Customer Reviews

Adopting Natasha: My First Year as a Mother

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"Adopting Natasha" is a poignant story of a single mother adopting a Russian child. This book will give you a perspective on everything you need to do to initiate and complete a Russian adoption. This includes all the legal issues as well as information on how to negotiate through the Russian culture once you are in the country. In addition, the firt year of mother and daughter's relationship is described in the same level of detail. This is a must read for those considering international adoption or orienting their new child into the American culture.

Adopting Natasha is a very sincere and heartfelt book that describes both the practical and emotional sides of adopting a child. It is an extremely useful guide for those contemplating an adoption, but it is also more than that... It is a testimony of a woman who went through so much in order to build a family and raise children, something that so many people take for granted. I believe it is a very important read for all parents, it reminds us all to be thankful for our children and appreciate them - they are a wonderful gift!

This book is one single woman's story of international adoption and her journey from singledom to motherhood. The author is honest and open about her feelings, even with things are less than perfect. This book gives insite into the process of adopting from Russia and gives some helpful hints along the way. I found this to be an interesting, easy read.

I thought this was an excellent book for those individuals who are preparing for or considering international adoption. I am a mother of two children who were adopted from Russia and I am buying this book for my sister who is a single-mother and on a journey to expand her family via international adoption. I found this book to be a quick read and very insightful and informative. The author provdes a description of the international adoption process, the ups and downs encountered, in addition to the preparations surrounding finances, travel, and the Russian legal system (including questions the Russian judge asks of prospective parents). Carol Lee discusses the at-home preparations she undertook for her daughter. The author is extremely forthcoming regarding the realities of adopting a non-English speaking child, the trials and tribulations, her feelings of motherhood to her daughter, and the developing parenting skills required for various situations. This book follows the author's first year of motherhood and has a wonderful and happy conclusion of that first year!

Valued resource for my daughter who is adopting a baby from Russia.

It has helped her understand just what is involved.

Thanks very much.

Carol Lee, as a single adoptive mom, has shared the ups and downs of international adoptions, especially those of a single person adopting an older child. As Director of an International Adoption Agency, I endorse this book to our families, especially those who are single and don't have children, along with those who are adopting for the first time, in particular an older child. She poignantly shares with her readers a day to day sketch of the process, her trip to Russia, the placement and adjustment of her 5 year old daughter, Natasha, and the "bonus" she received. I commend her for her openness, honesty, and desire to share a year of her life with others who are considering international adoption.

Having recently adopted from Russia on a two-trip process, we purchased this book to see how Ms. Lee's experience compared to ours. I remember before we began the process how eager I was to read about other adoption experiences, and I'm always hopeful that more stories will be published. I was very disappointed with this effort. I read this book in about 90 minutes last night. I really hate to slam anyone who has adopted and put their experience out there for the world to read, but I find I can't help myself in this case. I found the book to be insubstantial, choppy, poorly edited (found typos as well as inconsistencies in info. given), and I was frequently commenting out loud to my husband about the self-centered thought processes and behaviour of Ms. Lee. The "twist" of her finding a Russian fiance in the end only proved to further irritate and astound me. Maybe if she had spent more time on developing the whole story, I would not be so critical and skeptical of her. In the end, I was aggravated with her as well as with myself for having spent the money on this book. I will say that her descriptions of Moscow, the Russian economy and character, and the court processes were consistent with our experience. I would recommend Adopting Alyosha by Robert Klose (even though it is a bit dated) as a better alternative to this book. I was glad that Ms.Lee sought assistance for both herself and her daughter. I wish her and her family much luck in the future.