Adoption Without Fear. James L Gritter, ed. 1989. 176p. Corona Pub. In Adoption Without Fear, 17 couples give the stories of their experiences with open adoption. The reader shares in their joy and pain as they travel the road to adoption. They describe the bittersweet feelings as they add a child to their family while watching the birth parents say good-bye. Through these first person narratives, you come to understand what the term open adoption really means..

Arms Wide Open: An Insight into Open Adoption. Jane Waters. 2005. 104p. Authorhouse. Arms Wide Open provides a window into the lives of young pregnant women struggling with the decision of making an adoption plan or becoming a single parent. It is a vital tool for couples considering open adoption. Mrs. Waters clearly outlines the emotional turmoil of the birth mothers and offers suggestions to help make an open adoption a positive experience for the child, the adoptive parents and the birth mother.

Because I Loved You: A Birthmother’s View of Open Adoption. Patricia Dischler. Foreword by Kathleen Silber. 2006. 256p. Goblin Fern Press. For the first time, a birth mother shares a story where regrets are replaced with respect, pain is replaced with love, and secrecy is replaced with honesty. Author Patricia Dischler provides a poignant and moving narrative, notable for its honesty. Patricia chose an open adoption arrangement for her son Joe in 1985. He is now an adult and their story has come full circle.

Blended Hearts, Broken Promises: An Open Adoption Gone Wrong. Linda Kats. 2005. 144p. MileStones International Publishers. From the Publisher: Blended Hearts, Broken Promises chronicles the true story of one family’s choice to strategically select a family to parent and care for their child through open adoption. Although told by the agency that open adoption isn’t legally recognized in her state, they were given verbal promises of an open adoption that would ideally blend together the birth family and the adoptive family to raise the child with healthy, caring relationships. But the promises made to the birth family were soon broken. They found themselves misled and betrayed. With nowhere left to turn except to God, they drew strength from their faith in the promises of His Word, while holding on to the hope that one day their two families would blend together through the shared love for a child. In this book, author L.J. Kats submits hope for working through the complex issues associated with open adoption and gives an account of the real side of relinquishment for the birth family. She confronts heart issues and essential questions that all family members need to consider before making the decision to enter into an open adoption. Whether you are faced with the decision of giving up a child for open adoption or you are in the beginning stages of becoming open adoptive parents, Blended Hearts, Broken Promises is a must read.

Blending Hearts: An Adoption Story. LJ Kats. 2003. 112p. Authorhouse. Blending Hearts is a stark, detailed accounting of actual events from the unplanned pregnancy to the painful adoption decision through five years after the traumatic adoption experience. Incorporating the plot, intensity and resolution of a novel, Blending Hearts is a disturbing story of an intended, open adoption. The legalities of adoption do not end the biological family connection with the adopted child. Overcoming adversity and clinging to hope of resolving the adoption issues, Blending Hearts exposes relinquishment for the birth family and the significance of adoptive families for effecting healing and restoration of the birth family. Blending Hearts confronts hard issues and offers critical questions for serious consideration before relinquishing rights and accepting new family roles. About the Author: L.J. Kats began researching open adoption over six years ago. Her earned doctorate degree in education required an extensive background in research and writing. Dr. Kats and her husband reside in both Oklahoma and Nebraska. She and her husband have four biological children and one adopted child. Along with the biological grandchild specific to this story, their adopted child and husband have two adopted children, making Dr. Kats and her husband biological and adoptive grandparents. Their adopted grandchildren have very successful open adoptions. She supports an adoption agency in Oklahoma whose mission is to place families with children who will know their heritage without clouds of secrecy.

Children of Open Adoption. Kathleen Silber & Patricia Dorner. 1990. 193p. Corona. This sequel to Dear Birthmother examines the effects of open adoption on the adopted child at each stage of development: infancy, preschool, school age and the teenage years. As with the previous book, the text is filled with excerpts from actual letters between members of the adoption triangle—birth parents, adopted children and adoptive parents. Children of Open Adoption has become another classic. About the Author: Kathleen Silber, MSW, ACSW, Associate Executive Director of The Independent Adoption Center, has more than 30 years of experience in child welfare services and adoption. She is co-author of the open adoption classic, Dear Birthmother, which explores some of the myths of adoption and the evolution of open adoption. She also co-authored My Special Family, an open adoption book for children. As an expert on open adoption, she has appeared on The Today Show, 20/20, Good Morning America, Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, and many other national and local news shows. By the Same Auhtor: How to Open an Adoption and Talking to Your Child About Adoption.

Cooperative Adoption: A Handbook. Mary Jo Rillera & Sharon Kaplan. 1985. 172p. Triadoption Library, Inc. Cooperative Adoption is a Handbook for birth parents and adopting parents to include the birth family in the child’s life. It details ways to negotiate relationships, protect the child’s heritage information and best interests. Includes sample letters and forms for requesting information from agencies, courts, hospitals, etc. Personal stories of families creating and preserving open/cooperative adoptions are included with photos.

Eyes That Shine: Essays on Open Adoption. Randolph Severson. 1991. 35p. House of Tomorrow Productions. In this slim volume, the author tries “to present a cogent and credible philosophical justification for the practice of open adoption while also detailing how that philosophy might bloom first in specific rituals and practices whose effectiveness is there for all to see and, second, into a poetic revelation of something both about the grandeur of the human spirit and the healing power of love.”

How to Open an Adoption: A Guide for Parents & Birthparents of Minors. Patricia M Dorner. 1997. 116p. R-Squared Press. Patricia Martinez Dorner is a licensed therapist who has 17 years experience helping birth and adoptive families open up their relationships with each other. Author of Talking to Your Child About Adoption and co-author of Children of Open Adoption, Ms. Dorner is a nationally recognized leader in open adoption education. In this book, she gives readers the tools they need to make opening their adoption the best experience it can be. It is also an invaluable tool for the adoption professional.

Letter to Adoptive Parents on Open Adoption, A. Randolph Severson. 1991. 28p. House of Tomorrow. Are you or are your family and friends confused about openness in adoption? A Letter to Adoptive Parents on Open Adoption is an introduction to the subject. This book is a compilation of information that is helpful in preparing for an open adoption. You’ll need extra copies to give to other people in your life who may not understand or agree with you about open adoption.

Making Room in Our Hearts: Keeping Family Ties Through Open Adoption. Mickey Duxbury. 2006. 160p. Routledge. Although adoption has never ceased to be a topic of wide interest, there is little material that covers the option of open adoption, which calls for regular contact between the adoptive and birth parents and the child. While closed adoption often prompts anguish and confusion over the adoptee’s identity, open adoption allows the child access to his/her birth parents. Making Room in Our Hearts shows that children have a right to know and claim both their biological and adoptive families, rather than having to choose between the two or have no choice in the matter at all. Making Room in Our Hearts covers the basic issues of open adoption while also including real-life, relatable stories of those with experience making and living through these challenging decisions. Duxbury addresses common fears and concerns, gives attention to siblings and other extended family, and discusses how adoption has changed and how it will continue to change in the future. Based on the author’s interviews with over one hundred adoption professionals/experts, birth and adoptive parents, extended family, and adopted children, the book provides profiles of families from a variety of backgrounds and situations and includes a host of viewpoints of those with specific knowledge. By showing how open adoption works for others, those who are currently considering it can see how it may work for them. This cutting edge book will help the readers more fully understand the benefits, concerns, and overall process of a child-centered open adoption. Duxbury has conducted extensive research on the topic, making this an effective resource for those considering open adoption, those experiencing it, and professionals working with adoptive and birth parents.

Nuts & Bolts of Open Adoption, The. Cath Hum Srvcs of Traverse City, MI. 1995. R-Squared Press.

Open Adoption, An. Lincoln Caplan. 1990. 150p. FS&G. From Library Journal: Children in open adoptions know the identity of their birth parents and sometimes maintain a continuing relationship with them. Furthermore, adoptive and birth parents often select each other, usually through an intermediary. Many argue that this approach is psychologically healthier for all parties, although traditionalists contend that it can be dangerous. Caplan chronicles one such open adoption, involving a young unmarried couple from Delaware and an older couple from Boston. Interspersed are chapters on the history of adoption, opposition to open adoptions, and the modern relationship between adoption and abortion. This engaging account, much of which appeared in The New Yorker, amply illustrates the inherent benefits as well as dangers of open adoption. Recommended. — Jack Ray, Loyola/Notre Dame Lib., Baltimore

Open Adoption: A Caring Option. Jeanne W Lindsay. 1987. 256p. tchr’s & student’s guide. Morning Glory. This book presents the concept of open adoption from a highly positive viewpoint. Its definition of open adoption strongly emphasizes the need for counseling, both for the birthparents and the adoptive parents. Using personal narratives, the book thoroughly explains the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to adoption. Specific agency examples are given to illustrate the process. Open Adoption: A Caring Option is an advocacy book for adoption reform.

Open Adoption: My Story of Love & Laughter. Ann Kiemel Anderson. 1990. 177p. Tyndale House. Compiler’s Note: Individuals who have read this book and who posted reviews on Amazon.com in 2001 and 2004 indictae that the author’s concept of “open” adoption is limited to allowing the birth mother to visit with the child with the first 12 to 18 months following the adoption, thereafter permanently cutting off all contact. She is a public speaker and the author of several other books, including I Gave God Time, an account of her courtship and marriage to her husband, Will Anderson. About ten years after this book was published, Ms. Anderson’s husband died of cancer, leaving her to raise their four boys as a single parent.

Open Adoption & Open Placement. January Roberts. 1981. Adoption Press.

Open Adoption Book, The: A Guide to Making Adoption Work for You. Bruce M Rappaport, PhD. 1992. 195p. Macmillan. Documenting answers to oft-asked questions regarding the process and institution of open adoption, Dr. Rappaport, director of one of the country’s leading open-adoption agencies (The Independent Adoption Center) and founder of the first nationwide network of open adoption organizations, paints a reassuring yet realistic picture of the open-adoption process. About the Author: Bruce M. Rappaport, Ph.D., Executive Director and the IAC’s founder, has worked in education, infertility, and adoption for over 20 years, and has been interviewed on a variety of open adoption topics and issues by several national media, including The Today Show, CNN, Nightline, Time, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.

Sharon Roszia

Lois Melina

Open Adoption Experience, The: A Complete Guide for Adoptive & Birth Families—From Making the Decision to the Child’s Growing Years. Lois Ruskai Melina & Sharon Kaplan Roszia. 1993. Harper Collins. Two leading experts provide an authoritative and reassuring guide to the issues and concerns of adoptive and birth families through all stages of the open adoption relationship, from making the decision through the child’s growing years. About the Authors: Lois Melina is the editor of Adopted Child newsletter and serves on the board of directors of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of information about adoption and providing guidance for practice and policy change in the field. Melina speaks frequently about adoption to professional organizations and adoptive parents throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia. She is the author of Making Sense of Adoption. Sharon Roszia is Program Manager at the Kinship Center, a licensed California adoption and foster care agency in Santa Ana, CA; an adoption consultant, author, and lecturer.

Rewriting the Script: An Adoption Story. Rod Holm. 1994. 156p. Dunmore Press (New Zealand). An adoptive father’s account of the effect of adoption on his son, and their search for healing.

Spirit of Open Adoption, The. James L Gritter. 1997. 315p. CWLA. This book is a candid, intensely personal, highly readable account of an agency that switched from closed to open adoptions in 1980. It traces the reasons for the change and the resulting effects on birth parents, adoptive parents, adoption practitioners, and, most importantly, the children. It follows the survival and prosperity of the open adoption system, originally implemented for the benefit of the adults involved, through various crises. Fifteen years later, it is apparent that the children raised from infancy in this system have thrived. This book does not paint an entirely rosy picture, though. The author, an outspoken and ardent advocate for openness in adoption, warns that adoption seems to be moving from a professional service to a moneymaking business. If you want to have a true understanding of open adoption, this is the book to read.

Story of David, The: How We Created a Family Through Open Adoption. Dion Howells & Karen Pritchard. 1997. 309p. Doubleday. In an extraordinarily moving account that describes the two most emotional crises for any would-be parent—the search for a child to love and a woman’s need to give up her own child to better his life—The Story of David is both an inspirational human drama and a compelling argument for open adoption.