wall curve and wind through the mountains and valleys. It was humbling! I stood on the banks of the Pearl River and watched as the city of Guangzhou lighted up the sky at night. It was beautiful! I witnessed the street traffic, congested and busy with automobiles, motorcycles, scooters, pushcarts, bicycles hauling ox carts, and pedestrians scurrying past and around each other. Vehicles and pedestrians alike were all jockeying for position, all in the name of commerce—the product of a country with 1.8 billion people. I shall never forget these things! We were in China to get our daughter and take her home. This book chronicles our story through an ordinary and simple man’s view. I wanted to enlighten everyone not so much with China’s history, but with the journey of our adoption process. About the Author: Carlos Pineda was born and raised in San Antonio, TX, and currently resides in Dallas, GA, with his wife, Lorraine, and recently adopted daughter, Samantha. Carlos and Lorraine have two daughters, Amanda and Stephanie, from a previous marriage and have been blessed with six grandchildren. Carlos is a Staffing Program Manager and is welcoming his first work in print. Lorraine is a legal secretary for a law firm in Atlanta, GA, and was very involved and supportive during Carlos’s writing of this book. Carlos and Lorraine now celebrate their life with Samantha Jun born in the city of Nanchang in the Province of Jiangxi, China.

How to Adopt a Child From Another Country. Eileen M Wirth & Joan Worden. 1993. 144p. Abingdon. Adopting a child domestically is a hard task in itself, but when somebody decides to adopt a child internationally it becomes even harder then adopting a child domestically. Adopting a child internationally is a long process, it can drain you emotionally and it can be very expensive. It becomes a lot less difficult and stressful if you find a great adoption agency who will guide you every step of the way. The best thing to do during the international adoption process is to keep be very patient a keep a leveled head. Before you dive into an international adoption, you must be emotionally prepared and financially prepared. Adopting a child internationally can be paperwork intense and the paperwork processing can take anywhere from six months to several years. It is a good idea to get in touch with somebody who has completed an adoption this can include friends or colleagues. You should ask him or her a lot of questions about the whole adoption process. Ask them about their adoption agency choice and ask them why they chose the agency that they did and also ask them about the pros and cons of the agency that they went to. Go online and make some comparisons between the adoption agencies that you want to use and then narrow your list down to a few international adoption agencies that you want to use and then call these agencies. You are looking for an adoption agency that will help you and partner with you. Look for an agency that has a sense of warmth and trust, and one who is invested in a good outcome for you and your child. Once you select the agency that you feel is best, then ask the agency for an information package and fill out the application forms. When you’re talking to adoption agency discuss the details of the application process, schedule your home evaluation study and submit the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) forms. Another thing to do is to compare the countries of the children that you want to adopt, most agencies have charts on their website that list available children, by country, gender, age, living situation (foster care, orphanage), the waiting period, parent requirements, travel requirements and adoption fees. After you review all of this, the next thing to do is to apply to the country of your choice. The next thing to do is to prepare for the home evaluation study which is one of the most important steps in any adoption, regardless of whether it is domestic or international. The home study is generally consists of three parts, multiple visits from a social worker, gathering of paperwork and attending adoption classes. The next thing to do is to consider the age, health and gender of the child that you would like to adopt. Make your preferences clear to the adoption agency. Choose a child from agency photos or videos. Have a pediatrician review the health status of the child before finalization. When the adoption process is complete and the child goes into your custody, you must travel to the child’s home country to pick him or her up. When you go take somebody that you trust, for safety reasons and peace of mind. The international adoption process is much longer and much more costly then a traditional domestic adoption, if you’re not prepared to go through what is involved with adopting a child internationally then it is best not to get involved.

How to Adopt From Central & South America. Jean & Heino R Erichsen. date not set. 250p. Los Niños.

How to Adopt Internationally: A Guide for Agency-Directed & Independent Adoption. Jean Nelson-Erichsen & Heino R Erichsen. Juleen Gantley, ed. 1997. 280p. Mesa House Publishers. How To Adopt Internationally is an up-to-date, practical, step-by-step guide for “Agency-Directed” and independent adoptions overseas. How To Adopt Internationally is designed for prospective parents and organized around 23 steps that cover everything from learning about the international adoption process and organizing a home study, to fulfilling state requirements, choosing a country to adopt from, working through emigration and immigration, traveling abroad, and adjusting to the new life with a child. Enhancing the value of How To Adopt Internationally is the “Compendium,” up-to-date information on all child-placing countries. For each of the countries listed there is a summary of adoption laws and requirements for adopting parents as well as the government authority in charge of adoption and the number of children adopted by U. S. citizens for the last two years. Basic geographic an demographic information (including language, currency, religion, and other information) is also provided for each country. How To Adopt Internationally is essential reading for anyone considering an adoption abroad. — Midwest Book Review

How to Adopt Internationally, 2000-2002 Edition: A Guide for Agency-Directed & Independent Adoptions. Jean Nelson-Erichsen & Heino R Erichsen. Juleen Gantley, ed. 2000. 296p. (2nd ed). Mesa House Publishers. How to Adopt Internationally is organized around 23 easy-to-follow steps that lead readers through every phase of the international adoption process from finding an agency (if you decide to work with an agency) and organizing a home study to choosing a country to adopt from, working through emigration and immigration, traveling abroad, and adjusting to a new life with a child. The book includes detailed instructions for estimating the cost of an international adoption and also provides samples of almost all forms and documents parents will be required to fill out or provide including sample guidelines used to conduct a home study. The last half of the book provides up-to-date and in-depth information on the adoption laws and requirements for 68 child-placing countries including Russia, Romania, Ukraine, China, Korea, Vietnam, Guatemala, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. This latest edition also includes Internet addresses for finding important updates regarding international adoption on the World Wide Web including sites for downloading INS forms, contacting Embassies and agencies overseas, finding country-specific adoptive parent support support groups, up-to-date travel information, and much more. This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to international adoption available anywhere. See also, My Portable Life (2009).

How to Adopt Internationally: A Guide for Agency-Directed & Independent Adoptions. Jean Nelson & Heino R Erichsen. 2003. 296p. (Revised & Updated Edition for 2003). Two Coyotes, Inc. How to Adopt Internationally is organized around 23 easy-to-follow steps that lead readers through every phase of the international adoption process from finding an agency and organizing a home study to choosing a country to adopt from, working through emigration and immigration, traveling abroad, and adjusting to a new life with a child. The book includes detailed instructions for estimating the cost of an international adoption and also provides samples of almost all forms and documents parents will be required to fill out or provide including sample guidelines used to conduct a home study. The last half of the book provides up-to-date and in-depth information on the adoption laws and requirements for 68 child-placing countries including Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, China, Korea, Guatemala, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. This latest edition also includes Internet addresses for finding important updates regarding international adoption on the World Wide Web including sites for downloading INS forms, contacting Embassies and agencies overseas, finding country-specific adoptive parent support support groups, up-to-date travel information, and much more. This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to international adoption available anywhere. See also, My Portable Life (2009).

Hungarian Rhapsody: An Adoption Story. James Derk. 2006. 212p. AuthorHouse. Hungarian Rhapsody is a heart-warming account of an Indiana couple who set out to adopt a child from an orphanage in Eastern Europe but wouldn’t stop until they had brought home six children. Fighting red-tape all the way, Jim and Kim Derk were determined to reunite a split-up family and then keep them together at all costs. A must-read for anyone considering international adoption, this heart-felt book offers much insight into what really happens when Americans head overseas to foreign orphanages.

In Search of a Family: A Story of an International Adoption. Kevin & Ginger Carlisle. 2009. 144p. Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. In Search of a Family: A Story of an International Adoption takes the reader inside a personal journey through the unknowns of an international adoption. This true story takes place in the ex-Soviet bloc country of Ukraine. As they travel through this young, independent republic, Kevin and Ginger Carlisle encounter numerous obstacles that could derail their hopes of achieving their dream of creating a new family. Braving Ukrainian election tensions and protestors, heartbreaking events, financial concerns, and changing adoption policies, they navigate the emotional and psychological maze of the bureaucracy and physical logistics of an international adoption. An eleventh hour attempt by the children s family member jeopardizes their attempt in searching for a family. The Carlisles endure the hardships of the language barrier and infrastructure but are able to uncover the little-known beauty of Ukraine and its people, all while placing their life in the United States on hold. As their destiny patiently waits, they keep reciting the mantra of all those who had come before them: Keep your focus on the goal of bringing home your children.

In the Year of the Ox. Hannah Amgott. 2004. 132p. Pearl Street Publishing. In the Year of the Ox details a personal quest that began with Hannah Amgott’s diagnosis of early menopause at age 35 and ends with the adoption of her daughter in China twelve years later. Also a tale of survival and strength, In the Year of the Ox reveals the day-to-day realities of coping with life-threatening illnesses and overcoming the many challenges inherent in the international adoption process.

Inter-Country Adoption: Practical Experiences. Michael & Heather Humphreys, eds. 1992. 156p. Routledge. Over the past twenty years, the growing shortage of adoptable infants in the United States and Britain has forced a number of couples to look abroad. What exactly are the costs, hazards, and emotional difficulties that these couples face, and why do some couples feel that this is their only chance of becoming adoptive parents? Inter-Country Adoption charts the experiences of eight couples who, between them, have adopted eleven children from South America, India and Sri Lanka ranging in age from four months to seven years. The main emphasis of these first-hand accounts is on the events leading up to the decision to adopt from abroad and on the obstacles involved in dealing with the authorities in Britain and in the child’s country of origin. The final two chapters are written by an academic social worker and a parliamentary campaigner who examine the legal and ethical considerations of inter-country adoption. This lively and highly readable book is of great value to social workers, social policy makers, lawyers and to the general reader with an interest in adoption. About the Authors: Michael Humphrey has worked closely with the National Association for the Childless and is Reader Emeritus at the University of London. Heather Humphrey is Research Assistant at St. George’s Hospital Medical School.

Intercountry Adoption: An Annotated Bibliography & Review of the International Literature. School of Librarianship, University of New South Wales (Australia).

Intercountry Adoption from China: Examining Cultural-Heritage & Other Post-Adoption Issues. Jay W & Jacy L Rojewski. 2001. 232p. Bergin & Garvey. Starting with questions about how to incorporate Chinese culture and custom into the lives of their adopted daughters Emily and Claire, the authors began a year-long search for answers. The result is a detailed examination of the post-adoptive views, actions, and experiences of a national sample of families with children from China toward acknowledging their adopted child’s Chinese cultural-heritage and the issues they face together as a multicultural family. Historical and present-day issues affecting intercountry adoptees and their families, such as arguments used to support or oppose intercountry and transracial adoption, developmental delay and the effects of institutionalization on Chinese adoptees, parent-child attachment, discrimination and racial prejudice, and identity development, are detailed. Parents’ beliefs and experiences on these issues are supplemented by a multi-disciplined, comprehensive review of available literature. About the Authors: Jay W. Rojewski is a professor in the Department of Occupational Studies, University of Georgia. He has published widely in scholarly journals primarily on his work with career behavior, career development, and occupational choice of adolescents and young adults. He is the past editor of The Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education and the Journal of Vocational Education Research. With his wife, Jacy, he is the proud parent of a four-year old daughter, Emily, who was adopted from Fuzhou China in 1997, and baby Claire who is waiting for the family in China. Jacy L. Rojweski is a special education teacher at Morgan Country Middle School in Madison, Georgia, a state-recognized School of Excellence, where she is responsible for teaching students with mild learning and behavioral disabilities.

International Adoption. Margaret C Jasper. 2003. 120p. (Oceana’s Legal Almanac Series Law for the Layperson). Oceana Publications, Inc. There are many citizens in the United States who have hopes of adopting a child. However, there are fewer and fewer children in America who are available for adoption. International Adoption provides an overview of international adoption, and discusses the steps prospective adoptive parents must take to adopt a child from abroad, and obtain United States citizenship for that child. This almanac also discusses the applicable immigration laws which must be complied with in order to legally bring an adoptive, or prospective adoptive, child born abroad to the United States. This almanac provides information concerning some of the illegal and unscrupulous practices which a prospective adoptive parent may encounter in pursuing an international adoption.

International Adoption: Challenges & Opportunities. Thais Tepper, Lois Hannon & Dorothy Sandstrom, eds. 1999. 174p. There are myriad issues involved in adopting a child from abroad, especially one who was previously in an orphanage. It is possible that your child may exhibit the symptoms of attachment disorder, sensory integration problems, central auditory processing difficulties, fetal alcohol syndrome, and/or language delays. It is important to understand the impact of these problems and how they may affect your child. International Adoption: Challenges and Opportunities was compiled by the parent leaders of the Parent Network for the Post-Institutionalized Child.

International Adoption: Sensitive Advice for Prospective Parents. Mary-Kay Murphy & Jean Knoll. 1994. 192p. Chicago Review. The difficult times, promising moments, and eventual joys of international adoption are all accounted for in this honest and encouraging guide. Excerpts from an inspiring journal describe filling out forms, confronting racism and red tape, visiting a foreign country, and returning home with a beautiful baby girl. Additional chapters discuss the initial decision, finding an agency, signs of fraud, and more.

International Adoption Handbook, The: How to Make an Overseas Adoption Work for You. Myra Alperson. 1997. 224p. Henry Holt & Co. A step-by-step guide offers information and advice about adopting a foreign child, from who may adopt to working with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, along with support through interviews with families who have adopted. By the same author: Dim Sum, Bagels, & Grits: A Sourcebook for Multicultural Families.

International Adoption Sourcebook: What You Should Know About Agencies, Countries, Policies and More. Maggie Conroy. 1998. Birch Lane Press. As an adoptive mother of children from Russia and Colombia, Conroy has compiled the resource book she wished she had when she first investigated the possibility of international adoption. This guide lists addresses and resources, provides information on costs, medical conditions, immigration regulations, and more.

International Adoption Travel Journal. Mary Ebejer Petertyl. 1997. 154p.; 2002. 224p. Revised Edition. Folio One Publishing. International adoption travel is a time of excitement, wonder and unpredictable experiences. In addition to adding a new child to your family, your trip is probably the first you will make to your child’s birth country. Everything is new. Everything is interesting. You want to savor it all. You know that your record of this trip will one day become a cherished link to your child’s heritage. But as many parents who have been there know, in all of the excitement and stress of international adoption travel, chronicling your trip in a blank notebook becomes next to impossible—particularly once your child arrives. The International Adoption Travel Journal was designed with your special trip in mind. With seven separate sections organized in meaningful categories, and a fill-in-the-blank format, parents find this unique journal an invaluable keepsake to record their trip of a lifetime. The newly revised edition now includes these great features: Special place on the inside front cover for your child’s photo and footprints; Map of the world for tracking your journey; Additional blank “Daily Journal” pages for free writing; New “Souvenirs” section; Handy envelope bound in for receipts/small keepsakes Sturdy travel-ready spine (Covered wire-O, so it lays flat while you’re writing).

Juan. Karl Price. 2001. 194p. Rutledge Books. A chance encounter in a Nicaraguan airport forever changes the lives of two people in this touching story that begins in a Managuan barrio. Juan Francisco Espinoza is a twelve-year-old shoeshine boy when fate places Karl Price, the principal of an American school in Venezuela, in his path. Though they only meet in passing, Price is so taken with the eager child’s winning personality that a correspondence begins between them. The relationship between the American man and Nicaraguan child deepens to the point where Price offers to raise Juan as his son. Juan, who already has a loving, albeit impoverished home, knows that Price is offering him a miraculous opportunity, and with the blessing of his natural family, moves to Venezuela. After a short time, the newly cobbled family fares so well together that Price and Juan decide to take in another child. The three are happy together until changes in Price’s employment alter the delicate balance of their family. Compelled to return to the United States, times become difficult for Price and his sons. Contending with the adjustments they need to make in coping with the changes in climate and culture is hard enough, but when the US Immigration and Naturalization Services send Juan back to Nicaragua, their world is ripped apart. In this memorable narrative, Juan tells his own story in a voice that resonates with courage and truth. As he describes the frustrating and tragic struggle to be reunited with his adopted father and brother, we come to know an extraordinary young man of rare strength and resiliency.

Just Give Me Borscht: From Siberia With Love. B Matthew Bingham. 2004. 76p. iUniverse. Why would any couple in their mid-forties, already grandparents and soon to be retired, think that there was something that they still needed to do? They wanted to make a difference that could be, and should be, made for others. They would give not just money, but themselves, to the lives of two children who lived deep in the heart of Siberia. They would receive just as much in return as they had given, because of one incredible truth. These were not just any children, but older children; the ones usually left behind, overlooked, or never really considered by prospective adoptive parents. One 7 and one 15-year-old whom others considered at one time or another, however, decided for whatever reason to adopt someone younger. These children faced different impossible situations that could have caused them a life of grief, if they choose the wrong course. In B. Matthew Bingham’s first book, The Answer is NO! What is the Question?, you will find that the author really does understand the child soon to be left behind, as he was himself adopted at the age of four and a half. In almost every country in the world, the real choice is of the child itself as to what they want, and where they hope to find ... “Borscht by choice.”

Katya’s Comet: An Adoption Journey of the Heart. Scott Roos. 2004. 90p. iUniverse. Once Scott Roos embraced his wife Nancy’s vision to adopt an older child in need, the couple embarked on a roller coaster ride of international adoption. While the process was challenging and downright discouraging at times, they persevered with strength derived from heart-sourced guidance to overcome many obstacles, doubts, and fears. The joyous outcome, Katya, provided a gift of love and inspiration to their three biological children, extended family, friends, teachers, and strangers who Katya touched along her incredible journey. From a probable dead-end in a rural Russian orphanage, to a hopeful life in an American family, Katya’s Comet exposes the emotions, people, places, cultures, and logistics that the couple encountered along the way. While Katya’s Comet provides useful insights and references for international adoption, in a broader sense, it motivates you to seek a selfless vision with the promise of experiencing the ripples of joy that inevitably result when you drop your proverbial stone into the enormous pond of human need. Scott’s firsthand experience uniquely qualifies him to share this touching story. His down-to-earth writing style and heartfelt open sharing is positively engaging.

Kim: “I Will Make Darkness Light”. Hugh Steven with Kim Wickes. 1975. 152p. Harvest House Publishers. Kim was three years old in 1950, when the North Koreans invaded her native village. After an exploding bomb took her sight and facing starvation, her desperate father threw Kim and her sister into a river. Only her mother’s screams forced him to attempt a rescue. He saved Kim but her sister drowned. After being placed in a Missionary Orphanage for the blind, Kim was noticed by a missionary who recommended her to an American Adoption Agency. Kim was adopted by the Wickes family of Indiana.

Kinning of Foreigners: Transnational in  a Global Perspective. Signe Howell. 2006. 224p. Berghahn Books. Since the late 1960s, transnational adoption has emerged as a global phenomenon. Due to a sharp decline in infants being made available for adoption locally, involuntarily childless couples in Western Europe and North America who wish to create a family, have to look to look to countries in the poor South and Eastern Europe. The purpose of this book is to locate transnational adoption within a broad context of contemporary Western life, especially values concerning family, children and meaningful relatedness, and to explore the many ambiguities and paradoxes that the practice entails. Based on empirical research from Norway, the author identifies three main themes for analysis: Firstly, by focusing on the perceived relationship between biology and sociality, she examines how notions of child, childhood and significant relatedness vary across time and space. She argues that through a process of kinning, persons are made into kin. In the case of adoption, kinning overcomes a dominant cultural emphasis placed upon biological connectedness. Secondly, it is a study of the rise of expert knowledge in the understanding of “the best interest of the child,” and how the part played by the “psycho-technocrats” effects national and international policy and practice of transnational adoption. Thirdly, it shows how transnational adoption both depends upon and helps to foster the globalisation of Western rationality and morality. The book is an original contribution to the anthropological study of kinship and globalisation. About the Author: Signe Howell is professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Oxford and has been a lecturer in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh. Before she began her research on transnational adoption (1999), her studies were focused on Southeast Asia where she has carried out fieldwork amongst a hunter-gatherer group in Malaysia and a group of settled agriculturalists in Eastern Indonesia. She has published widely on various aspects of social organization, religion, ritual and kinship. Her books include Society and Cosmos: Chewong of Peninsular Malaysia; Chewong Myths and Legends; Societies at Peace: Anthropological Perspectives (edited with Roy Willis); The Ethnography of Moralities; For the Sake of our Future: Sacrificing in Eastern Indonesia; The House in Southeast Asia (edited with Stephen Sparkes). She has also published a number of articles in books and journals on the topic of transnational adoption.

Liberian Adoption: Preparing for Your Child’s Homecoming. Angel Q Rutledge. 2009. 148p. CreateSpace. A must-have resource guide for any family adopting a child from Liberia. It’s one thing to make it through the process of adopting internationally; it’s an entirely different thing to be properly prepared for a child’s homecoming. In this book, written by Liberia Adoption Coordinator Angel Rutledge, adoptive families learn about the history of Liberia, cultural influences that affect Liberian adoptions, common post adoption challenges, medical issues, and how to ensure the best transition possible for their family and child. About the Author: Angel Rutledge is a Liberia Adoption Coordinator for Christian Adoption Services, a Hague accredited adoption agency founded in 1979. Angel is a wife and mother of four children, two of whom were adopted from Liberia. She lives in Charlotte, NC with her family and can be found at www.rutledge6.blogspot.com where she writes about her experiences as a mother and as an adoption coordinator to Liberia.

Lifebook Writing Guide: For Parents of Adopted Chinese Children. Kay Graap. 2006. 84p. Thread Lifebooks. The opportunity to document our adotped children’s history and special moments is the project of a lifetime. This easy-to-use guide offers suggestions for page topics, writing samples from adoptive parent’s lifebooks, and background on the social and cultural issues of china that contributed to our children’s unique life stories.

Looking After Our Own: The Stories of Black & Asian Adopters. Hope Massiah. 2005. 140p. British Association for Adoption & Fostering (UK). What do Natalie, Jacob, Matthew, Nathan, Lubna, Neelam, Saima, Jasmine, Lisa, Claudia and Rebecca have in common? They are all children of Asian, African and Caribbean descent who have been adopted by Asian, African and Caribbean families. But many do not move on to adoption as these children did. It is a widely known fact that black and mixed heritage children in the care system wait longer than any others for a permanent family, and some never find one. Why is this? Is there a genuine “shortage” of prospective adopters coming forwards, i.e. a recruitment issue? And if so, are there reasons for this? Or is it something else? This inspiring collection looks at the experiences of nine adoptive families and their children. It explores their motivation to adopt, what their social workers had to offer (or not), the roles of their friends and family, and what adoption has meant to them. Told in the first person, these absorbing stories offer pointers to what can make for a successful adoption and, equally, the things to avoid. Essential reading for anyone considering adopting a child, especially those from minority ethnic communities, and for social services professionals concerned to recruit and retain black adopters.

Lost Daughters of China: Abandoned Girls, Their Journey to America, & the Search for a Missing Past. Karin U Evans. 2000. JP Tarcher. A personal and journalistic exploration of American and Chinese culture at a unique point of intersection: the thousands of baby girls who are abandoned in one country each year and adopted in the other. Today Karin Evans is the mother of Kelly, a thriving Chinese-American toddler. But two years ago, her daughter was one of the hundreds of thousands of infant girls abandoned in orphanages all over China. The story of how Kelly came to be there is rooted deep in China’s history, in an ancient political, economic, and cultural preference for baby boys that began in the time of Confucius and was still going strong when China’s notorious one-child policy was introduced in the 1980s. Through extensive research combined with the moving account of bringing Kelly home, Evans investigates the conditions that engendered generations of abandoned girls in China and a legacy of lost women. She provides insight into the historic place of sons and daughters in the Chinese family, the philosophical underpinnings of filial piety, as well as the selective abortions and other desperate acts undertaken by contemporary families convinced of the need for a son to perpetuate the family line. In this eloquent journalistic memoir, Evans compellingly links the lives of an abandoned Chinese baby girl, an adoptive American mother, and a Chinese mother hidden in the shadows.

Love & Loss: A Story About Life, Death & Rebirth. Jane Bay. 2006. 415p. Clear Light Publishing. In her compelling memoir Love & Loss: A Story About Life, Death and Rebirth, Jane Bay gives us a glimpse of the invisible web of connectedness between us and its power to help heal even the deepest of wounds. In sharing the loss of her Tibetan foster daughter, Namgyal Youdon, Bay offers a rare opportunity to travel through the agonizing process of grieving and experience the power and healing of unconditional love. The story is played out in the rich fabric of the cultural history of Tibetan Buddhism inside Tibet, India and America. Written as an “e-mail diary,” Love & Loss is based on e-mails Bay sent out immediately after Namgyal died, replies she received from her dearest friends, e-mails from Namgyal’s brothers (one in Tibet and one in India, before and after Namgyal’s death) and e-mails that she and Namgyal exchanged during the last two years of Namgyal’s life. Brief narratives interwoven throughout the e-mails complete the story. About the Author: Jane Bay has worked at Lucasfilm Ltd. in Marin County, California for twenty-nine years. She is currently working on two other books: Growing Up Southern: Stories from the Attic of Childhood Memories and an anthology of short stories entitled The Magic of New Mexico.

Love Our Way: A Courageous Mother’s Story That Gives New Meaning to the Word Family. Julia Rollongs. 2008. 320p. HarperCollins Publishers. Managing a household of eight children takes a lot of love and patience—and amazing parents. When six of your children are adopted from overseas, learning to adapt to any situation becomes a survival skill. Having created a riotously happy family, Julia and Barry Rollings thought they could handle anything life threw at them. That was until they received the devastating news that two of their children had not been willingly adopted out by both their parents in India. Much worse, Akil and Sabi had been stolen away from their mother while she slept, and sold by their father. What’s the right thing to do in such unthinkable circumstances? Do you accept the advice that “You adopt the child, not the family,” and let it go? Perhaps not tell the children until they are older—or perhaps never at all? But Julia Rollings is not one to take the easy road. With her family’s support, she takes a courageous leap of faith in deciding to reunite Akil and Sabi, then aged 13 and 12, with their birth mother Sunama. Heading into such an emotional landmine, the outcome could have been disastrous. Instead, it led to a moving journey of discovery to India that has expanded and enriched their family today in more ways than one.

Lucky Ones, The: Our Stories of Adopting Children From China. Ann Rauhala, ed. Foreword by Jan Wong. 2008. 350p. ECW Press. From the early stages of the adoption process to bringing the child back home, this collection of personal stories reveals why parents who have adopted children from China feel—despite the challenges they’ve endured—truly lucky. In one account, a woman contemplates her daughter’s lost heritage during a visit to a Chinese fertility temple; in another, a mother of Chinese descent reflects on the striking connections between her grandmother and her adopted daughter. One mother explores loss and grief among those who are abandoned, while another parent contemplates her child’s inevitable difficulty learning English after hearing only Mandarin. A father creates an imaginary world for his daughters by writing stories about a girl detective solving crimes in Shanghai, and a single professional woman discusses how her daughter filled a void in her life. The memoirs are organized by the experience: starting with infertility then realizing a unique destiny—turning bleak beginnings into happy endings. Despite this collection’s upbeat tone, it doesn’t sugarcoat adoption—contributors wonder about birthparents, worry about prejudice, and struggle to parent children of a different culture. About the Author: Ann Rauhala is a former columnist and foreign editor of The Globe and Mail and is currently director of newspapers at the School of Journalism at Ryerson University. She lives in Toronto.

Many Lives Intertwined: A Memoir. Hyun Sook Han, et al. 2004. 247p. Yeong & Yeong Book Company. Mrs. Hyun Sook Han was a young girl in Seoul when the Korean War was raging. As she and her family fled from the advancing enemy troops, they passed thousands of abandoned children, many of them dead or dying. She vowed to dedicate her life to helping Korea’s children. This is the story of how she fulfilled that promise. Mrs. Han seems to have lived several lives, as a Korean, as an American, as a wife, mother, social worker and adoption pioneer. Her life intertwined with so many others. In this beautiful memoir she tells her story, and it’s a joy. Hyun Sook Han is now retired from her job as a social worker, but no less busy as she continues to travel to Asia and Europe on behalf of adoption issues.

Martin Chronicles, The: The True Story of Adoption & Love in Mexico. Mary Beth de Ribeaux. 2001. 209p. Writers Press Club. Traveling to Mexico to adopt the three-month-old baby they’d been assigned, Mary Beth and Eugene de Ribeaux anticipated a dream come true. But it would be “mañana” many times over before they’d cross the border with their child six months later. Between the emotional high points of first receiving their baby and finally bringing him home, Eugene returned to work in the U.S., leaving his wife’a first-time mother with limited proficiency in Spanish;in lovely Puerto Vallarta with their new baby, Martin. Despite the precarious status of their adoption case and the pain of their separation, they remained determined to make the best of the situation. The Martin Chronicles originally a series of email messages Mary Beth sent home to family and friends’ records not only a mother’s growing love for her baby, but also a deepening appreciation of his native culture, as she learns lessons in Spanish and single motherhood, Mexican culture and culinaria, friendship and faith, patience and perseverance. Part travelogue, part adoption narrative, The Martin Chronicles follows the unfolding adventures of a new family in a foreign land with humor and freshness. Ultimately, it is an inspirational and triumphant story of overcoming hardships and reaping blessings along the way. Visit the author’s website.

Marvelous Journey Home, The. John Simmons. 2007. 382p. Bringham Distributing. The Marvelous Journey Home tells the remarkable story of parents and children coming together. This fictionalized story, based on actual events, takes the reader through a rollercoaster of emotions as parents seek their child, who longs for the chance to have a family and travel home to a faraway place. With scenes situated from orphanages in small, remote Russian villages, to Moscow, and finally on to América, “the fairytale land,“ the reader is taken on a journey around the world, home again, and eventually, even far beyond. Filled with hope and disappointment, love and loss, happiness and despair, The Marvelous Journey Home draws the reader along by the heartstrings to an unexpected destination. Home is found in distant places, peace is found in unlikely circumstances, and family is always what matters most.

Meeting Sophie: A Memoir of Adoption. Nancy McCabe. 2003. 176p. University of Missouri Press. Meeting Sophie tells the story of Nancy McCabe adopting a Chinese daughter and the many obstacles she faced during the adoption and adjustment process as she renegotiated her role within her family and fought difficulties in her job. Especially poignant is her struggle to bond with a sick, grieving baby while in a foreign country during political unrest-followed, upon her return to the U.S., by a devastating loss and a career crisis. About the Author: Nancy McCabe’s creative nonfiction has won a Pushcart Prize and been listed in Best American Essays twice. She is the author of After the Flashlight Man: A Memoir of Awakening and the Assistant Professor of Writing and Director of Writing Programs at the University of Pittsburgh in Bradford.

Mei Mei—Little Sister: Portraits from a Chinese Orphanage. Richard Bowen. Introduction by Amy Tan. Afterword by Karin Evans. 2005. 144p. Chronicle Books. The Chinese believe an unseen red thread joins those in this life who are destined to connect. For photographer Richard Bowen, that thread led him to China’s state-run welfare institutions, where there are thousands of children, primarily girls, growing up without families to take care of them. Mei Mei presents a poignant glimpse of just a few of these remarkable children. Composed against neutral backgrounds, these portraits capture the girls’ inner lives, away from their often bleak surroundings. The images show an almost endless range of expressions: small faces filled with longing and hope, joy and sadness, humor and mischief, defiance and despair. Through the camera’s eye these young children are no longer orphans, but individuals whose personalities are as vital, distinct, and beautiful as any mother’s child. When that unique human being comes into focus, the connection is made and the red thread becomes visible. And once seen, the bond can never be broken. About the Authors: Richard Bowen, with his wife and other adoptive parents, founded Half the Sky Foundation, which seeks to enrich the lives of children living in Chinese orphanages. A director and producer in film and television, he lives in Berkeley, California. Amy Tan is an internationally acclaimed author of many books, most recently The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings. On one of her many trips to China from her home in San Francisco, she toured an orphanage and saw firsthand the positive effect of Half the Sky’s work. Karin Evans, a journalist and the author of The Lost Daughters of China, is the mother of two girls from China and serves on the board of Half the Sky.

Melancholy Baby: The Unplanned Consequences of the G.I.s’ Arrival in Europe for World War II. Pamela Winfield. 2000. 184p. Bergin & Garvey. More than one million American G.I.s were crammed into the UK prior to the invasion of France during World War II. Many British women, dazzled by the movie star image of American men, fell in love with the G.I.s. The children of these liasions deserve to learn about the missing half of their heritage. Winfield, who now runs an organization that helps the children of G.I.s search for their fathers, tells us their stories. About the Author: Pamela Winfield is president of TRACE (Transatlantic Children’s Enterprise), a nonprofit group that helps the children of G.I.s find their fathers. She has several books published in the U.K. which are on social issues and she also lectures groups throughout the U.K. and Europe on several subjects, the most popular, G.I. Brides and G.I. Babies.

Melanie & Me: A Chinese Daughter Transforms Her Adoptive Dad. Terry L Garlock. 2001. 232p. Xlibris, Inc. Since her adoption in China in 1998 at one year old, Melanie has turned life on its head for middle-aged Terry & Julie Garlock. She has brightened their lives and helped them refocus on things that are genuinely important, like teaching a child to make alligator shadows with her fingers against a sunlit wall. This book begins with Melanie’s adoption, and Dad describes the trials and rewards of fatherhood at 50 through a collection of short stories. The brief stories were written to encourage and support others involved in their own adoption journey. If you are impatiently waiting for your own adoption to be completed, this book is for you. If you wonder about a parent bonding with an adopted child, this book is for you. If you have a spouse or relatives or friends who are somewhat reluctant about adoption, this book is for you and them. If you wonder whether an adopted child can be loved as much as a biological child, this book is for you. If you are like me and most other Dads, a Neanderthal when it comes to articulating how you feel about your child, this book is especially for you. But the truth is, ultimately this book is for Melanie. Someday when she can read, she will read not only the words but between the lines to discover she could not possibly be more loved if she were our biological child.

Miracle in the City of Angels: An International Adoption Story. Elle Conner & Erin Brown Conroy, MA. 2007. 228p. AuthorHouse. Have you ever wondered about adopting a child from overseas? Is adoption part of your family—or would you like it to be? Travel with Elle and Jonathan through their true adoption journey —through the steps of the adoption process in an expedition that pulls you, draws you, presses at you, and at the end, has the power to ultimately complete you. The people and the events are real. The emotions are incredibly powerful. And the story’s page-turning significance will grip your soul. Come with us; let the story capture your heart. Travel with us until the moments of waiting fall into one: The powerful uniting of parent and child. And feel the joy of coming home. About the Authors: Elle Conner, the mother of two teenage boys and Allie (now nine), lives in mid-Michigan balancing working part-time with being there for her kids. A voracious reader, Elle also loves to write and is now working on books Two and Three of this series. Elle and her husband love to spend time with their kids; traveling, camping, and attending their children’s numerous events. Erin Brown Conroy, a mom of 13 children (eight adopted internationally), has been an instructor to children and counselor to families for over 30 years. As author of three parenting books including 20 Secrets to Success with Your Child and creator of the TotallyFitMom.com program, Erin slips away on evenings and weekends for educational and motivational speaking at conferences and workshops and teaches as a part-time university professor in leadership, writing and research, and health and wellness. Erin and her husband, Shawn, together enjoy homeschooling and raising their children in Michigan. For Erin’s free articles and audio, visit erinbrownconroy.com today.

Xinran

Motherbridge of Love. Anonymous. Illustrated by Josee Masse. 2007. 32p. (gr 4-7). Barefoot Press. From Publishers Weekly: This book shares its name with a London-based organization dedicated to promoting greater understanding of Chinese life and culture among adoptive families in the West. The text, credited to an anonymous adoptive mother, takes the form of a series of heartfelt, parallel musings about two women who never knew each other but who are central to a sprightly Chinese girl. The first one gave you life; the second taught you to live it.... One found a home for you that she could not provide, the other prayed for a child; her hope was not denied. Masse (Goodnight, Sweet Pig) echoes this dreamy lyricism with gently surreal illustrations rendered in a texture like shot silk. Her treatment of the birth mother merits particular interest: on some spreads, she portrays the woman relatively realistically, carrying water in her village or gazing down at her pregnant belly. But in other spreads, the mother is transformed into a benevolent spirit; readers will notice her Asian features in the moon that shines down on the adoptive mother and child, and even in the mountain that the pair traverse during a hike or in a dramatic sky. It’s a risky artistic choice, but Masse pulls it off in an understated way that offers comfort and encouragement to parents and children. A portion of the proceeds benefits Mother Bridge of Love. About Motherbridge: Xinran, the acclaimed Chinese author, broadcaster and journalist, is the founder of The Mothers’ Bridge of Love. She is also well-known for her best-selling books The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices, an account of the extreme difficulties and injustices facing women in China, and Sky Burial, the epic story of one woman’s search for the truth. Visit the organization’s website.

Moving Heaven & Earth: A Personal Journey Into International Adoption. Barbara U Birdsey & George Cadwalader. 2000. 221p. The Francis Press. Adopting a child from a foreign country can be a bewildering challenge, fraught with uncertainty and confounded by exotic cultures and practices. Barbara Birdsey knows this better than most, having been the founder of an international adoption agency, a parent of an adopted child from Central America, and a defender of victims’ rights. In this intimate account of her adventures, Birdsey introduces us to the cast of characters who inhabit the labyrinthian world of international adoption and lets us learn from her experiences, including her mistakes.