Customer Reviews

Adoption Nation: How The Adoption Revolution Is Transforming America

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Most of us tend to gravitate toward books that either affirm or stretch our deepest beliefs. I read Adam Pertman's ADOPTION NATION because I met him early on in his research for the 1998 Boston Globe series, watched him thoroughly explore the many facets of this complicated and bittersweet social institution, and knew that finally someone was working on a book that looked at the big picture of the "adoption revolution" that is truly transforming America. That book is here, and put into the hands of policy-makers who truly care about the best interests of children, it can make an enormous difference in the future -- and the integrity -- of adoption in America. A charming aspect of this brilliant examination of adoption's impact on our society is that through personal vignettes, Pertman eloquently illustrates how the revolution has been shaped not by professionals but by people who have lived adoption. His respect and compassion for all the voices in the adoption experience make this an unforgettable book.

Adoption Nation is a well written book that should be read by all - not just by those people affected or "touched" by adoption. For decades, the subject of adoption has been "off limits". Birth parents had long been shamed into "forgetfullness", Adoptees were taught it wasn't nice to ask questions about their status as adoptees, and Adoptive Parents were afraid to speak of it. In fact, to this day, even the lawmakers and judges project negative tones with regard to adoption. It's time the world opened their eyes to adoption and embrace it. There is no reason that Adoption should have negative over tones surrounding it all in the name of secrecy. Finally, with Adoption Nation and with adoption reform movements all around the country, Adoption and adoption triad members are coming out of the closet and the stigmas are beginning to be washed away! My hat is off to all who actively work for adoption reform and especially to Adam Pertman for writing such an eye opening and compelling book! Everyone deserves truth, dignity and honesty!

In a perfect world, adoption would not exist. However in the year 2000, thousands of infants and children still need homes and we, as a society, must actively work towards making this process humane and compassionate for all involved. Adam Pertman, in his well researched and beautifully written award winning book, explains how adoptions were done in previous decades, details the recent changes that have improved the process and speculates on future practices. As a reunited birth mother who relinquished a son in 1970, it is gratifying that this book was published; this should be required reading in all college curriculum dealing with social work and psychology.

Mr. Pertman brilliantly and methodically maps the long-hidden political and social landscape of American child adoption. His pen and sextant miss little: from the most heroic, through the most poignant, to the most disturbing. He precisely places seemingly dissonant features of this landscape and then clearly plots the linkages between them. From the rubble of post-Communist Bucharest to the bully pulpit of resurgent American extremism to the halls of power on Capitol Hill, he praises the meritorious and exposes the depraved. In doing so, he presents a powerful case for an end to the secrecy and lies - both personal and political - that have long-dominated American adoption practice. And when confronted with the all-too-pervasive venality, injustice and fanaticism, Mr. Pertman does not hesitate to take aim with his rhetorical gun... and open fire.

This is a profound, sometimes uplifting, sometimes horrifying and altogether necessary book. Buy it, read it, send it to your legislators, and then run for public office yourself.

A.S. Wei, Special Advisor to Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization

A magisterial and page-turning survey of the state of adoption today and of current adoption issues. Comprehensive summaries alternate with gripping, illustrative individual stories. Pertman frankly states his positions on controversial issues.

If you have to restrict yourself to one book on adoption, this is the one to get.

Pertman makes a compelling case for breaking the seal of closed adoption records. By presenting important, relative, fact and data and poignant personal stories, he lays out the foundation for how adoption is transforming the family, and why adult adoptees should have the right to their roots. Anyone connected with adoption and/or adoption reform (e.g., legislators and professionals, especially lawyers, teachers, and therapists), will be enlightened by reading this book.

People who are planning to adopt, or who have adopted kids should read this book. Told from the perspective of an adoptive parent, it will help them understand how adopted people like myself need the respect and humanity that openness provides. While I had a good adoptive experience, I don't think I would have wanted an open adoption as a kid. In any case, I sure do think that adopted adults need the same access to personal information that every other citizen gets, like our original birth certificate and other government-held files. Good book. Hope many people read it.

This is an exciting and informative roller coaster of the history of adoption. The book ranges from the history of and regrettable reasons for secret adoptions, to the explosion of openness beginning in the 1970's with its empowerment of birthmothers and the selling of babies by private agencies and on the Internet. The reader is offered the conflicting anecdotal records of openness, of the issue of opening up past secret adoption records, of reunions between parties of closed adoptions, and of keeping all future adoptions open. But Adoption Nation is prejudiced toward open adoption and leaves out the conclusion of the largest longitudinal study published in 1998 by Harold D.Grotevant and Ruth G. McRoy, Openness in Adoption, Exploring Family Connections (Sage 1998). These authors state: 'The clearest policy implication of our work is that no single type of adoption is best for everyone. Thus, we believe that a variety of adoption arrangements should be possible by practice and by law.' These authors warn that the long-term impact of openness for all parties in the adoptive kinship network is not known and longitudinal research is necessary to answer this question. The authors found in an earlier smaller study that semi-open adoption seemed to be the least harmful to the families involved in adoption. Literature tells us that we continue today, in both public and private adoptions, not to focus on what placement might be the best for the child, but on what is best for the families, agencies or adoption professionals. We think that if the adoptive and birth parents get on well, then open adoption is good for the child too for all ages, and for all developmental stages. But is it? One thing seems certain from Adoption Nation: Secrecy in adoption is a thing of the past. I am an adoptive mother of a secret adoption in 1969 and I was always opposed to secrecy. Fortunately, we met our birthmother 29 years later and love her and her family. Based on what she says today about openness, the golden mean of semi-open adoption would have been the best for her. Surprisingly, our daughter would once more have wished for a closed adoption. We need to find out what the children of open adoption are thinking as adults about their experience.
Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

Lively and accessible, Adoption Nation demonstrates how adoption is changing our concept of family to include not only people who are biologically related, but people who love each other, and that ties of affection can be as strong as ties of blood. The tone of this book is encouraging, warm and inclusive. But Adoption Nation is also a serious book, encyclopedic in scope, and provides a clear picture of the institution of adoption in 2001. I wish I had been able to read this book when my adopted daughter reunited with her birth family three years ago. I recommend this book to anyone touched by adoption, and also to readers interested in the state of our country. Adoption Nation would be a useful text for students of psychology or social work. Adam Pertman has written a wonderful book.

After 27 years as a social worker involved in child placement I can firmly say that Adoption Nation is a book whose time has come, finally! This past year has seen major advances toward a more dignified adoption practice in the US. The rights of adult adoptees being slowly but increasingly written into law and acknowledged in the media. Adoption Nation helps to explain this process. It documents very well the painful history of adoption practice in the US. It is well written and for me was very exciting reading. This story had to be told! This book is must reading for anyone involved in the adoption process, birth parents, adoptive parents, and the adoptees they love. Anyone with adoption triad members involved in their lives should read this book. It will help them understand the basic human issues of adoption that this book addresses in very taseful stories throughout. This book should be REQUIRED reading for social workers and anyone else who is planning to work in child placement. It should be read BEFORE any damage is done with a poorly planned adoption. Finally, this book must be read by our legislators. If they read and understand it then all the adoption laws in the US will be changed within the year to return the fundamental right to a birth hertiage to all adult adoptees, a right which was removed slowly, state by state, over the past 50 years. With this book the reversal of that process will continue to gather speed! Thank you Adam Pertman! I hope to meet you someday and thank you in person.