About the Author: Gail Galvan was born in LaPorte, IN, and grew up in Gary, in a section called, Glen Park. Writing became a part of her life in her twenties. Her other work consists of nursing and field interview research. Other books by Galvan include: Autobiography of an Allergic/Asthmatic Survivor; Sneezing Seasons, the “inside” story about allergies and immunology, narrated by Henry, a friendly antibody; In Parents We Trust, Paycheck To Paycheck: Pre And Post Millennium Style; and a book of poems entitled, Affinity for Rainbows. She kept her dreams of becoming a published author alive in the midst of a closed world attitude toward unknown writers with the help of Write-On Hoosiers, a local literary club, and the inspiring poets and story-telling writers within the group.

Under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, states, territories, and tribes are entitled to claim partial federal reimbursement for the cost of providing foster care, adoption assistance, and kinship guardianship assistance to children who meet federal eligibility criteria.

From the Dust Jacket: Part memoir, part mystery, Find Me is a compelling and utterly original tale that will break your heart as it heals it. Told in Rosie’s candid, moving voice, it is the story of a friendship between a troubled young woman and a celebrity obsessed with helping her. As this bizarre relationship unfolds—and unravels—so, too, does Rosie’s history, forcing powerful acts of remembering and reckoning. This is a topsy-turvy tale of unforgettable characters, mistaken identities, and strange psychological illnesses that may or may not exist. Through it all, we come to know the author at levels that grow ever more surprising—and sometimes shocking—as Rosie reveals to us not only the way the past transforms the present, but how a single stranger thousands of miles away can spark irrational longings, profound obsession and, finally, the opportunity to put these forces to work in a healing way.

In Rosie’s words, “The whole world changed with just one phone call....”

“I met Stacie for the first time in May. Her voice was meek and flat on the phone. She wasn’t crying, but I heard it, the unmistakable sound of desperation. That was the first call, the single call that would change my life, and hers too, probably forever.

“I work with a nonprofit adoption agency in New Jersey. I fund their operation, provide outreach services, and they do the work. Finding families for kids who need them is beyond fulfilling, it is addictive. I like to help. I need to help. I help a lot, sometimes too much.

“This is a true story about a girl named Stacie who called the adoption agency with a terrible problem. A lot of it won’t make sense, at least logically. But sometimes sense runs deeper than logic. Nothing happens by chance. The events that follow, some dark and painful, changed me absolutely.”

—Rosie O’Donnell

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About the Author: Comedian. Actress. Talk-show host. Producer. Benefactor. Editorial director. Mother. Friend. Rosie O’Donnell has worn many hats. Now she takes on a new role: gifted writer and author, as she offers a brave and powerful account of an extraordinary experience that changed her life.

From the Back Cover: In this moving memoir, anchorwoman Christine Devine shares her fifteen-year journey reporting on children “in the system” and the families who adopt them. Christine is in the know as her own parents fostered and adopted. An estimated 500 children who have aired on her newscast have found forever families.

She speaks from her heart on the struggles, disappointments and doubt that can come with children who have been so traumatized. Through Finding A Forever Family, see how Christine is transformed by these amazing adoptive families who share their unmatched joys, unexpected rewards and life-changing lessons.

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About the Author: Christine Devine is a 14-time Emmy® Award winning news anchor in Los Angeles. A noted adoption advocate through the Freddie Mac Foundations Wednesday’s Child, Devine was honored with the Congressional Coalition “Angels in Adoption” award.

From the Back Cover: Finding Aster: Our Ethiopian Adoption Story is a fascinating memoir that follows one woman’s journey to motherhood via international adoption. Dina’s process begins with major surgery that leaves her unable to bear children. After recovery begins and burgeoning health finds her ready to discover what’s next, she and her husband decide to become parents. The journey that began in illness pushes Dina into places she never thought she would go, both within herself as a woman, and in the outside world to Africa. Finding Aster: Our Ethiopian Adoption Story is a must-read for all people considering parenthood. Important sections present controversial topics surrounding infertility, overpopulation, and the state of international adoption. In the end, Dina openly expresses with a clear and focused voice that choosing adoption to grow a family need not be a last resort.

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About the Author: In 1998 Dina McQueen received her master’s degree in Biography/Autobiography from Vermont’s Goddard College. Prior to Dina’s graduate study research, she came upon her grandfather Robert J. Wolff’s manuscript, The Man From Highbelow. Fascinated with his story of awakening as an artist, and the way that through discovering his life she better understood : and accepted who she was, Dina decided to dedicate her life to facilitating the writing of memoir. Since then, she has helped dozens of writers discover the story they want to tell, and helped them write and publish their memoirs. Dina is the 2006 New Mexico Discovery Award winner in the category of Fiction. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband, Brian, and daughter, Aster.

From the Publisher: An in-depth investigation of $30,000 U.S. dollars, four Guatemalan orphans, one non-profit evangelical Christian adoption agency, an accused family-run child-trafficking ring, one infant cut from her unconscious mother’s womb, two missing sisters, and a nine-member Tennessee family who believed wholeheartedly in Christian love and faith—until the dark side of international adoption shattered their trust. Investigative journalist Erin Siegal reveals the heart-wrenching story of how one poor Guatemalan woman, Mildred Alvarado, was separated from her two young daughters—and how the American housewife slated to adopt one of those children, Elizabeth “Betsy” Emanuel, accidentally became a reformer dedicated to an ethical adoption system.

Finding Fernanda sheds light on the highly politicized landscape of Guatemala’s adoption industry, a multi-million dollar trade that was both highly profitable and barely regulated. Children have been stolen, sold, and offered as orphans to well-intentioned Western parents since the industry began in the 1980s. Both governments of Guatemala and the United States have repeatedly proved incapable of adequately regulating the baby trade.

With help of documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests, leaked emails, and key sources inside both the Guatemalan and U.S. governments, Siegal traces the riveting story of two very different women brought together by the same missing child. Along the way, roles of various players are illuminated, including jaladoras (baby-finders), caretakers, Guatemalan judges, Embassy officials, adoption agencies, and many more. No one has given the American public a full understanding of how human rights abuses in adoption have occurred—until now.

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About the Author: Erin Siegal is a writer and photographer. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, Mother Jones, Time, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. She was a fellow at the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Reporting at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and she is currently a fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. She lives in Northern California and Baja California.

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By the Same Author: The U.S. Embassy Cables: Adoption Fraud in Guatemala, 1987-2010 (2011, Cathexis Press).

From the Back Cover: Finding Home is a mother’s letter to a remarkable son, her golden child, the one who left her too soon. It is the true story of Ramiro “Toti” Mendez, an All-American college baseball player who starred at Florida International University and Miami’s Westminster Christian High School. Toti, whose athletic endeavors graced local headlines, died from an undetected heart condition Toti’s untimely death kept him from learning the most important story of his life: the truth about his birth in Spain and illegal adoption.

This memoir reveals a mother’s dramatic secret and expresses her undying love, one that inspires a message about the need to detect heart conditions in young athletes.

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About the Author: Maruchi Mendez lives with her family in Miami, Florida, and is a co-founder of JunTos Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to help young patients and their families who fall victim to terminal or life-threatening illnesses.

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

From the Back Cover: The lift doors open and there sitting on the big leather sofas are a group of smiling people--Guillermo, his wife and two daughters, Silvia, the foster mother, her brother who has driven them down and, of course, Veronica and Osvaldo. I look at Ossie and he just sticks his arms up and we cuddle for the first time, so naturally and so deeply I cannot explain it, other than that somehow we were fated to meet.

This is the story of the adoption of two children from Guatemala. But it is more than that. It is a moving and inspirational account of how a couple, in their search to build their family, find not only two children but what will become their extended family—their familia. The story charts their many journeys to Guatemala, during which they learn about the country, its history and day-to-day life in the present. They develop supportive relationships with their new found familia, get involved in local projects, and help their children maintain links with their origins as well as to belong to a multi-ethnic family in modern Britain.

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About the Author: Stevan Whitehead was born in Oxford and has lived and worked around the world. He worked for thirty years in Marketing and Communications before moving on to a building a new career in property.

Stevan has been active involved in both intercountry and domestic adoption in the UK, volunteering with a number of adoption support groups and sitting on two local authority adoption panels.

A keen rugby player and supporter, he continues to coach youth players.

The Greek word sozo can be found throughout the New Testament and means to save, heal, and deliver. It is used in famous verses like John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save (sozo) the world through Him.” Kristin Moyer experienced the truth of sozo as she witnessed three of her four children be healed from severe medical issues, including autism, mental retardation, rage episodes, deafness, and stroke. While most books on healing prayer are written to instruct, Finding Sozo is written to encourage and inspire readers. Moyer shares her family’s journey from a lip-service belief in a higher power to an all-out surrendered faith in God. Whether she’s discussing her personal experiences with adoption, heavy topics like abuse, or more lighthearted questions about whether or not angels wear khakis, Moyer writes every word with an honest humility that will inspire you to hope. Take heart. Miracles can still happen—even in your life. Finding Sozo will lead you to the source of healing and wholeness: God.

Brandi Rarus was just six when spinal meningitis took away her hearing. Because she spoke well and easily adjusted to lip reading, she was mainstreamed in school and socialized primarily in the hearing community. Brandi was a popular, happy teen, but being fully part of every conversation was an ongoing struggle. She felt caught between two worlds—the Deaf and the hearing. In college, Brandi embraced Deaf Culture along with the joys of complete and effortless communication with her peers. Brandi went on to become Miss Deaf America in 1988 and served as a spokesperson for her community. It was during her tenure as Miss Deaf America that Brandi met Tim, a leader of the Gallaudet Uprising in support of selecting the university’s first Deaf president. The two went on to marry and had three hearing boys—the first non-deaf children born in Tim’s family in 125 years. Brandi was incredibly grateful to have her three wonderful sons, but couldn’t shake the feeling something was missing. She didn’t know that Zoe, a six-month-old Deaf baby girl caught in the foster care system, was desperately in need of a family unafraid of her different needs. Brandi found the answer to her prayers when fate brought her new adopted daughter into her life. Set against the backdrop of Deaf America, Finding Zoe is an uplifting story of hope, adoption, and everyday miracles.

In the same vein as Nia Vardalos’ book, Instant Mom, Julie set out to adopt through the foster care system after a series of failed infertility attempts. But what do you do when you want to adopt a newborn baby and that fails too? Fire Station Baby is the heart-warming true story of one woman’s attempt to achieve motherhood on her terms.

From the Foreword: A “must have” book for both adoptive parents and for those professionals who help adoptive families forge new ties. ... the author, herself an adoptive parent, addresses a wide variety of very complex topics with a marked sensitivity to the varying needs of children who may have had a wide range of early life experiences. Although in general the text is easy to read and understand, there is a glossary for those who might be unfamiliar with some of the terminology. References are made to well-established issues as well as to some of the newer research on the impact of early abuse and neglect on brain development. I particularly appreciated the special focus on identifying abnormal arousal patterns and helping the child with these. Parents and professionals alike will value the specific ideas provided for coping with problem behaviors and for building closer family ties.

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About the Author: Caroline Archer is an adoptive parent. Adoption UK is a registered charity which aims at to provide information, support and advice for prospective and existing adoptive parents and long-term foster carers.

Five Moves for Lucy is an inspirational story starting with the early years in the lives of married couple Jenson and Hollie Speed, it highlights the many problems and trials of life they encountered along the way, also the happy times they had working in various jobs and the diverse situations that they found themselves in. It touches on the many different people that they met and the sheer hard work they undertook to get themselves on their feet, they both loved their many pet dogs that they had over the years and they are included in their story. However, life can often be cruel as you will see as their story unfolds, due very often to circumstances outside of their control, at one stage they decided that they would make a completely new start, going on a journey that would take them far beyond anything that they would have thought possible, it all came about with a move brought about by a long lost friend. Jenson and Hollie had decided that they would like to adopt a child, their story highlights the many experiences they encountered good or bad, sad or happy, it is all here, you may at times want to have your handkerchief in your hand, the reason for the telling of their story is to encourage others to never give up in their quest to adopt a child. It can be a bit of a minefield, not knowing what to expect, what in their experience is the best way to go about it. They have included many of their own personal experiences warts and all, in order to help all of those contemplating adopting a child and indeed all of those people who have never given the idea of adopting a child a second thought, this story just might encourage such people to want give a little child a good home once you understand the plight of many of these tens of thousands of children, the story will help open your eyes to the often invidious and discriminatory adoption process, just a little bit more.

From the Back Cover: WHERE DOES YOUR CHILD THINK BABIES COME FROM?

“You go to the store and buy a duck.”

Susan, at age four, is a “Geographer.” She knows that babies come from a specific place: the store.

A child’s grasp of sex and reproduction has everything to do with his stage of development. Anne Bernstein has interviewed over 100 children, ages three to twelve, to discover six clearly defined levels of understanding.

Once you know your child’s level, you’ll know just what to tell, when, and how to tell it. Once you’ve heard the children’s own funny, fascinating, original observations, you’ll know how to let your child be your best guide.

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About the Author: Anne C. Bernstein, Ph.D., is a professor of Psychology at Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, where she is a practicing family psychologist. She is the author of Yours, Mine, and Ours: How Families Change When Remarried Parents Have a Child Together (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989; W.W. Norton, 1990) and is a frequent contributor to professional books and journals and to Parents Magazine. Dr. Bernstein has served on the Board of Directors of the American Family Therapy Academy and the Stepfamily Association of America, for which she chairs the Clinical Committee. She lives with her husband and son in Berkeley California.

Zahra, age three, and Hawra, only a few months old, were the only survivors of a missile strike in Baghdad in 2003 that killed their parents and five siblings. Across the world, in London, foreign correspondent Hala Jaber was preparing to head to Iraq to cover the emerging war. After ten years spent trying to conceive, Jaber and her husband had finally resigned themselves to a childless future. Now she intended to bury her grief in her work, with some unusually dangerous reporting. Once in Iraq, though, Jaber found herself drawn again and again to stories of mothers and children, a path that led her to an Iraqi children’s hospital—and to Zahra and Hawra and their heart-wrenching story. Almost instantly Jaber became entwined in the lives of these girls, and in a struggle to advocate on their behalf that reveals far more about the human cost of war than any news bulletin ever could. Beautifully written and deeply moving, The Flying Carpet of Small Miracles presents a genuinely fresh insight and perspective from a woman who, as an Arab living and working in the West, is able to uniquely straddle both worlds. In its attention to the emotional experiences of women and children whose lives are irrevocably changed by war, Jaber’s story offers hope for redemption for those caught in its cross fires.

From the Back Cover: I thought about trying to get pregnant, but going through all manner of painful and expensive medical procedures to try and have a child on my own seemed both fraught with problems and incredibly self-centred. I was forty—did I really want to be pregnant on my own at my age?

No, I didn t.

And so, Julia Wise gave up a high-flying career in television and a hectic London life to move to the country and pave the way for what would be a life-changing experience. In the eyes of the world, it was a radical step and an unusual one.

This book tells Julia’s story of adopting a child on her own. It’s a very personal story, but one which will resonate loudly with single adopters everywhere and offer a realistic look at the joys and pitfalls.

In this heart-warming and humorous account, Julia lays bare her mistakes and misconceptions and shares with the reader some practical advice and some top tips—never apologise for being a single parent, develop your laughter muscles, buy a good aluminium ladder, and much more!

Inspiring and accessible, this book describes the realities of life on your own with an adopted child. A must-read for potential single adopters.

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About the Author: Julia Wise has been a journalist and TV producer and is now living in East Anglia with her son Alan and Millie the cat and makes a living—well almost—teaching French and doing general supply in local secondary schools.

Folded: The Forging of an Adoptive Family helps bridge the gap between adoption paper shuffling and navigating attachment post-placement. Through exploration in the latest research on attachment and Interpersonal Neurobiology, combined with encouraging testimonials from adoptive families and adult adoptees, Folded’s purpose is to help educate, inform, and inspire anyone touched by the gift of adoption, or considering adoption, in a succinct yet God-glorifying way.

From the day she was born, Fonda felt a real excitement for life. Seldom a day went by that she didn’t have an amazing experience of one kind or another! A child of the Great Depression, she and her younger brother Herbie had to learn how to scrape by with what little their family had. An outgoing nature led Fonda and her friends into many adventures. However, it was the great adventure of the heart that Fonda began from the moment she met Bill Lincoln. Their plans for the future, were put on hold on December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, pulling the country into World War II. Millions of American men and women joined ranks to fight, including Herbie and Bill. While separation and the threat of harm were painful, Fonda did her share toward the war effort. The years that followed brought not only joy, but two sweet girls into Fonda and Bill’s life. In Fond Memories of Fonda, Joanne L.F. Bly brings her mother’s tale to life in a way no one else could.

From the Publisher: For Love of a Child explores the adoption experience from the inside out. Within these pages, you’ll share the journey of adoption with birth parents, adoptive parents, adoptees, and a birth grandmother. Learn what it’s like to be torn from your birth family at age eight, reunite with your birth daughter after 25 years, suffer the heartache of infertility and then finally find your child, discover you’re pregnant with twins at age 14, or build your international family through adoption. You’ll learn how open adoption really works, why many adoptees are perfectly happy with being adopted, and the complications of adopting if you’re single or gay. No matter what your perspective or experience, this collection of honest, compelling stories will help you understand adoption as a total experience—a circle of love with a child at the center.

A bewildered little girl is the hostage in this true story of one family’s struggle to adopt a child. A couple on an adoption agency merry-go-round. The names of the child, and of the author, have been changed to protect their identities. The author is a well-known female novelist and playwright.

A birth mom who has mental illness gives birth to a baby boy who she keeps for eight weeks. Thinking she can be a parent she realizes the best thing for her son is adoption. This story tells about how the birth mom places her son for adoption and in that one act unexpectedly leads her to recovery and happiness. Also, you will read the adoptive parents’ side.

From the Publisher: The journey of adoption is never easy, but it is one of love and growth that can be powerfully redemptive. Adoption transforms the pain felt by all involved as they experience the ways God works in the lives of so many people through one tiny child. For those struggling with the decision to adopt, support an adoption, or give up a child for adoption, this book is a must-read. With examples of real experiences from a professional perspective as well as personal stories from people whose lives have been changed by adoption, it is filled with useful information and, more important, great hope.

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About the Author: Monica Blume is a licensed clinical social worker with LDS Family Services, and has counseled birth parents and adoptive couples for over ten years. She has spoken to LDS audiences across the country and led various support, education, and training groups on the topic of adoption.

Gideon Burton is an assistant professor of English at Brigham Young University and is currently assistant editor of BYU Studies.

Bonnie D. Parkin was called as general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2002.

From the Publisher: At the suggestion of their church pastor, a married couple from Massachusetts travels to Brazil to adopt a child. Meeting each challenge and overcoming each obstacle along the way, they trust in God and watch His perfect plan fall into place in their lives.

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About the Author: Jeffrey D. Pethick lives with his wife and son in Massachusetts.

For the Love of Kids is a memoir of Rosemary’s life as a mother and foster mother. The book talks about the highs and lows, joys and heartaches, achievements and disappointments that she has been through during her years of child-rearing. I am sure a lot of parents will be able to relate to some of the stories and laugh along with her at some of them. Rosemary also talks about the frustrations with the foster care system and the effect this system has on, not only the foster children, but the foster parents and their natural children. A number of the children that she fostered had disabilities, including one very special boy Sam who has Down Syndrome, but these were not a handicap only a challenge to be overcome.

From teaching us to tie our shoes to parallel park, from outfitting us for our first dance or our first day in the dorm room, our moms have been our chief counselors, cheerleaders, critics, chauffeurs, and chefs. For the Love of Mom pays homage to the special women who rocked us, raised us, championed us, challenged us, and—at times—exasperated us. Whether a woman becomes a mom by giving birth, or through the blessings of adoption or step-parenting, she will be moved, inspired, and entertained by these true stories that share both the monumental milestones and everyday moments of motherhood. Some stories are humorous, some heartfelt; others will help moms through the trying times, yet all underscore the devotion and dedication we admire most about mothers. While the experience of motherhood is different for every woman, one thing is universal: it’s almost impossible to fathom the myriad of joys and triumphs encountered on the journey. For the Love of Mom celebrates moms and the uniquely important roles they play in our lives. Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, “If by Some Miracle” by Michelle L. Miller and “When You Least Expect It” by Maria Baily.

Billy and Mary Stevenson’s journey of faith began in the back streets of Belfast’s Shankill Road but neither could have imagined where it would lead. In 1974 they exchanged their semi detached house for a rat infested hovel on the side of a Korean mountain. While his wife toured the orphanages bringing food and clothes wrapped in words of love, Billy took God’s word to local army bases and prisons then, boarding a boat, he shared the same message of hope to a colony of lepers. When Billy and Mary stumbled upon an abandoned baby girl their service was to expand beyond the Korean mission. At less than an hour old, the child touched the couple’s hearts and moved permanently into their lives. She has brought them an enormous amount of happiness but has also introduced them to a world of emotional pain.

For the Love of Rachel: A Father’s Story tells the story of David Loewenstein, Ph.D., and his wife as they sought to create the family they had longed for as youngsters. For the Love of Rachel tells how this young couple went through in vitro fertilization, of their child’s premature birth and extended hospital stay, and finally of traveling to China to adopt a sister. This book is intended for parents, families, and other interested persons who experience the problems associated with premature birth and special needs children. For the Love of Rachel includes a foreword written by Dr. Shahnaz Duara, Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL. Dr. Duara helped care for Rachel during her time in the NICU, and comments “Rachel’s story is humbling.” Dr. Naseef noted that “For the Love of Rachel is a memoir of extraordinary power—which resonates deeply.”

The true story of a disabled refugee loved and brought up by Rachel Anderson and family.

From the Back Cover: Adoption is about needs met and longings satisfied. As the moral darkness around us intensifies, more and more innocent children are deprived the security of belonging to a two-parent family. They are born, but not “raised,” not loved and nurtured nor pointed toward God. Their futures are often bleak. Adoptive parents have a burden for such children.

For This Child We Prayed shares the experiences of those who traveled from the disappointment of childlessness to the joy of parenthood by adoption. They accepted the adoption, not as a second-best solution, but as God’s plan for forming their family. The stories show God working out details of seemingly impossible situations. Adoption is pictured as a venture of faith—faith in God who designs families and forms them by different means.

For This Child We Prayed was written to bless adoptive families, to provide useful resources for those considering adoption, and to help readers better understand what adoption is about—meeting the needs and longings of lonely children and lonely parents.