brief book reviews

Adopting after Infertility by Patricia Irwin Johnston
This was one of the best books we’ve read about our situation.  It walks you through some of the difficult emotions that accompany the loss of the assumption of pregnancy and birth, and then talks about how to decide whether adoption is right for your family and then how to do that.

Secret Thoughts of an Adoptive Mother by Jana Wolff
A short read that follows one woman’s story about adopting transracially in an open adoption situation.  I think the author has become pretty well-known in adoption circles.  I keep seeing her name popping up in magazines and blogs.

Adoption is a Family Affair:  What Friends and Family Must Know by Patricia Irwin Johnston
Although this book is mainly aimed at the parents of adopting couples, it would be a helpful read to anyone wanting to know a little bit about what the prospective  adoptive parents are going through and the best ways to support them through the process.

In Their Own Voices:  Transracial Adoptees tell their stories
I haven’t gotten all the way through this one, but the theme seems to be that there is no “typical” story or “typical” reaction of transracial adoptees.  Some are bitter, some are indifferent, some love their families….  it’s a good reminder of the individuality of all adoptees and a nice cross-section sampling of some of the different reactions they can have to the fact that they are adopted.

Parenting Your Adopted Child by Andrew Adesman
Although I’m about 75% done reading this book, I think it would be more useful once we’re actually parenting a child.

20 Things Adoptees Wish their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge
This book made me so nervous about adopting (no matter what we do, our kid will hate us!) that after i read a few chapters, I made J read it and summarize it for me.  He got frustrated with the poorly edited language and the fact that the author seems to have only one or two major points (don’t keep your adoption secret from the kid, don’t lie to them in general) and she just repeats them over and over using different scenarios.  He went onto Amazon and apparently there are two kinds of reviewer responses to this book:  a) “I was so glad to hear that someone else feels this way and that I’m not alone!”  or b) “This book is a bunch of fearmongering hooey.  Just treat your kids honestly and with respect.”