The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step by Step Guide to Finding Your Child [Paperback]

Dawn Davenport (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2006

The go-to guide for everything you want to know about international adoption



From the initial decision—Is adoption right for you?—through returning home with your child—How can you ease the transition?—The Complete Book of International Adoption takes parents step by step through the entire process of adopting a child from another country.


You will find:

• An easy-to-understand analysis of the differences between domestic and international adoption

• Advice on choosing a country, including 25 important factors to consider, such as the waiting times involved and the estimated costs for each of the top placing countries, with charts for easy comparison

• A detailed discussion of the potential health issues based on the latest research and interviews with doctors who specialize in international adoption

• Worksheets and a suggested system for preparing and organizing the extensive paperwork involved

• Parenting tips to enhance attachment and suggestions for addressing the issues that come up in raising an internationally adopted child

• Real parents’ stories and advice at every stage of the process

• Plus all of the information you need to select your agency, plan financially, prepare for the home study, travel sensibly, evaluate your child’s health and integrate your new family


More than just provide the facts, The Complete Book of International Adoption also helps parents manage the emotional rollercoaster that comes with the territory. Sensitive, wise, and often witty, this book is a must-have for any parent considering building their family through adoption.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Davenport, an attorney, has firsthand experience with international adoption; she's the mother of four children, one of whom was adopted from Korea. An attorney and avid researcher, Davenport leaves no stone unturned as she guides parents through the adoption process, covering such subjects as choosing between domestic and international adoption, deciding on a country, locating an agency, determining adoption costs and wading through the often overwhelming amount of paperwork. She also delves into emotional issues, including how to know when you're ready to adopt, anxieties about the health of the baby, worries about becoming a parent and telling other children and/or friends and relatives. Though upbeat, the author doesn't sugarcoat the experience, exploring the risks of adoption (i.e., developmental delays, attachment issues and other potential problems) as well as the rewards. Interspersed are poignant accounts from parents who have adopted. A comprehensive resource guide is included, as well as an invaluable chapter on what to bring and expect when traveling to pick up one's child. Davenport has aced the complex preliminary footwork; parents considering or in the process will find this to be an essential companion on their adoption journey. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Dawn Davenport is a mom of four through both birth and international adoption. She is a researcher, writer, attorney, and adoption expert. She can be reached through her website at www.findingyourchild.com. She speaks at many conferences on this topic and is interviewed frequently by national media. She lives in North Carolina.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 393 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (November 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767925203
• ISBN-13: 978-0767925204
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Adoption

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from RainbowKids.com, December 7, 2006

By 

V. Garcia-mendoza "poet/ writer" (Oakmont, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step by Step Guide to Finding Your Child (Paperback)

When my husband and I started our adoption journey, there were a lot of books about international adoption we didn't buy. This is a major statement from two book lovers, but a true one. It seemed that the majority of the books on the adoption bookshelves were either too negative (focusing solely on the challenges of parenting a child through adoption), too shallow (treating Guatemalan adoption the same as Russian adoption) or just too dry (and when you're in the middle of paper-chasing, you need a real page turner to keep you going). So we went against our nature and mined other resources in order to become educated and bolstered throughout the process. Our minds expanded with new information, though our nightstands lacked the expected adoption reading.

My nightstand void remained until I received Dawn Davenport's The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Child (Broadway Books) to review. Having been in the process with either our daughter (now home) or our son (still in Guatemala) for 14 months and being blessed/ cursed with an ever-so-slightly obsessive personality, I consider myself to be well-informed about international adoption. Davenport's book, however, presented me with even more information than over a year of experience, other research, friendships and internet groups have. Furthermore, it was a pleasure to read.

The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Child actually lives up to its title by carrying its reader through the initial considerations of whether or not you should adopt internationally to adjusting to your child's first months home to celebrating his/ her personal history and birth culture. It's a great find, with clear, detailed, and up-to-date information on the international adoption process between the U.S. and 17 other countries: China, Russia, Guatemala, South Korea, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, India, Colombia, Philippines, Haiti, Liberia, Taiwan, Mexico, Poland, Thailand and Vietnam.

Davenport covers the emotional and practical aspects of international adoption evenly and seamlessly. Some of my favorite sections dealt with how to find and choose an ethical agency, how to survive the wait, how to travel internationally and still keep your sanity and how to deal with insensitive adoption comments. To broaden her coverage even more, Davenport includes several pages of perspectives from a variety of adoptive parents at the end of each chapter.

Best of all, I loved Davenport's voice. From her incredible "My Prayer for All Children" in the beginning of the book to her 50 page-long resource section, she comes across not only as an expert, but as a mom you'd want to sit down and chat with. Her compassion and sense of humor reach out to you and draw you in.

Whether you are embarking on your first or fifth international adoption, I highly recommend The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Child as one of the best books on the subject. Davenport will open your eyes and brighten them as she carries you through the life-changing journey of international adoption.

Violeta Garcia-Mendoza

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, January 30, 2007

By 

J. Hodgin (Greensboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step by Step Guide to Finding Your Child (Paperback)

This is by far the best book on international adoption out there and
I've looked at plenty. Actually, this book is for anyone thinking
about any form of adoption because it has a great and succinct
discussion and comparison of all forms of adoption. Although the book
goes on to a thorough coverage of international adoption, Davenport is
clear that all forms of adoption should be considered and there is no
one type of adoption that is best for everyone.

I love Davenport's thoroughness and her compassion for parents and
kids. The book covers everything a prospective parent needs to think
about, but Davenport is nonjudgmental about many of the choices parent
will have to make. With each choice she urges parents to be honest
with themselves and to put the interest of the child first.

Because we are at the beginning stages of considering adoption, I
found the first couple of chapters most helpful: are we ready to move
on to adoption, what type of adoption is best for us, how to choose a
country, and how to choose an agency. I especially loved the chapter
on choosing a country and the charts at the back of the book on each
of the top 17 (?) placing countries. Davenport has a website
[...] that keeps these charts up to date.

Regardless of which type of adoption we choose, I know that I will use
the rest of the book as a reference, especially if we decide on
international adoption. Davenport takes your hand and walks you
through absolutely every experience you may have from finding the
money, to surviving the homestudy, to preparing the paperwork, to
waiting for your child, to traveling to meet your child, to the first
days together, to the first year home. I liked her lists of questions
to ask agencies, references, your child's caregiver, etc. I also
loved her section on attachment and how to help foster it. She
explained it in a way that I understood and left me feeling hopeful,
not scared.

The Complete Book of International Adoption is a gem and a must for
any parent thinking about adoption.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know- and entertaining!, February 17, 2007

By 

Meegan - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step by Step Guide to Finding Your Child (Paperback)

Davenport's book claims to provide a step-by-step guide, and she succeeds with humor and honesty. The book offers an overview that I found useful in an initial cover-to-cover reading, and enough specifics in the chapters that as I'm completing the paper chase, I find myself going back to re-read. Some adoption books emphasize the risks so much that they're unreadable, and some gloss over the risks so much that they're unrealistic. Davenport finds the right tone by presenting the experiences of many adoptive families at the end of each chapter, offering a balanced viewpoint of each step in the process. Her suggestions are concrete, her information is accurate, and her resources are useful. All in all, the best book I've found.