Product Description

This new edition covers the adoption process, new information on cyber adoption, changes in adoption laws, and the financial considerations of adoption.

• Updated appendixes with new listings for adoption agencies, publications, adoptive parents' groups, and adoption attorneys
• Comprehensive information on adopting abroad, Internet-assisted adoptions, and the legal aspects of adoption, including pre-birth consent laws

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144324 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Amazon.com
The byzantine process of applying for adoption can leave even the best and the brightest feeling like an idiot. Fear not. Chris Adamec, coauthor of the Encyclopedia of Adoption and mother of an adopted child (plus two biological kids), has survived the process, truly believes in it, and passes along everything she's learned in more than 15 years of writing on the subject--all in a warm, encouraging style. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption begins with two chapters designed to help readers determine their adoption readiness by describing lifestyle changes and typical costs as well as offering a smart reality check in the form of a self-evaluation. The next section provides excellent information on adoption arrangers (agencies, lawyers, private individuals), adoption finances, laws and rights from state to state, and the increasingly popular international adoption scene. Then Adamec gets into the nitty-gritty of the actual adoption process, such as going through the dreaded home study (an evaluation of the potential adoptive family's lifestyle), dealing with birth mothers, coping with the challenges of raising adopted children, and, finally, facing a child's desire to search for his or her birth parents. An extra-large reference section includes adoption agencies, organizations, attorneys, parent groups, and more. Throughout the book, Adamec offers "real life snapshots" (true stories about different stages of the adoption process), helpful definitions of "adopterms," family-building tips, easy-to-understand charts, and relevant statistics--all to help potential adoptive parents arm themselves with multiple winning strategies. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption is an excellent primer that should instill readers with enough confidence to drop their "idiot" badge. --Liane Thomas

Comeunity
"An inspiring and informative guide for anyone in the emotional and complicated process of considering adopting."

Download Description
You're no idiot, of course. You've applied for jobs, colleges, and even a driver's license. But when it comes applying for adoption, you don't know where to begin. Start here! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption makes the adoption process easy. In sensitive, straight-forward language, adoption expert Chris Adamec shows you how to prepare for adoption, survive the adoption process, and raise a happy, healthy, adopted child.

Customer Reviews

Good, Quick, and Concise
This was a good and quick read over the generalities of the adoption process. It discussed the many faces of adoption (domestic/international; open/closed; the "nontraditional" adopter), the process (choosing an agency/private attorney), the homestudy, where to find the resources (some unexpected) to fund your adoption, the adoption laws within each state (including adoptive parent and birthparent rights), how to "meet" the birthmother, and what happens after bringing the child home (getting ready for his/her/their arrival, adoption "rituals" as they grow, explaining adoption to your child, behavioral problems that may be encountered). As I said, this is a good "general" book. I also found it focused more on domestic versus international adoption as a large portion discussed feelings that may be experienced by the birthmother (which will apply to int'l as well) , finding a birthmother, choosing open/closed adoption, and if an open adoption just how much contact is warranted, and what happens if she changes her mind. Even with this part of the book (as we are doing international adoption), the information was very concise and worth the time and money.

Buy the Second Edition, published in 2005!
Adoption has changed a lot since I wrote the first edition of Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption in 1997. Which is why if you want to adopt a child, you need to buy the second edition, published in 2005. ISBN: 159257274X

Rather than save a few bucks by buying someone's old used copy of the book, get the latest information! Would you make other life-changing decisions by relying upon outdated information? Adoption is definitely a (wonderful) life-changing decision.

I have completely updated the book, including the latest information on adopting babies and older children in the U.S. and other countries. I have info on using the Internet, affording adoption, avoiding fraud and much more and have updated my state-by-state adoption law chart.

I wish you success in adopting!

Christine Adamec
Author of CIG to Adoption

A good starting point...
If you are just thinking of adopting and have no idea where to begin, this is a great book. It gives details about many different types of adoption. It could really help you decide whether to go through government agencies, private agencies or international. If you have already narrowed your scope, then it is better to get a book specific to the type of adoption that you are pursuing, otherwise there will be many chapters of this book that you will skip.