From the Publisher: This book relays the factual details of the orphan trains that sent East Coast orphans to be with families in the Midwest and West. The narrative provides multiple accounts of the event, and readers learn details from the point of view of an orphan child heading to the Midwest, a Midwestern family awaiting a child, and a New York City child welfare worker. This book offers opportunities to compare and contrast various perspectives in the text while gathering and analyzing information about an historical event.

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About the Author: Peggy Caravantes is the author of middle-grade and young-adult biographies as well as nonfiction books for elementary students. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.

From the Back Cover: In the mid-1800s, New York and other eastern cities were swarming with homeless street children. Although some were orphans, many others were children of recent European immigrants who were unable to provide for them in a family setting.

In 1853, Reverend Charles Loring Brace founded the first of many orphanages and social agencies to help provide for these children. Noting the need for laborers and the desire for more children in other parts of the country, Brace’s Children’s Aid Society began a practice of “placing out” these children to families in over forty states. The children, accompanied by agents from the charitable associations, traveled to their new surroundings on what would come to be called the “orphan trains.”

This controversial practice continued until 1929, when the last train—with its cargo of homeless children—left New York for Missouri.

This anthology includes several of the orphans’ letters, agents’ first-hand accounts of the “placing out” system, ads for finding homes for the children, a transcription of the indenture papers of one child, many photos by social photographer Jacob A. Riis, and more.

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About the Author: Jeanne Munn Bracken is a librarian and a writer. Living in the Boston area for the past twenty-eight years has sparked her interest in history. Her fascination for genuine historical characters was fostered as a seasonal guide at the Ralph Waldo Emerson House in Concord, Massachusetts. She is a reference librarian, a long-time columnist for the Littleton (Massachusetts) Independent, and has written numerous articles and commentaries that have been published in newspapers and magazines from coast to coast. Her books include Children with Cancer (Oxford University Press, 1986) and It All Began With an Apple (history of the Veryfine Products juice company, 1988 and 1994 editions). She also edited, for the Perspectives on History Series, The Shot Heard ’Round the World: The Beginnings of the American Revolution; Iron Horses Across America: The Transcontinental Railroad; and Life in the American Colonies: Daily Lifestyles of the Early Settlers, with several others in preparation. Jeanne lives in Littleton, Massachusetts, with two daughters, three cats, a rabbit, and her husband Ray, who was adopted as a toddler and is anticipating a reunion with his original brothers and sister.

From the Back Cover: In 1853, Reverend Charles Loring Brace founded the first of many orphanages and social agencies to help provide for the homeless street children of New York City. Noting the need for laborers and the desire for more children in other parts of the country, Brace’s Children’s Aid Society began a practice of “placing out” these children to families in over forty states. Eventually, thousands of children, accompanied by agents from charitable associations, traveled to their new surroundings on what would be called the “orphan trains.”

This anthology includes several of the orphans’ letters, memoirs, agents’ first-hand accounts of the “placing out” system, ads for finding homes for the children, indenture and adoption papers, and a section of document based questions for students. A sidebar on each page provides vocabulary, where needed.

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About the Author: Jeanne Munn Bracken is a librarian, reporter, and freelance writer whose articles have appeared magazines and newspapers coast to coast. Jeanne lives with her husband Ray in Littleton, Massachusetts.

JoAnne Weisman Deitch, co-founder of Discovery Enterprises, Ltd., has researched and edited many books of primary source documents for use in schools, museums, and libraries. She and her husband Kenneth live and work in Carlisle, Massachusetts.

From the Back Cover: In the mid-19th century, more than 30,000 orphans were homeless, living on the streets of New York City. They survived by selling newspapers, begging, and being brave. A minister named Charles Loring Brace came up with the idea of placing these orphans in homes in rural America. The Children’s Aid Society was born. This book tells the compelling stories of seven orphans who rode the rails to new lives and families in the Midwest.

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About the Author: Rebecca Langston-George is an elementary school teacher in California’s central valley. Her previous books include For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story, Telling Tales: Writing Captivating Short Stories, and A Primary Source History of the Dust Bowl. Rebecca serves as the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Central-Coastal chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

From the Dust Jacket: “Where did I come from?”

“There’s a baby in Johnny’s Mom’s tummy. Did I grow in your tummy?”

They are the classic questions of childhood. All parents expect them; most anticipate them somewhat anxiously.

For parents whose children joined their families by adoption, these questions and their answers are more complicated than they are for families built by birth. How will they explain the process of conception and birth and at the same time introduce the process of adoption?

Our Baby is the first sex education book for the very young child in an adoption-built family. In a simple, straight-forward manner, Janice Koch has woven the loving story of a couple who, with the help of someone “who knows about babies who are going to be born and people who want to adopt them,” find a special someone-their baby-conceived by a man and a woman who were his birthparents and now joyfully apart of their family.

Following the lead of experts in both sex education and adoption, Our Baby uses appropriate terminology, avoids euphemisms and fantasy stories and shares important basic facts that will introduce a two to seven year old adoptee to his own story.

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About the Author: Janice Koch is a science educator with experience teaching science to children of all ages. She currently teaches and designs science curriculum in a large New York City independent high school. Mrs. Koch uses her ability to present scientific material in simple language to create Our Baby: A Birth and Adoption Story. She designed this story in response to her two small daughters’ questions about where babies come from. Conventional children’s books on this topic were unsuitable for the girls, who were adopted at birth. Mrs. Koch resides in a suburb of New York City with her husband and daughters.

Pat Goldberg, a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard Graduate School of Education, is a book illustrator and graphic designer for television and for numerous corporations.

She is director of her own art studio in Roslyn Heights, Long Island, where she lives with her husband and two children.

The Matthewses knew their family wasn’t done growing. Diana prayed for the perfect parents. Dias was waiting patiently for his Papa and Momma to take him home. They were all determined to have a family and were strangers that lived half a world away from each other. This is the true story of how a family grew through adoption. This experience is told through the memories of the original four Matthews family members and Diana and her brother Dias. This heart-warming book will give readers young and old, in a family or waiting for their Forever Families another reason to believe that dreams do come true!

As a mother lovingly pieces together a family quilt, she suddenly realizes something is missing. By the glow of the moon, it all begins. Even though the mother and father have three beautiful children together, their family does not seem complete. Without hesitation, the parents excitedly decide to adopt their fourth child. They fill out forms, prepare a nursery, and wait. Soon, a new baby is born. As the family brings him home and smothers him with love, everyone knows this bundle of joy is exactly where he is meant to be, forever. Our Fourth Gift is a sweet and powerful children’s story that shares an ageless, universal message about adoption, family, and love.

The amazing true story of the orphaned baby hippo and 130-year-old giant turtle whose remarkable friendship touched millions around the world. The inspiring true story of two great friends, a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-yr-old giant tortoise named Mzee (Mm-ZAY). When Owen was stranded after the Dec 2004 tsunami, villagers in Kenya worked tirelessly to rescue him. Then, to everyone’s amazement, the orphan hippo and the elderly tortoise adopted each other. Now they are inseparable, swimming, eating, and playing together. Adorable photos e-mailed from friend to friend quickly made them worldwide celebrities. Here is a joyous reminder that in times of trouble, friendship is stronger than the differences that too often pull us apart.

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Compiler’s Note: See, also, Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship (2007, Scholastic).

What a great project for you and your child to do together! With Photo Story, Jr., you can create a full-color, hardbound book of memories that he or she can look back on for years to come. Using the included stickers, markers, phototape, and paper, simply assemble photographs and text of your choice. When you’re finished, mail the completed materials in the postpaid envelope (along with a $3.95 shipping fee) and, in a few weeks, you’ll receive the finished book for you and your child to read and enjoy.

From the Back Cover: Pieces of Me: Who do I Want to Be? is a collection of stories, poems, art, music, quotes, activities, provocative questions, and more—all for the young adopted person who wants to figure out his or her story but doesn’t know where to begin. It is a book of voices, from ages 11 to 63, speaking honestly and authentically about what it means to be adopted. Most are adoptees from around the world—some are transracial, some are international, some are from foster care, some are young, some are old. There are a few adoptive parents, birth parents, and professionals who share themselves in here as well.

It is a series of experiences, expressions, feelings, hurts, hopes, dreams, and struggles from a wide range of individuals. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, some will make you happy, some will make you feel less alone, some will offer advice, and some will just share.

All of them are like us, figuring out where the Pieces of Me fit in with Who I Want to Be.

Organized around the idea of putting a puzzle together, there are five major sections—Gathering the Pieces, Stolen Pieces, Fitting the Pieces, Sharing the Pieces, and Where do These Pieces Go?—all offering hope, encouragement, empowerment, and a sense of not being alone. Although it was conceived for the young adopted person, there are universal themes of healing, hope, and struggle all of us can resonate with. And if you are a parent, birth parent, or professional who works with adopted and foster kids, you will find a glimpse into their world. So, open the book. It doesn’t matter where. Just open it up, and start to find the Pieces of Me: Who do I Want to Be?

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About the Author: Pieces of Me is edited by Robert L. Bert Ballard, Ph.D., an Operation Babylift adoptee from Vietnam, who wishes he had this book as a teen to know he wasn’t alone and what he was feeling was normal. He was evacuated from Vietnam in April 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. His passion is the adoptee voice. He has helped co-found two adoptee organizations and has served on a variety of boards for adoption. He is a sought-after speaker for both adoptive parents and adoptees having given hundreds of presentations across the nation. He is also widely published on adoption, in magazines, popular books, and academic journals. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario in the Department of Drama and Speech Communication as well as the Associate Chair/Undergraduate Advisor SPCOM where he teaches courses on interpersonal communication, communication ethics, and organizational communication. He researches international and transracial adoptee and adoptive family identity, communication ethics, and race. He is married with two daughters and is awaiting a referral for his adoptive son from Vietnam.

From the Back Cover: Each year in the United States, just under a million teenage girls become pregnant. Approximately three-quarters of these pregnancies are unintended, and more than a quarter of them end in abortion. A small percentage of teen parents choose adoption.

This work serves as a guide for the pregnant teenager in getting help, making the right choices, and building a better future. It provides in-depth discussion of the three choices—adoption, parenting, and abortion—available to pregnant teenagers and presents interviews with teens who chose each of these options.

This work also provides information for teenage girls about discovering that they are pregnant, the thought processes and reactions they may have, what they can do, where they can go for help, how they can take control of their situation, the role of their child’s father, and the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. A listing of numerous resources for pregnant teens is also included.

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About the Author: Tania Heller, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician, has a special interest in adolescent medicine. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

This issue of The Proceedings of GREAT Day showcases the engagement Geneseo students have with a host of contemporary issues, ranging from environmental sustainability measures to social awareness of disability, among other topics. The authors of these essays display their understanding of the larger world around them with the aid of literature, science, and sociological theories. In doing so, they explore exciting new perspectives and ideas, and come to thought-provoking conclusions. In its sixth year, The Proceedings of GREAT Day continues to publish creative and scholarly student work presented at the college-wide symposium GREAT (Geneseo Recognizes Excellence, Achievement & Talent) Day. The journal is available online at http://greatjournal.geneseo.edu. Compiler’s Note: See “Litigation, Legislation and Lessons: ‘Operation Babylift’ and International Adoption” by Cindy Trieu, pp. 11-34.

From the Publisher: To Boys and Girls Everywhere

This is your book. You children asked the a questions. That is why we call this book Questions Children Ask.

You asked many, many questions. We kept a Question Box into which we put all the questions that came to us through the mail or over the telephone. Into the box went the questions you children asked us and the questions you asked your mothers or fathers or teachers.

Each day we emptied the Question Box and looked at your questions. You asked all kinds! How does a spaceman walk in space? Why do leaves turn red and yellow in fall? How does television work?

Have you asked any of those questions? Do you know the answers?

Do you know what questions you asked most often? There were many questions about yourself, your home, and your school. You asked about puppies and bears and dinosaurs. You asked whether plants ever sleep. You asked why the sky is blue and why the tides come in and go out. You: wanted to know about jet planes and submarines, too, and what kinds of work people do at an airport and at a newspaper and what a fireman does.

You asked how popcorn pops and why we dress up as witches and ghosts and goblins on Halloween.

These are just some of the questions you asked.

Many people helped us find the answers. Now you can read the answers in your book, Questions Children Ask. You can see the answers, too, in the exciting, colorful pictures.

We hope you’ll keep on asking many more questions. We hope, too, that you will discover it’s fun to find answers of your own!

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Compiler’s Note: First published in 1956, the subject of adoption was not addressed until the 1969 edition, and even then, only very briefly, in answer to the question, “What is an adopted child?” The entry remained unchanged in the subsequent—and last—edition, published in 1989.

From the Dust Jacket: “What happens when you die?”

“Why can’t I talk to strangers?”

“Where did I come from?”

How would you answer questions like these? Is telling the truth always the right thing to do? Is your answer right for your child’s level of understanding? In Questions Children Ask leading parenting and childcare authority Dr. Miriam Stoppard provides the answers you need for the searching and often embarrassing questions that you may he asked on everything from sex and drugs to religion and divorce.

Age-Appropriate Answers

For each question, answers are given in four alternative versions geared to different ages—from 2-11—and different levels of understanding. For every subject Dr. Stoppard advises on the type of language to use and offers easy-to-follow practical guidelines on what and how much to tell your child.

What’s Behind a Question?

Is there anything worrying your child? Does the question hide a deeper problem? Dr. Stoppard looks at why a child may be asking a particular question, with suggestions on how to help. With its lively colour drawings and reassuring style, Questions Children Ask will give every parent or carer the confidence to answer even the most awkward questions sensitively, honestly and accurately.

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About the Author: Dr. Miriam Stoppard, is the author of many bestselling books and a leading authority on parenting and baby and child care as well as women’s health. She is a popular medical personality known to millions through her books, radio and television appearances and newspaper and magazine articles. Her practical and sympathetic approach appeals to parents everywhere. Dr. Stoppard’s books on child care, such as Everygirl’s Lifeguide, Test Your Child, Conception, Pregnancy and Birth and, most recently, Complete Baby and Child Care have together sold over two and a half million copies worldwide.

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Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, Questions About Relationships: Why am I adopted?

Ray-Ray’s Dream is based on the true story of a little boy named Raymond. Raymond was born addicted to alcohol and several illegal drugs, as well as being diagnosed with full-flown AIDS. With no one to care for him, Raymond was abandoned into the foster care system and not knowing anything else, waited to die. That is until he met that one special woman. She taught Ray-Ray how to have a fuller, happier life without feeling sickly all the time. He learned to love and he now knew what it meant to be loved. Raymond died on April 16, 1994. Before he died he talked of a camp, he called Camp Ray-Ray. His mommy started this camp and opened on May 1995 in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains. This camp believes in making children feel special, and letting children live life to the fullest. Included in the back of this heart-wrenching and inspirational book are organizations and information resources for those interested in making donations, or for looking into what the organization does for help children. — Jennifer LB Leese

With style and simplicity, The Real Me offers teenage adoptees and foster kids a place for information that’s all about them. With exercises and topics that are inviting, thought provoking and therapeutic, this book helps teens to explore and document the many sides of their personality as well as their past connections, present status, feelings, strengths and weaknesses, hopes and plans, and much more. A title page and spine insert are included to place under a clear vinyl binder cover (binder not included).

This book consists of fifteen accounts of such meetings and, as can be expected, covers a range of real-life scenarios involving a gamut of emotions from elation to despair. All of the stories are instructive and thus the book is a welcome addition to the number of publications that provide us with insight concerning the growing number of such meetings.

From the Back Cover: “Who will look after me ... and why can’t we all go together?”

Kurt Fuchel asked his father these questions, as the young boy prepared to embark on a journey to England ... alone. Fuchel was one of ten thousand children, who made this journey shortly before World War II began. In 1938, as the dark cloud of Nazism spread across Europe, Jews searched for a way out of Germany. But anti-Jewish laws and nations unwilling to accept fleeing refugees made escape difficult or impossible. England made an exception: save the children. This effort came to be known as the Kindertransport, and author Ann Byers discusses the heroes who organized the transports and the children who were saved from the Holocaust.

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About the Author: Ann Byers has been a teacher and curriculum writer for over twenty-five years. She has written many books about the Holocaust for Enslow Publishers, Inc.

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Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, Chapter 6, New Brothers and Sisters: The Attenborough Family (pp. 73-79).

Karen wrote this book to show how important both sides of adoption are. Adoptive parents do not exist with out a birth mother (parents). This book was written for Karen’s daughter, Kayleena, to let her know how very much she was wanted and loved before anyone ever knew that she existed! Written for children and adults, this book takes us on the journey of the adoptive parents search for a baby. The book depicts the wondrous love that birth mothers have for the precious children that they so lovingly entrust to another family to raise. The love of a birth parent is unending and forever. In this story the birth mother shows courage, love, and commitment to her new birth baby through her decision to give her to a new family. Karen’s hope is that this book will assist other children who have been adopted to understand how much they are loved by both birth and adoptive parents. All photographs were captured by the author. About the Author: Karen Denise Wilkinson Pergerson is a Florida native who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She is the owner of Angels Unique, LLC, and works as the Assistant Director advocating for the rights of adults with Developmental Disabilities. She has a wonderful husband and three beautiful, active children. Her top priorities are family time, home-schooling, genealogy, and keeping up with her kids! She is a creative individual who enjoys reading, writing poetry, scrapbooking, photography, baking and swimming. She is an advocate for both Pro Life and Adoption. Her belief that God is real and Jesus Christ her personal Savior help her to balance her life and live it respectfully. She has had a desire to write children’s books for as long as she can remember and is enthusiastic about seeing her books available to the public.

This collection of stories is a great overview for everyone who has a connection with adoption and for everyone who wants to learn about adoption. It gives insights from the perspective of children and teens as well as other family members. The book allows you a peek into life before, during and after adoption: the happy, the sad, the challenging, and the delightful. It’s unique because it tells about adoption from the viewpoint of children and teens who have been adopted.

From the Dust Jacket: Among questions in the minds of some young people who have been adopted are:

• Why did my “real” parents give me away?

• Why, when I think about being adopted, do I sometimes feel sort of sad for myself? Do other adopted kids feel this way, too?

• Will I hurt my parents’ feelings if I ask about how and why they adopted me, about what they and I were like back then?

• Will my being adopted affect the way I get along with other people in my life?

• Suppose, when I’m older, I decide to try to find my “original” parents. Is this possible to do? Is it right? What has happened to other adopted people who have gone searching for their biological parents? And what does it mean if I feel that I don’t want to go searching for them?

Fred Powledge, who himself was adopted in infancy, shares his own feelings and experiences in this straightforward discussion, touching on the historical roots, social evolution, and legal aspects of adoption as background for the personal concerns and questions that sometimes trouble adopted youngsters and their parents. While the author addresses himself particularly to young people who have been adopted, all readers will be drawn to-and can profit by-the warmth of his approach and the soundness of his insights.

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About the Author: Fred Powledge was born and raised in Raleigh, NC. In 1957, he graduated from the University of North Carolina. During the 1960s, he worked as a reporter covering the civil rights movement, first for the Atlanta Journal and then for The New York Times. In 1963, he and his wife moved from Atlanta to New York. In 1966, he left reporting to become a full-time freelance writer. His first book, Black Power/White Resistance: Notes on the New Civil War, was published in 1967. He has written seventeen books and many articles. In 1991, he also began writing editorial commentaries.

From the Back Cover (Revised Edition): Adoption raises many questions—for patents and children alike.

Adoption can bring many problems and anxieties—for all concerned.

Adoption can also bring great happiness.

In this simple and straightforward text, the author explains the reasons for and the steps in being adopted. He tries to show that there are few problems or worries that cannot be sorted out by thinking about them and discussing them. Above all he stresses that adoption can offer the chance for future happiness.

From the Dust Jacket: When Arn was a young boy in Cambodia, his days were filled with love, laughter, and the sweet sounds of music. That all changed suddenly in 1975 when Arn’s village was invaded by Khmer Rouge soldiers and his family was torn apart.

Arn was taken to a children’s work camp, where he labored long hours in the rice fields under the glaring eyes of threatening soldiers. Overworked, underfed, and in constant fear for his life, Arn had to find a way to survive. When guards asked for volunteers to play music one day, Arn bravely raised his hand—taking a chance that would change the course of his life.

A Song for Cambodia is the touching true story of Arn Chorn-Pond. His heartfelt music created beauty in a time of darkness and turned tragedy into healing.

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About the Author: Michelle Lord is the author of Lee & Low’s Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin, a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year. She fell in love with the culture of Cambodia when she traveled there to adopt her younger daughter, and first learned about Arn Chorn-Pond from the documentary The Flute Player. Lord lives in New Braunfels, Texas, with her husband and their three children.

Shino Arihara is a full-time illustrator who was born in the United States and grew up in Japan. She felt an immediate connection to Arn Chorn-Pond’s story because a close friend, and fellow artist, went through a similar experience when he lived in Cambodia. “I wanted to do this book for him,” says Arihara. She lives with her husband, a musician, in Redwood City, California.

From the Dust Jacket: Throughout the year, Mr. Magro’s students have written about their biggest emergencies and tucked them into the SOS File. Now it’s time to read the stories out loud and try to guess who hasn’t earned extra credit.

Sit back and enjoy twelve humorously illustrated stories that are sure to keep your heart thumping.

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About the Author: Betsy Byars is the widely read and much loved author of many books for children, including the Newbery Award-winning The Summer of the Swans. This is her second collaboration with her two daughters, Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers, also well-known authors of books for young readers; their first project together was My Dog, My Hero, illustrated by Loren Long.

Arthur Howard is best known as the illustrator of the Mr. Putter and Tabby series. He has also written and illustrated three picture books of his own, including When I Was Five, an ABA “Pick of the Lists.” He lives in New York City.

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Compiler’s Note: In “Miracle on Main Street” (pp. 41-47) a girl who was found as in infant in a dumpster recounts how she and her adoptive parents tracked down the man who rescued her.

We wanted a baby, your Daddy and I

We looked down low, we looked up high

For week upon week we scoured the town

We went to the country and searched all around

We went to a home, a nice lady to see

To find the best baby for Dad and for me

We waited for months for the call to come through

Then rushed to the home in a terrible stew

Once there we were shown to a room down a hall

Then in came a nurse with a bundle so small

And there we beheld—now can you guess who?

The baby we’d looked for—that’s right—it was YOU!

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About the Author: Helen Silverman was born on February 16, 1922 and died on November 15, 1964. She resided in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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Compiler’s Note: The book is designed to be personalized by securing a photograph of the adopted child to the back of the last page, such that the child’s face appears within the frame of a hand mirror pictured there via a cutout.

From the Dust Jacket: The teen years are difficult under the best of circumstances, but trying to grow up in a dysfunctional family makes life very tough. Whether it’s an alcoholic parent, a brother on drugs, or a sister in trouble, the teen in such a family setting must find ways to cope.

Rose Blue and Corinne Naden have interviewed members of many troubled families as well as social workers and psychologists who work with such families. The result is a series of case studies showing that teens in troubled families are not alone, and that help is available from many sources.

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About the Author: Rose Blue is a former teacher in the New York City system, and a writing consultant for Brooklyn College. She is the author of more than thirty books, mainly young adult novels and middle school nonfiction. Her novels Grandma Didn’t Wave Back and My Mother, the Witch have both been made into Young People’s Specials and aired on NBC. Her latest books include Good Yontif: A Picture Book of the Jewish Year and Christa McCauliffe: Teacher in Space (co-authored with Corinne J. Naden). A resident of Brooklyn, New York, Rose Blue enjoys traveling, the theater, and visiting museums.

After working as a children’s book editor for many years, Corinne J. Naden became an author and now has more than forty books to her credit. Her latest books include The White House Kids, and Colin Powell: Straight to the Top, both coauthored with Rose Blue. An avid golfer and football fan, Ms. Naden lives in Tarrytown, New York.

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Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, Chapter 6: Adoption (Meet the Cormans).

From the Dust Jacket: The enormous publicity surrounding the “Baby M” case focused the nation’s attention on the controversial issue of surrogate mothers. Mary Beth Whitehead, the surrogate mother, was embroiled in a dramatic court case with William Stern, the biological father, over who should gain custody of the baby.

Being unable to conceive or adopt a child is a heart-wrenching experience for those who want a family. Contracting with a woman to conceive, carry and deliver a baby—to be given up at birth to the biological father—may be the only alternative for these childless couples. But the legal, moral, religious, and ethical implications of this practice are monumental.

Surrogate Mothers covers a number of thought-provoking issues and sheds light on this emotionally laden, difficult issue. Who becomes a surrogate mother? Is she a sister of mercy or a baby seller? Who is legally the child’s mother? Are surrogate contracts legal and binding? What happens when one side reneges on the contract?

In this thorny area where no procedures have been set, the full extent of the surrogate mother’s rights and obligations as well as those of the prospective parents have yet to be determined. Filled with interviews and illustrative examples, Surrogate Mothers draws compelling portraits of both those who become surrogate mothers and those who use them to fulfill their desire to become parents.

How shall we weigh the harm and benefits of surrogate motherhood to society, to our notions of family, and to the couple, as well as to the surrogate mother and her family? Most importantly, how does surrogacy affect the child it creates? What kind of life will the child have who is created from surrogacy arrangements?

New surrogate mother agreements continue to be drawn up and the controversy surrounding them intensifies. There is an urgent need for legislation and guidelines to regulate the practice that can bring either profound fulfillment to its participants or grief and despair.

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About the Author: Elaine Landau received he B.A. degree from New York University in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Pratt Institute.

Ms. Landau has worked as a newspaper reporter, an editor, and a librarian. She has written many books and articles on contemporary subjects for young people. Ms. Landau lives in Manalapan, New Jersey.

From the Dust Jacket: Michaela DePrince was born in war-torn Sierra Leone and was orphaned at a young age. She became known as Number 27 at the orphanage, where she was tormented as a “devil child” due to a condition that makes her skin appear spotted. But at that same orphanage, Michaela would find a picture of a beautiful ballerina en pointe that would change the course of her life and allow her to take flight.

Adopted by an American family who encouraged her love of dancing, and fiercely determined to overcome stereotypes of conventional beauty and racial barriers in the world of competitive ballet, Michaela studied at the Rock School for Dance Education and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre. She starred in the ballet documentary First Position and is now a member of the world-famous Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

In this engaging, moving, and unforgettable memoir, Michaela, with the help of her adoptive mother, Elaine, shares her dramatic journey from orphanhood in West Africa to rising stardom in the ballet world.

Michaela DePrince studied on scholarship at the Rock School for Dance Education and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre. Michaela is now a professional ballerina. She was named the youngest principal dancer for the Dance Theatre of Harlem and is dancing with the Dutch National Ballet, one of the top classical ballet companies in the world.

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About the Author: Michaela DePrince starred in the ballet documentary First Position, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. She has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, Nightline, the BBC, and news programs in the United States and internationally. In 2012, the Huffington Post named her one of their 18 Under 18: HuffPost Teen’s List of the Most Amazing People of the Year.

Elaine DePrince is Michacla’s adoptive mother and co-author. She is also the author of Cry Bloody Murder: A Tale of Tainted Blood, as well as a songwriter and owner of Sweet Mocha Music LLC, an Indie record label and music publishing business. A graduate of Rutgers University and former special education teacher, Elaine, after raising five sons, took a leave of absence from law school in 1999 to adopt a child from war-torn West Africa. She often says that the need was so great that she ended up with six West African daughters.

Elaine lives in New York City with her husband and five youngest girls.

From the Back Cover: Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Cultural Anthropology is a debate-style reader designed to introduce students to controversies in cultural anthropology. The readings, which represent the arguments of leading anthropologists, reflect a variety of viewpoints and have been selected for their liveliness and substance and because of their value in a debate framework.

For each issue, the editors provide a concise introduction and postscript summary. The introduction sets the stage for the debate as it is argued in the “yes” and “no” readings, and the postscript briefly reviews the opposing views and suggests additional readings on the controversial issue under discussion.

By requiring students to analyze opposing viewpoints and reach considered judgments, Taking Sides actively develops students’ critical thinking skills. It is this development of critical thinking skills that is the ultimate purpose of each of the volumes in the widely acclaimed Taking Sides program.

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About the Author: Robert L. Welsch is a visiting professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College and adjunct curator of anthropology at The Field Museum in Chicago. He received a B.A. in anthropology from Northwestern University in 1972, an M.A. in anthropology from the University of Washington in 1976, and a Ph.D. from the same department in 1982. He has conducted field research among the Ningerum people of Papua New Guinea, the Mandar people of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the diverse peoples of the Sepik Coast of Papua New Guinea. He is the author of An American Anthropologist in Melanesia (University of Hawaii Press, 1998) and coeditor, with Michael O’Hanlon, of Hunting the Gatherers: Ethnographic Collectors, Agents, and Agency in Melanesia (Berghahn Publishers, 2000).

Kirk M. Endicott is a professor and the chairman of the Department of Anthropology at Dartmouth College. He received a B.A. in anthropology from Reed College in 1965, a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University in 1974, and a D.Phil. in social anthropology from the University of Oxford in 1976. He has repeatedly conducted field research among the Batek people of Malaysia. He is the author of An Analysis of Malay Magic (Clarendon Press, 1970) and Batek Negrito Religion: The World-view and Rituals of a Hunting and Gathering People of Peninsular Malaysia (Clarendon Press, 1979), and is coauthor, with Robert K. Dentan, Alberto G. Gomez, and M. Barry Hooker, of Malaysia and the “Original People”: A Case Study of the Impact of Development on Indigenous Peoples (Allyn and Bacon, 1997).

Brtty Jean Lifton is a therapist, freelance writer, and adoption rights advocate who has published widely on adoption in the United States. Her books include Twice Born: Memoirs of an Adopted Daughter (St. Martin’s Press, 1998).

Judith Modell is a professor of anthropology, history, and art at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Best known for her research on adoption, she has written many articles and books, including A Sealed and Secret Kinship: Policies and Practices in American Adoption (Berghahn Books, 2001).

John Terrell is curator of oceanic archaeology and ethnology at the Field Museum in Chicago. He has conducted extensive field research in Papua New Guinea as well as in New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. He has written numerous articles and books, including Darwin and Archaeology: A Handbook of Key Concepts (Bergin and Garvey, 2002).

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Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, Issue 9. Is It Natural for Adopted Children to Want to Find Out About Their Birth Parents?
YES: Betty Jean Lifton, from Journey of the Adopted Self: A Quest for Wholeness (Basic Books, 1994)
NO: John Terrell and Judith Modell, from “Anthropology and Adoption,” American Anthropologist (March 1994)
Adoptee and adoption rights advocate Betty Jean Lifton argues that there is a natural need for human beings to know where they came from. Adoption is not a natural human state, she asserts, and it is surrounded by a secrecy that leads to severe social and psychological consequences for adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth parents. Anthropologists John Terrell and Judith Modell, who are each the parent of an adopted child, contend that the “need” to know one’s birth parents is an American (or Western European) cultural construct. They conclude that in other parts of the world, where there is less emphasis placed on biology, adoptees have none of the problems said to be associated with being adopted in America.

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Although the contents of the two editions vary, the adoption-related section is identical in terms of authors and content.

From the Back Cover: Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Family and Personal Relationships, Ninth Edition, is a debate style reader designed to introduce students to controversies in family development and personal relationships. The readings, which represent the arguments of leading sociologists, psychologists, and family therapists, reflect opposing positions and have been selected for their liveliness and substance and because of their value in a debate framework.

Taking Sides Enhanced Pedagogy! For each issue, the editor provides an expanded introduction and a new section titled Exploring the Issue. The Introduction, now including alternate perspectives on the issue and Learning Outcomes, sets the stage for the debate. The Exploring the Issue section presents Critical Thinking and Reflection questions to provoke further examination of the issue. This new section also features Is There Common Ground?—designed to explore the different perspectives of the issue—plus Additional Resources for readings or World Wide Web sites that further the debate.

By requiring students to analyze contradictory positions and reach considered judgments, Taking Sides actively develops students’ critical thinking skills. It is this development of critical thinking skills that is the ultimate purpose of each of the volumes in the widely acclaimed Taking Sides program.

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About the Author: Dr. David M. Hall, a distinguished corporate diversity trainer and educator, is the author of Allies at Work: Creating a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Inclusive Work Environment and the editor of Taking Sides: Family and Personal Relationships, a college text. He is the creator of BullyShiled, a bullying prevention mobile application for the iPhone and Droid. Dr. Hall is the recipient of teaching and humanitarian awards at the national, state, and local level. Those awards include the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network Educator of the Year Runner-Up Award, Teacher as Hero Award from the National Liberty Museum, Outstanding Alumnus from Widener University, and Outstanding Pennsylvanian from the Pennsylvania Jaycees. Dr. Hall’s long list of clients includes JP Morgan Chase, Merck, the U.S. Department of Energy, PSE&G, The Hershey Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Safeway, The University of Pennsylvania, and many others.

Joan Biskupic is the Supreme Court correspondent for USA Today. She has also served as the Supreme Court reporter for The Washington Post and the legal affairs writer for Congressional Quarterly. The author of several reference books, she recently completed a biography of retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Timothy J. Dailey is a senior research fellow at the Center for Marriage and Family Studies at the Family Research Council (FRC), where he specializes in “issues threatening the institutions of marriage and the family.” His experience includes college-level instruction both at home and abroad, including several years in Israel teaching the historical, geographical, and archaeological background of the Bible.

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Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, Issue 12. Should Lesbian and Gay Individuals Be Allowed to Adopt Children?
YES: Joan Biskupic, from “Same-Sex Couples Redefining Family Life in USA,” USA Today (February 17, 2003)
NO: Timothy J. Dailey, from “State of the States: Update on Homosexual Adoption in the U.S.” Family Research Council (no. 243, 2004)
Joan Biskupic, legal affairs correspondent for USA Today, discusses the personal challenges for same-gender couples attempting to adopt in states that are not friendly to them and provides an update of legal issues and options available to lesbian and gay couples; these indicate a changing tide of acceptance toward couples of the same gender, as well as lesbian and gay individuals, adopting children. Timothy J. Dailey, senior research fellow at the Center for Marriage and Family Studies, provides an overview of state laws pertaining to adoption by lesbian or gay parents. He points to studies showing that children do much better in family settings that include both a mother and a father, and that the sexual behaviors same-sex parents engage in make them, by definition, inappropriate role models for children.