The Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption, Second Edition [Paperback]

Christine Adamec (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2005 | Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide

“A beacon through the often tangled and varied paths to parenting through adoption.”—William Pierce, President, National Council for Adoption

Hailed as “an extremely valuable resource” by Jann Heffner, executive director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, 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

 

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

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

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 2 edition (January 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159257274X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592572748
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a worthwhile purchase, June 30, 2000

By 

"fhoffman86" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Mass Market Paperback)

In many ways, this book is better than all the overly earnest or psycho-babbly pastel-covered books available on adoption. In keeping with the "Idiot's Guide" approach, this book is reader-friendly, breezily-written, and full of info. I'm most impressed with the inclusion of unsentimental, nuts-and-bolts subjects like financing, avoiding adoption scams, and state-by-state adoption rules.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title fool you! This is a great book!, October 18, 2000

By 

"possum5" (Nashille, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is chock full of information on every aspect of adoption, including domestic, international, older child, special needs, transracial, state regulations, single parents, etc. I love it! My adoption counselor even bought a few copies for her office library!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good starting point..., November 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.