Product Description

For some, parenthood comes easily; for others, the path to parenthood is long and paved with challenges, not only physical but emotional and financial as well. In words and photographs, Parents at Last celebrates 32 couples and individuals who persevered in their quest to become parents, often in the face of formidable odds.

These parents used any and every means available to them in order to bring a child into their lives, from adoption, both international and domestic, to high-tech medical procedures and even surrogacy. Their first-person narratives, accompanied by Helen Garber's revealing photographs, share both the highs and the lows they encountered on their journeys.

"In the Beginning" looks at new parents, those for whom the memories of infertility, bureaucratic red tape, or the difficulties of single parenthood are still vivid, though tempered by the joy and excitement of their new arrival. "The Wonder Years" offers stories from families that have had a bit more time to reflect on the changes they experienced, and are beginning to grapple with some of the questions that inevitably arise around
adoptive and medically assisted pregnancies. "In the Parenting Trenches" recounts the experiences of families with older children, and how parents cope with the dual challenges of adolescence and a family structure seen as different by much of the outside world. Lastly, "Pioneers Share Their Wisdom" focuses on those who have successfully seen their children to adulthood and the profound life lessons theyve learned along the way.

Whether they chose adoption, sophisticated medical procedures, or even surrogacy, the individuals
profiled in Parents at Last speak candidly of the obstacles and rewards they encountered in their roles as new parents. Their moving stories are sure to offer hope and encouragement to all those on their own paths to parenthood.

For anyone who has ever struggled to build the family of their dreams, or been touched by that struggle, the unique stories of the 32 families collected here are an inspiration. These movingly honest accounts, some told from the flush of new
parenthood, others offering the perspective made possible by years or even decades in the parenting trenches, confront the challenges and celebrate the pleasures of the new paths to parenthood.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1238461 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-06
• Released on: 1998-10-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Amazon.com Review
In Parents at Last: Celebrating Adoption and the New Pathways to Parenthood, authors Cynthia V. N. Peck and Wendy Wilkinson and photographer Helen Kolikow Garber lift the veil of secrecy from the highly emotional process of adoption and high-tech babymaking. Here are portraits--in both words and pictures--of parents who became parents through alternative means, including adoption, high-tech conception and birth, stepparenting, and foster parenting. Adoptive parents themselves (Peck has adopted seven children and raised nine, and Wilkinson is the mother of an adopted daughter), the authors effectively cull the words of veterans of infertility treatments and adoption struggles to create scenes of joy. Focusing a few short pages on each family, Peck and Wilkinson glean the essential story, translating into words the emotional impact of becoming a family through extraordinary means. The stories range from the "special" (an infertile couple who uses a sister's donor eggs and births quadruplets; the single mom who adopts seven children) to the more "ordinary" (a single father of two adopted Chinese children; a couple with their long-awaited adopted child). Garber's accompanying photos portray 32 families in celebration, all expressing relief and delight at having faced Lady Luck's worst, thrown the dice again, and won. --Ericka Lutz

From the Inside Flap
For some, parenthood comes easily; for others, the path to parenthood is long and paved with challenges, not only physical but emotional and financial as well. In words and photographs, Parents at Last celebrates 32 couples and individuals who persevered in their quest to become parents, often in the face of formidable odds.

These parents used any and every means available to them in order to bring a child into their lives, from adoption, both international and domestic, to high-tech medical procedures and even surrogacy. Their first-person narratives, accompanied by Helen Garber's revealing photographs, share both the highs and the lows they encountered on their journeys.

"In the Beginning" looks at new parents, those for whom the memories of infertility, bureaucratic red tape, or the difficulties of single parenthood are still vivid, though tempered by the joy and excitement of their new arrival. "The Wonder Years" offers stories from families that have had a bit more time to reflect on the changes they experienced, and are beginning to grapple with some of the questions that inevitably arise around
adoptive and medically assisted pregnancies. "In the Parenting Trenches" recounts the experiences of families with older children, and how parents cope with the dual challenges of adolescence and a family structure seen as different by much of the outside world. Lastly, "Pioneers Share Their Wisdom" focuses on those who have successfully seen their children to adulthood and the profound life lessons theyve learned along the way.

Whether they chose adoption, sophisticated medical procedures, or even surrogacy, the individuals
profiled in Parents at Last speak candidly of the obstacles and rewards they encountered in their roles as new parents. Their moving stories are sure to offer hope and encouragement to all those on their own paths to parenthood.

For anyone who has ever struggled to build the family of their dreams, or been touched by that struggle, the unique stories of the 32 families collected here are an inspiration. These movingly honest accounts, some told from the flush of new
parenthood, others offering the perspective made possible by years or even decades in the parenting trenches, confront the challenges and celebrate the pleasures of the new paths to parenthood.

About the Author
Cynthia V. N. Peck is the educational director and caseworker for Seedlings, Inc., a licensed New Jersey adoption agency that she helped to found. She is also the founder and publisher of Roots & Wings adoption magazine, which has subscribers in the United States and nineteen foreign countries. She is the parent of nine adopted children.

Wendy Wilkinson has been a public relations specialist for more than two decades and is a freelance writer with a masters degree in journalism. She is the mother of a two-and-a-half-year-old adopted daughter.

Customer Reviews

HIGH PRAISE FOR PARENTS AT LAST!
In October, I was privileged to attend an elegant gallery opening in LA to launch a beautiful new photo essay book, PARENTS AT LAST: Celebrating Adoption and the New Pathways to Parenthood, by Cynthia Peck and Wendy Wilkinson and featuring the heart-felt images of an accomplished photographer, Helen K. Garber.

As an attorney who practices adoption and surrogacy law, I am always looking for that "perfect" book to enlighten myself and recommend to my clients. I have found it in PARENTS AT LAST.

PARENTS AT LAST provides hopeful parents and others with personal stories about the joys and rewards of building a family by an alternate route. Each story reminds us of the absolute miracle of bringing a child into this world and the resplendent wonders of raising a child, however, where ever, and by whomever the child is conceived. The challenges and the joys faced by each family in PARENTS AT LAST offer well needed comfort, support, and promise to readers preparing themselves for their journey and validate their choices for their family and friends---and ultimately, for their children, too.

PARENTS AT LAST is the collaborative effort of several exceptional talents, bringing together an ideal mix of seasoned and experienced backgrounds in the authors, Cindy Peck and Wendy Wilkinson, and the photographer, Helen Garber. Together, they present readers with the full spectrum of adoption and assisted reproduction possibilities. They provide intimate and vivid portrayals of same sex and single parent adoptions; adoptions of older children and those with special needs; adoption by stepparents and older parents; international and interracial adoptions; surrogacy; anonymous donor sperm insemination; and egg donation, in one case, by the recipient's own sister.

The personal autobiographical accounts of the parents are not only enlightening and enriching; they are also poignant and poetic. I have been so moved by the stories in PARENTS AT LAST that I have found myself recounting stories and lines from the book to my family, clients, and peers, and strongly recommend PARENTS AT LAST as a "must read!"

As an adoptive parent I found the stories to ring true.
As an adoptive parent I found the stories in Parents at Last to ring true. It was so encouraging to see many different kinds of families gathered together in one book. There are many ways to go about creating a family. The only constant is love and commitment. Several of the stories reflect the parents feeling that their child was meant to be theirs. We also experienced that faith as we searched for our daughter 5 years ago. This is a beautiful book that I plan to share with our adoption support group.

A compassionate book filled with hope.
This book offers hope & compassion to many people with the goal of creating a family. As the Mother of a stillborn son 18 months ago and with added discouragement of not yet conceiving again at age 35+, this book offers hope that there are alternatives to building my family should I need to go that direction. It's nice to know that I'm "not alone" in this quest. It was also wonderful to hear about the book on the "Today" show; that's what prompted me to purchase it.