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, nurtured 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 Moats 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 licensed 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’ Musings” 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.

From the Back Cover: 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.

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About the Author: John H. Maclean is an attorney and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his wife have adopted two children from Russia. He is also the author of The Russian Adoption Handbook: How to Adopt from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

Chocolate Cake and Coffee originated as a blog dedicated to the legacy of the friendship shared by two women, my mother, Juanita Tuckness, and her dearest friend, Irene Gilmore. Each woman’s love, respect, and acceptance of the other melded to form a friendship that spanned more than six decades. Irene and Juanita lived only a few houses apart for fifty years, and sharing chocolate cake and coffee was an almost-daily ritual. Juanita always made her favorite chocolate cake from scratch, never from a box. The recipe is in the book. Irene, all dressed up as if she were going somewhere special, walked to Juanita’s house, where Juanita, dressed in casual clothes and slippers, always welcomed her with a wide grin and a “Hello, Miss Astor!” a tongue-in-cheek reference to the extremely wealthy and stylish Mary Astor. The two friends laughed and enjoyed a piece of cake, a cup of coffee, and a little chat. Juanita and Irene never solved any global problems, but the little corner of the world these two women occupied was always just a little better than the rest of the world because of their time together. Whether it was discussing their children’s terrible twos or their terrible teens, their children’s weddings and the births of their grandchildren, or who having an affair with whom, every word was another stone in the tower of friendship that would stand the test of time. This is the story of those incredible women, of friendships, and of the wonderful family that Juanita raised, nurturing them with love, a warm kitchen, and chocolate cake.

From the Back Cover: Choosing To adopt a child is one of the most significant decisions anyone can ever make. As a prospective adoptive parent, you will have to consider the temperament and history of the child you are seeking, what adoption method will be best, and the caregiving strategies that will provide your child the best opportunity for long-term health and happiness.

In this useful guide, marriage and family therapist Kyle N. Weir walks you through every step of the adoption process, from selecting an adoption agency, to understanding how to talk to your child about adoption using the No Less/No More principle, to finding therapy services that will allow your child to develop secure bonds with family and friends.

Most important, you’ll encounter a fascinating, first-of-its-kind look at the seven salient factors Weir has identified as critical predictors of a child’s long-term adoption outcome: age of placement, placement history, medical and special needs, parental care history, demographic variables, and developmental issues. Understanding how these circumstances affect the ability of a child to attach to caregivers, behave appropriately, and formulate an enduring, self-identity, will help yon ensure a fulfilling relationship with your, child.

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About the Author: Kyle N. Weir is an associate professor of marriage and family therapy at California State University, Fresno, and the director of the Whole Family Therapy project. He is the author of numerous journal and magazine articles and the book Coming Out of the Adoptive Closet.

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By the Same Author: Coming Out of the Adoptive Closet (2003, University Press of America).

From the Dust Jacket: From the beginning, Mary Beth Chapman’s life was not how she planned. All she wanted was a calm, peaceful life of stability and control. Instead, God gave her an award-winning, singer-songwriter husband, crazy schedules, and a houseful of creatively rambunctious children. And then, she experienced the tragedy she never could have imagined.

In Choosing to SEE, Mary Beth unveils her struggle to allow God to write the story of her life, both the happy chapters and the tragic ones And as the story unfolds, she’s been forced to wrestle with some of life’s biggest questions: Where is God when things fall apart? Why does God allow terrible things to happen? How can I survive hard times?

No matter where you find yourself in your own life story, you will treasure the way Mary Beth shows that even in the hard times, there is hope if you choose to SEE.

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About the Author: Mary Beth Chapman is the wife of Grammy and Dove Award winning recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. Together they began Show Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for the world’s most vulnerable children by providing financial assistance to families wishing to adopt, as well as increasing awareness of the orphan crisis and funneling resources to orphans domestically and internationally, Mary Beth serves as president of Show Hope and is a speaker for Women of Faith® 2010 with her husband. She is also coauthor with Steven of the Shaoey and Dot series of children’s picture books. Mary Beth and Steven have six children: Emily, Caleb, Will Franklin, and adopted daughters Shachannah Hope, Stevey Joy, and Maria Sue, who is now with Jesus.

The Chapmans live in Tennessee.

Ellen Vaughn is a bestselling author and inspirational speaker. Her recent books include Shattered, Lost Boy, Time Peace, Radical Gratitude, and It’s All About Him, a #1 New York Times bestseller. She is also coauthor with Chuck Colson of Being the Body and eight other books. Vaughn and her husband, Lee, live in the Washington, D.C., area with their three teenagers.

The remarkable story of love shared through adoption, this is the story of parents who have adopted, often in difficult circumstances. It is also the story of adopted children who tell their own experience of living in an adoptive family. Part II tells adoptive parents everything they wanted to know about adoption but were afraid to ask—what adoption agencies look for in parents, common fears parents often have, choosing an agency, etc.

Chosen Day is written to families who are considering adopting through the foster care system. It covers topics, such as, placement, bonding, blending a family, and even some post-adoption advise. This is an easy read that tells a story and provides help navigating through the foster care system.

From the Back Cover (paperback edition): Talk about adopting a baby and people feel warm inside. But actually adopting a baby—or an older child or teenager—will take a lot of thought, prayer, and preparation in addition to all those cozy feelings.

Though not without its difficulties adoption is a joyful and rewarding experience for thousands of families The decision to adopt a child brings love fulfillment purpose and grace to many children and adults who would otherwise miss something vital in their lives.

Recognizing this, in Chosen Families Kay Marshall Strom includes the information many families need to decide whether or not to adopt a child. For those families who say yes to the challenge, she provides the insight that will help make the adoption a positive experience. In addition to describing the many options adoptive parents have, Chosen Families is valuable because it outlines the legal considerations of adoption and prepares the reader for adoption interviews It also readies the reader for the child’s questions about his or her adoption.

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About the Author: Kay Marshall Strom is the mother of two, a substitute teacher and the author of Helping Women in Crisis, Special Women in the Bible, A Question of Submission, and John Newton: The Angry Sailor.

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Compiler’s Note: The author published a revised edition of this book in 1992 under the title The Complete Adoption Handbook, with co-author Douglas R. Donnelly, an adoption attorney; it has its own entry elsewhere in this database.

The Christmas Angel, a true story that is heart-warming and at times heart-breaking about Chrissy, a lovely, frail “throw-away child,” and her life spanning two Christmas seasons that brought her into the arms and heart of the author.

From the Author: The achievement of adoption came despite a system that is set up to anger and frustrate. This story chronicles every meeting, every lie and the ultimate success. It was frustrating at times, but every night that I see my son sleeping peacefully in his bed I have no doubt that every moment was well worth it.

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About the Author: Warren Panem has been many things; a student, an EMT, a paramedic, an RN, a teacher and now a father and an author. Of all of these, the most important thing is being a father. The rest can come and go, but being a father is a lifetime achievement, and commitment.

None of us can predict the endless twists and turns of life or the unimaginable impact that our Christian faith can have on its outcome. Through faith, one of God’s gifts we receive at our baptism, we are able to share God’s kindness and love—His Grace—among one another. Through God’s gift of free will, we can choose or not choose to share or seek God’s grace. Aside from so-called routine acts of kindness, grace encounters can come crashing into our laps out of nowhere or perhaps through a vague awareness that a stranger somewhere is facing a crisis. Our response often demands an extraordinary act of faith. In an uplifting tone, sprinkled with self-effacing, humorous reflections, Mikie Casem poignantly unfolds an often painful journey which led him and his wife, Rita, to not one, but two, extraordinary encounters with grace and a woman named Theresa Palumbo. During their journey, more than a few Catholic Clergy and Religious offered them practical advice, lifted them up from despair or challenged them to grow in their faith. Theresa Palumbo also candidly shares her two extraordinary encounters with Mikie and Rita: first, as an unwed, pregnant teen who was welcomed into the Casem home to live with a family she had never met and again, 32 years later, living 300 miles away, married with a family of her own and teaching school, when Theresa learned of Mikie’s end-stage illness. She made an astonishing decision to return and do what she could to try to save his life.

Cline/Helding Adopted and Foster Child Assessment (CHAFCA) was designed to be used by parents or caregivers as a preclinical assessment tool for identifying problems or predicting future ones in adopted or foster children. The subtests are easily administered and scored by nonprofessionals. CHAFCA is appropriate both pre-adoption and post-adoption, as long as the child has been in the current placement for at least 6 months. The twelve diagnostic subtests include such areas as attachment disorder, depression, substance abuse, sensory integration, and emotional health. CHAFCA is an essential tool for foster and adoptive families.

Jennifer Brinkley is a second wife, stepmom, adoptive mother, and lawyer in Kentucky. A book about mistakes, a book about successes, her story will take you on a ride through the whirlwind of her life. Relive her first year of being an adoptive mother and her questions about expiration dates, how to blend a family, and the true purpose of a bathrobe. Join her as she learns how to let go of the things that do not matter and cling tightly to all that does.

In 1999 my husband and I began the process for adopting a child of Chinese origin, and in June of 2002 we were finally able to meet our daughter Sara Yu Lai. The first time that we held her in our arms in Changsha, she was eight months old. After that moving experience, I decided to write a book that would help to raise the awareness of the public about adoption; a book that would help also to adoptive families—parents and young adults—to understand better their own story. In this book, I wanted to introduce people to other ways of life in far off places, and teach them about the suffering of those people and their poverty, and through these to teach about tolerance, solidarity, hope, and above all, about the family and the powerful bonds of love. The result of my work was Come from the Rain. This book was written with the conviction that adoption is not a kind of second-class motherhood, but rather a tremendously beautiful history of love that unites two souls destined to be together. In my book, I cover a great deal of ground: our initial decision to adopt, the many bureaucratic procedures and obstacles we faced, the long time of waiting, the moment when our daughter was first assigned to us, the preparations for the trip to China, the trip itself, our first encounter with our daughter, the two weeks we spent in China, the adjustments we and our daughter had to make, our return to Spain, and the beginning of our life together, now as parents and daughter. Throughout the pages of Come from the Rain, I present each stage of the adoption process as being a spiritual birthing process, and an delivery from within the heart. Along with the description of the process, I have integrated my own opinions about adoption and about the motivations that bring a couple to adopt, as well as about the information that adopted children should have about their origins. I touch on about social and political issues in today’s China, and I recount the story of the biological mother whose choice to give birth was the first step in something which I was able to continue, and to whom I feel genuinely grateful and eternally united. This book is somewhere between a story and reality. During the long journey which I undertook, cruel and merciless reality sometimes slapped me in the face. Then again, sometimes I simply thought that I was dreaming, that I was the protagonist of a marvelous fiction. Whatever the case may be, here we are, she and we, parents and daughter, living a succession of days that are always different, never the same, with the perpetual novelty of love.

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 Daniela’s 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.

From the Dust Jacket: In this delightful sequel to her bestseller Tender at the Bone, the beloved food writer Ruth Reichl returns with more tales full of love, life, humour and marvellous meals.

When readers left Reichl at the end of Tender at the Bone, she was in Berkeley, California working as a chef at the Swallow restaurant. Comfort Me with Apples pick up in 1978, Ruth is still living in a commune with her husband, Doug, but she has decided to put down the chef’s toque and embark on a career as a restaurant critic. After a bumpy start(at the end of her very first on-the-job dinner, her credit card is unceremoniously rejected), she is soon visiting restaurants all over the world in search of a meal to write home abot. The story that follows is an affectionate look at the apprenticeship—funny, daunting, always entertaining—of one of our best food writers.

Ruth Reichl’s pursuit of good food and good company leads her to New York and China, France and Los Angeles. She cooks and dines with world-famous chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and the three-star aristocracy of French cuisine, and her accounts of these meetings range from the madcap to the sublime. From a transformative lunch with M.F.K. Fisher to a garlic feast with Alice Waters, Reichl lovingly recreates all her memorable meals in such succulent detail that readers will yearn for truffles in Provence and shrimp in Beijing.

Throughout it all, Reichl is unafraid, even eager, to poke holes in the pretensions of food critics, making each and every course a hilarious and instructive occasion for novices and experts alike. She shares some of her first recipes so readers can make the Dry-Fried Shrimp she first tasted in China, or the Dacquoise served at the end of a magical visit to a Paris bistro. Reichl also shares the intimacies of her personal life in a style so honest and warm that readers will feel they are enjoying a cosy dining-table conversation with a friend. In Comfort Me With Apples, Reichl again demonstrates her inimitable ability to combine food writing, humour and memoir into an art form.

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About the Author: Ruth Reichl, former restaurant critic at New West magazine, California magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times, is now editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, her son, and two cats.

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Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, Chapter 13, “Mashed Bananas,” in which the author relates her experience adopting and then losing a daughter when the birth mother changes her mind before the adoption is finalized.

From the Publisher: Coming Out of the Adoptive Closet explores the social disclosure patterns of adoptive parents, giving voice to the “everyday life” of adoptive families. In previous generations, parents often chose to keep the adoption experience hidden with an “adoptive closet.” This qualitative study, utilizing interviews with 43 adoptive couples, explores the social disclosure of adoptive information by a new generation of adoptive parents. Focus is given to issues of social perception, individual development, family development, and family presentation strategies.

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About the Author: Kyle N. Weir, Ph.D., LMFT received a B.S. in Public Policy & Management, M.A. in Sociology (Organizations), M.M.F.T. in Marital & Family Therapy, and a Ph.D. in Sociology/Marriage & Family Therapy from the University of Southern California. Dr. Weir is an Assistant Professor of Human Development Counseling at the University of Illinois at Springfield and maintains a small private practice as a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist at the Counseling & Therapy Training Center at UIS. He is an Associate Member of the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT) and a Board member for the Illinois Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (IAMFT). His academic interests include: Adoption/Foster Care; Pre-Marital/Marital Counseling; Family Therapy; Religious Counseling; Human/Family Development; Family Policy-Making; Organizational Family Therapy; Non-Profit Organizations; and Growth Management of Religious Organizations. He is married to Allison Brown Weir, and they have five children: Kellie, Nathan, Samantha, Joshua, and Jason. It was through the personal adoption experiences with his children that Dr. Weir developed an academic interest in adoptive studies.

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By the Same Author: The Choice of a Lifetime: What You Need to Know Before Adopting (2011, NTI Upstream).

An indispensable book for parents of adopted and foster children with attachment issues. Dr. Katharine Leslie, author of When a Stranger Calls You Mom, is a practicing psychologist who has raised a daughter with attachment issues.

From the Dust Jacket: Dan Savage’s mother wants him to get married. His boyfriend, Terry, says “no thanks” because he doesn’t want to act like a straight person. Their six-year-old son, D.J., says his two dads aren’t “allowed” to get married, but that he’d like to come to the reception and eat cake. Throw into the mix Dan’s straight siblings, whose varied choices form a microcosm of how Americans are approaching marriage these days, and you get a rollicking family memoir that will have everyone—gay or straight, right or left, single or married—howling with laughter and rethinking their notions of marriage and all it entails.

In a time when much of the country sees red whenever the subject of gay marriage comes up, Dan Savage, one of America’s most outspoken columnists, takes it on and makes it personal. As he comes to terms with the very public act of marriage, he draws us into the foibles and fealty of brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and, especially, spouses.

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About the Author: Dan Savage is the author of the internationally syndicated sex-advice column “Savage Love” and the editor of The Stranger, Seattle’s weekly newspaper. His books include Skipping Towards Gomorrah; Savage Love, a collection of his advice columns; and The Kid, an award-winning memoir about adoption. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, the op-ed pages of The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Salon.com, Nest, Rolling Stone, The Onion, and other publications. He has also contributed numerous pieces to This American Life on NPR. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

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By the Same Author: The Kid (1999), among others.

From the Back Cover: Whether you are thinking about adopting a child or using reproductive treatments to become pregnant, The Complete Adoption and Fertility Legal Guide explains your options, gives you the steps to take to protect your decision and hands you the power to make it happen.

Every year ASSISTED REPRODUCTION becomes more common as new reproductive technologies are added to the list of possible choices. Proven procedures and emerging technologies are discussed with answers to questions like:

• What should you do to prevent a sperm or egg donor from later claiming custody of your child?

• Why does a surrogate’s husband need to be a party to the contract?

• How can a surrogacy contract help you spot potential problems?

• What steps should you take for the disposition of frozen genetic material?

The procedures for all types of ADOPTIONS are covered, as well as the agreements, required notices and documentation needed to support your decision. Learn more about:

• Protecting against a birth father from claiming paternity

• When birth parents can revoke their consent to the adoption

• Your rights as a gay or lesbian couple to adopt

• Why you have to readopt a child adopted internationally

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About the Author: Brette McWhorter Sember received her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and practiced in New York state before leaving her practice to become a writer. She is the author of fifteen books, including The Visitation Handbook: Your Complete Guide to Parenting Apart. She is a member of ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors) and AHCJ (Association of Health Care Journalists). She is the recipient of the 2000 Media Award from Family and Home Network (formerly Mothers At Home).

Sember has extensive training in cases involving children and was on the Law Guardian panel in three counties. Her practice included adoptions, which she found to be the happiest cases to take place in Family Court. She is also a trained family mediator and is experienced in a wide variety of family issues. Children have always been her main focus throughout her career.

Sember writes and speaks often about children and family. Her work has appeared in magazines such as ePregnancy, Pregnancy, Child, and American Baby. She is the mother of two children and has personal experience with fertility issues.

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By the Same Author: The Infertility Answer Book: The Complete Guide to Your Family-Building Choices with Fertility and other Assisted Reproduction Technologies (2005); Gay and Lesbian Parenting Choices: From Adopting or Using a Surrogate to Choosing the Perfect Father (2006, Career Press); The Adoption Answer Book (2007); Unmarried with Children: The Complete Guide for Unmarried Families (2008, Adams Media); and The Everything Parent’s Guide to Raising Your Adopted Child: A Complete Handbook to Welcoming Your Adopted Child Into Your Heart and Home (with Corrie Lynn Player & Mary C Owen; 2008, Adams Media).

From the Back Cover (3rd Ed.): Whether you choose to pursue independent, agency, or international adoption, The Complete Adoption Book is the most comprehensive and authoritative adoption book you can use to guide you through the process—from deciding if adoption is right for you to budgeting your expenses and interviewing birth mothers.

As adoption professionals and adoptive parents, authors Laura Beauvais-Godwin and Raymond Godwin bring an unparalleled level of expertise and compassion to every situation an adopting parent is likely to encounter. The information provided in The Complete Adoption Book includes:

• Information about every kind of adoption—from family adoption to independent and from agency to international

• All contact information required for agencies, attorneys, and support groups

• State-by-state requirements for completing legal adoptions

• A step-by-step guide to the home study

The Complete Adoption Book puts control back in your hands and places you on the right track for securing the family you’ve always wanted quickly, legally, and with few complications.

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About the Author: Laura Beauvais-Godwin is the Director of the Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency and conducts international and domestic adoptions.

Raymond Godwin is an attorney specializing in adoption issues. They are the proud parents of two adoptive daughters, with whom they live in Taylors, SC.

This practical book Answers the basic adoption questions: How much does it cost? Who’s involved? How long does it take? What do I need to know that I don’t know to ask? And more. This guide book will help prospective parents consider key emotional and spiritual issues adoptive families face. This books contains: both domestic and foreign adoption procedures for agency and independent adoptions concerns about intercountry and transracial adoption special-needs children longer term questions about the impact of adoption on your family over the years. Dealing with birth mothers and birth fathers State-by-State requirements.

From the Back Cover: Talk about adopting a baby, and people feel warm inside. But actually adopting a baby—or an older child or teenager—takes a lot of thought, prayer, and preparation in addition to all those cozy feelings.

In The Complete Adoption Handbook, a revised and updated edition of Chosen Families, authors Kay Marshall Strom and Douglas R. Donnelly help guide readers through the considerations and legalities that surround adoption and on to the final question: Is adoption for me? For those who say yes, the authors provide insights that will help make adoption a positive experience.

In addition to describing the experiences of many adoptive families, The Complete Adoption Handbook is valuable for its thorough appendices, including:

• state adoption policies

• addresses of helpful organizations

• a book list for further reading

• a read-aloud section to help answer children’s questions about adoption

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About the Author: Kay Marshall Strom, mother of two, is a teacher and speaker, and the author of twelve books, including Making Friends with Your Mother, Making Friends with Your Father, Helping Women in Crisis. She lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Douglas R. Donnelly, an adoptive parent, is an attorney whose practice is limited to adoption law. He is the chairman of the Ethics Committee of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and a member of the Board of Directors of the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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Compiler’s Note: The aforementioned predecessor volume, Chosen Families: Is Adoption for You?, has its own entry elsewhere in this database.

From the Back Cover: 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 roller coaster 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.

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About the Author: Dawn Davenport is a mom of four through both birth and international adoption. She is a researcher, writer, attorney, and adoption expert. She speaks at many conferences on this topic and is interviewed frequently by national media. She lives in North Carolina.

From the Back Cover: Dr. Barbara Bascom, renowned for bringing the plight of many Romanian children to the world’s attention—most notably on ABC’s 20/20—and Carole McKelvey, an award-winning journalist and coauthor of two books on adoption and children at risk, have combined their years of experience, research, and insight to compile this indispensable guide to foreign adoption. With a foreword by ABC News producer Janice Tomlin and dozens of moving true stories of parents who have given their hearts to a son or daughter brought home on a “baby flight,” this comprehensive handbook offers vital facts and in-depth coverage on every aspect of intercountry adoption, including:

• The process—detailed information on U.S. and foreign country requirements; independent vs. agency adoption; how to manage the bureaucracies, avoid fraud and illicit baby brokering, and much more

• The children—where they’re available and why, what conditions they may have endured, and how to ease the transition to your home

• Special needs—how to recognize medical and developmental problems in children who have lived in institutions, adjust your own expectations if necessary, and tap into resources for your child once you’re home

• Your adoption plan—priceless guidance to help you meet the challenges, manage the risks, and embrace the joy of becoming a parent through international adoption.

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About the Author: Barbara B. Bascom, M.D., specializes in developmental pediatrics, and is the founder of the Romanian Orphans Social, Educational and Services program (ROSES). A recognized expert on childhood development, she is the mother of two children, including an adopted son, and four stepchildren, and is the grandmother of four. Along with teaching and writing, Dr. Bascom continues her work in Romania. She lives in Denver with her husband.

Carole A. McKelvey, M.A., is an award-winning journalist and the coauthor of High Risk and Adoption Crisis. She is a mother of three, including an adopted stepdaughter, and lives in Littleton, Colorado, with her family. She is an expert in attachment disorder, and a clinical therapist currently working at Human Passages Institute in Lakewood, Colorado.

From the Back Cover: Building a family doesn’t have to make you feel like an idiot!

You’re no idiot, of course. You’ve applied for jobs, colleges, and even a driver’s license. But when it comes to applying for adoption, you don’t know where to begin.

Start here! The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Adoption makes the adoption process easy. In sensitive, straightforward language, adoption expert Chris Adamec shows you how to prepare for adoption, survive the adoption process, and raise a happy, healthy adopted child. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide you get:

• Inside tips on how to make your adoption application shine.

• Solid information about the latest adoption trends and how they affect you.

• Cautions against adoption scams.

• Profiles of real-life adopters and adoptees you can learn from.

Discover quick and easy ways to...

• Determine whether you are ready to adopt.

• Choose an adoption agency or attorney you can trust.

• Understand state and national adoption laws that affect you.

• Survive interviews and home-study visit.

• Get information about your adopted child’s birth family.

• Arrange non-traditional and international adoptions.

• Explain adoption to your adopted child.

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About the Author: Chris Adamec has been writing about adoption for more than 15 years. She co-wrote the Encyclopedia of Adoption and publishes a monthly adoption newsletter. She lives in Palm Bay, Florida, with her husband and children, including an adopted son.

From the Back Cover: At Last, a Comprehensive and Practical Guide for the Single Parent! Filled with expert information and pragmatic advice, The Complete Single Mother explains what nearly eleven million single mothers need to know to overcome the challenges of daily life with dignity, wisdom, and courage. This book will answer all the questions you may have about single motherhood but were either too busy or too afraid to ask—questions concerning custody issues, managing your finances, dealing with an irresponsible ex, handling work pressures, collecting child support, and more.

Raising Good Kids in a Changing World. Today’s world is rapidly changing and so is the American family. Parents must often face issues that their own parents never dreamed of, armed only with obsolete advice. Focusing on how to raise good kids in changing times, this book offers solutions for today’s families—showing how you can help your children through your divorce, build their self-esteem, find male role models, and respond to tough questions like, “Where’s Daddy?”

Taking Care of Your Child’s Most Important Asset—You! Raising a family solo can be challenging and sometimes overwhelming. But with some creative thinking, a bit of planning, and The Complete Single Mother as a companion, you can not only raise happy, healthy, and productive children, you can also retain your sanity—and your sense of humor!

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About the Author: Andrea Engber is founder and director of the National Organization of Single Mothers, and editor-in-chief of SingleMOTHER, the voice of the organization that has been hailed by the media as the best source of available information for single mothers. She has written for and advised major magazines on single-parenting issues, including Redbook, New Woman, Working Mother, Woman’s Own, Parenting, American Baby, American Woman, and Parent’s Magazine, and is often cited as one of the country’s leading sources of single-mothering statistics and information.

A contributing editor for Working Mother magazine, Engber writes a single-parenting column for their two million-plus readership. In addition, she pens a nationally syndicated weekly column, “Single ... With Children,” distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. In 1995 she was honored with the No-nonsense American Woman Award for her combined efforts toward helping single mothers and their families. Engber lives in North Carolina with her ten-year-old son, Spencer, her friend Mike, along with four cats, five dogs, occasional horses, and several socially unacceptable animals.

Leah Klungness earned her Ph.D. while single-parenting her two children. Formerly an elementary school teacher, she is presently a school psychologist. In her private practice, where she counsels many single women and their families, she comes face to face with the real issues surrounding single parents. Klungness also serves as an advisor to the National Organization of Single Mothers and writes a psychology column for SingleMOTHER. She resides in Locust Valley, New York with her children, Andrew and Sarah.

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Compiler’s Note: Interestingly, the first and second editions include a reference to Geborener Deutscher, a quarterly newsletter published by the Complier between 1988 and 2000, under adoption-related “Recommended Reading.”

From the Back Cover: Nobody ever said creating a family was easy. For many adoptive and foster families, the journey begins with the pain of infertility and learning to cope with the unexpected. Whether you conceive your children the old-fashioned way or open your heart and home for the miracle of adoption, building a family takes faith, hard work, and a lot of love, but the joys of being together make it all worth it.

In Conceiving in the Heart you will meet families of all shapes and sizes. Their stories are different, but the feelings that bind them to each other are universal. Join them in their miraculous journeys to becoming forever families and be inspired by these accounts of ordinary people with an extraordinary ability to love.

Deana Coreen Kastello shares her own experience of adopting, as well as many others’ in this heartwarming and sincere tribute to adoption and foster care. This beautiful collection of scriptures, poems, and true stories reminds us all that there is more than one way to create a family.

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About the Author: Deana Coreen Kastello and her husband, Andrew, are the parents of six children and have been licensed foster parents for nearly twelve years. Deana is especially astonished and heartbroken by the growing number of children who have no one to tuck them in at night. She hopes this book will draw awareness to the great need for adoptive and foster parents.

This is my very personal story of heartbreaking infertility to adoption from foster care. The book follows along as I attempt fertility treatments and ultimately decide to adopt my son.

In her plucky new memoir, award-winning journalist Susan Orlins inspires you to embrace your worries. With wit and grit, Orlins takes you from her starter marriage in 1965 on a rocky, comical journey to 1979, when she moves with her second husband to Beijing (where she has her own personal spy). Her effort to adopt an infant in China provides a rare portrait of an era when “eating bitterness” was a way of life. In the chapter “I May Have Ruined the Marriage, But You’re Ruining the Divorce,” Orlins portrays her separation with wry, wrenching self-awareness. She rebounds with a post-traumatic-divorce party, “family” vacations with her ex, and a cast of Mr. Wrongs, like one who—whenever he feels blue—swallows a pinch of his father’s ashes. During a solo bicycle trip in Paris, Orlins tracks down a boyfriend from 42 years earlier. No one could have anticipated the crisis that occurs an hour into their reunion. With her knack for stumbling into drama, it’s no wonder she worries. More recently, while exploring what young Susan would think of her present-day self, Orlins faces a life-changing realization. Readers will relate to this deeply personal story, told with a quirky sensibility by a startlingly honest mother, daughter, ex-wife, and dog lover, who—à la Nora Ephron—will feel like a dear friend. Confessions of a Worrywart: Husbands, Lovers, Mothers, and Others lingers long after you finish reading it.