Customer Reviews

Finding Katherine: A Spiritual Journey to Vietnam and Motherhood

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Finding Katherine" is a very touching recollection of an adoption journey to Vietnam. The author takes one through the ups and downs of her personal journey to her daughter. And not only does she take you through the adoption, but she also takes you along for the sites, sounds, smells and feel of Vietnam as she tours the country during her time there. As an adoptive parent myself, I can attest to all the feelings that one goes through during this life changing process from the first piece of paper, the first picture, the first glimpse of Vietnam, the first time see your child, the first time you hold your child, until the very end when you are back home a forever family. This book is written so well that as a reader, you can almost feel the joy, the tears, the anticipation, the worries, all the emotions that one experiences on an international adoption journey. It's a book that once you start reading it, you can't put it down until you have read the last page. It also has a great section of resources for anyone interested in international adoption.

I throughly enjoyed this book from the point of view of; adoption, Vietnamese travelogue providing some sense of the country and the situation for Vietnamese adoptees and adopters. It was also an intelligent and thoughtful read.

This is a great reference for those who wish to adopt and do not know how to get started or would like to investigate other resources. The author shares how she met people on the internet and via personal contacts in her budhist group to research how to adopt directly. The valuable information which she shares about compiling meticulous records and actually conducting her own adoption thus saving thousands of dollars is excellent. All this priceless information is gilded with a fabulous travel story. The wonderful relationships she forms with the people, priests and nuns of Vietnam as well as that with her new daughter should not be missed.

Searching for stories of others who adopted children from Vietnam, I picked up this book based on the favorable reviews I read here at Amazon.com. I couldn't agree with them more. I read this book the moment I got it, without putting it down.

This is an amazing story, full of detail, and rich in personal reflection. It's a very intimate, honest account of her reactions to coming to know her new daughter, and explore a wonderful and sometimes confusing new world with her. While much that experienced with the adoption process has changed, and surprises like those she encountered are, hopefully, a thing of the past, her story has much in common with that of anyone who has traveled around the world to bring a little person home.

I've lent my copy to so many people, it's starting to get worn. I would recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about adopting overseas, has considered visiting Vietnam, or is merely on his or her own spiritual journey.

This book was wonderful. I would recommend it to anyone adoption from Vietnam.

Book is good story of her adventure to adopt from Vietnam but a little weird sometimes with the large over tone of her Buddhist practice. I am totally fine with individual beliefs but I didn't know this was about her spiritual journey. Nice story and again like to hear about other people's adoption journey as my husband and I travel down the same road.

As a person who is very familiar with the teachings of Vietnamese Buddhism and a parent who is adopting from Vietnam, I was really looking forward to reading this book. However, I found myself becoming more and more disappointed and disinterested. The author's account seems superficial and contrived. The seemingly never-ending accounts of haggling to save a few cents were almost nauseating. Understandably this is an exhausting trip, but the tone becomes almost "whiney" as the book progresses. The author presents a largely self-centered journey; she seems to forget that Buddhism practice focuses on our connectedness to the world around us. Furthermore, once you have a child, it is not just about you anymore!

The book, Finding Katherine, is a must read for anyone considering adoption in Vietnam. It is filled with details about Ellen Fitzenrider's experience that are helpful for those that don't know what to expect. I recommend this book.

I am waiting to adopt from Vietnam and cannot get enough information about the country and the process. Because of my vested interest, I read three quarters of the book in one day! It was wonderful to get lost in the author's journey. I keep recommending the read on my adoption egroups.