Product Description

"Adoption is the right option for many more types of parents and children than we imagined a few decades ago. However, it is not the right choice for everyone. Is Adoption for You? is a guide to thinking through the issues."--from the Foreword by Jerri Ann Jenista, M.D.

Would adopting a child be a good choice for you? Would you want to adopt an infant or an older child? What about a child from another country? A child of another race? Would you be willing to adopt a child with medical problems? Could you agree to involvement and openness with the birthmother? Would you be better off working with an agency or an attorney? Do you have to be married? How much does it really cost?

Before you decide, make sure you have all the facts. In this warm, straightforward new book, adoption expert--and adoptive parent--Christine Adamec gives you the information you need to make this important decision. From financial considerations to the myriad emotional issues involved, there are numerous questions to explore. Adamec's expert guidance, drawn from personal stories, clinical studies, and academic research, helps you find the answers that are right for you.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #626439 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Booklist
With her Encyclopedia of Adoption (1991) and related works, Adamec has made writing about adoption a cottage industry. Her readable, well-researched new book doesn't assume the reader is intent on adoption; instead, it provides prospective adoptive parents with the information and inspiration for deciding whether to adopt. Adamec poses questions to consider when assessing oneself, one's family, spouse, attorneys, and pediatricians, so that the readers become their own advocates. She discusses transracial and international adoption, single-parent adoption, infertility, and--unusually evenhandedly--the option of remaining childless. Unlike many books on adoption, Adamec's neither gushes about nor warns against it, and it offers practical checklists, articulate reviews of pertinent research, two dense appendixes, and much more. Moreover, her sensitive and realistic understanding of children and their needs and her fascinating critique of the concept of bonding are reasons enough for anyone, whether currently seeking to adopt or not, to use the book as a reference and guide. Jennie Ver Steeg

From the Publisher
This essential resource for anyone considering adoption answers a host of the complex questions asked by potential parents. What are the issues concerning adopting a child of a different race? How is adoptive parenting different from parenting a biological child? What are the implications of adopting an older child or a child with a disability? Christine Adamec, an adoptive mother and nationally recognized adoption expert, answers these questions and more.

From the Back Cover
"Adoption is the right option for many more types of parents and children than we imagined a few decades ago. However, it is not the right choice for everyone. Is Adoption for You? is a guide to thinking through the issues."—from the Foreword by Jerri Ann Jenista, M.D.

Would adopting a child be a good choice for you? Would you want to adopt an infant or an older child? What about a child from another country? A child of another race? Would you be willing to adopt a child with medical problems? Could you agree to involvement and openness with the birthmother? Would you be better off working with an agency or an attorney? Do you have to be married? How much does it really cost?

Before you decide, make sure you have all the facts. In this warm, straightforward new book, adoption expert—and adoptive parent—Christine Adamec gives you the information you need to make this important decision. From financial considerations to the myriad emotional issues involved, there are numerous questions to explore. Adamec's expert guidance, drawn from personal stories, clinical studies, and academic research, helps you find the answers that are right for you.

Customer Reviews

Good Balanced Information
My wife and I, who are in our early 50s and have a grown child, were recently considering adopting two young sisters out of foster care. We ultimately (and mutually) decided against it and are comfortable with that decision. The information in this book helped us get a realistic view of what to expect and reach that decision. One caution - it's primarily aimed at potential adopters of very young children, not "special needs" (whcih can just men "older than 2 years").

A helpful "prequel" if you're unsure about adopting
Most how-to books on adoption offer information and advice on how to adopt babies or older kids, assuming that readers already KNOW that they want to adopt.

But what if you're not really sure? After all, if you're not sure you want to adopt, buying a how-to-adopt book is like a person who's unsure about marriage buying a book on planning their wedding.

Is Adoption For You is a sort of "prequel," written in a friendly and helpful manner that guides you along the way, with advice on how to consider the issues involved, as well as self-tests and insightful information on adoption and adopted kids. For example, is genetics important to you? If you must have a child who looks like you, adoption won't work for you. Are you a clean freak? Children make lots of messes. It's also important to consider what your spouse or partner thinks about adoption too, one of the many key issues covered in this extremely helpful and practical book.

not much info--check it out of the library!
I just paid full price for this book, read it in an hour or so, and came away with very little concrete information. It was very disappointing! Definitely not worth buying. It did not help me in any way to decide whether adoption is for me.