Customer Reviews

How to Adopt Internationally: A Guide for Agency-Directed and Independent Adoptions, Revised and Updated Edition for 2003

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The new 2000-2002 edition of How To Adopt Internationally is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for agency-directed and independent adoptions. Every aspect of a 23 step international adoption process is covered with the most up-to-date and thorough information. Adoption laws and requirements for 68 child-placing countries (including Russia and China) are given in detail, as are instructions for estimating the costs of an international adoption. Of special interest is the chapter devoted to health concerns of Third World orphans. How To Adopt Internationally is enhanced for the prospective adoptive parent with Internet addresses for downloading INS forms, overseas embassies, adoptive parent support groups, travel information, and a great deal more. Authoritative, practical, comprehensive, How To Adopt Internationally is an essential reference.

One of the things I liked best about this book is that it included samples of all of the paperwork we needed to collect or submit during the adoption process and gave detailed instructions for finding the necessary forms and documents.

I also liked the step-by-step approach. In addition to making the whole thing easier and less overwhelming, breaking the process down like this, really helped us understand how international adoption works and what government agencies oversaw each part of the process. We could also really track our progress.

The book was also very helpful to us in researching and choosing the right agency and the right country.

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone even considering the possibility of international adoption.

This book was my "bible" as I prepared to adopt internationally. It guided me through the very detailed, step-by-step process. From finding an agency, initial paperwork, finances, social worker visits, the actual trip and first amazing meeting with your child, to issues once back - such as potential health problems, cultural issues, readopting and adjusting to life as a new family. Sample forms and documents were extremely valuable. I found this more current than other sources available. Also addressed adopting as a single-parent, which was encouraging! I had the opportunity to hear the authors speak in person, and was impressed not only with their first hand experience in adopting and raising their own children, but with their keen knowledge of international politics, and their passion and commitment to guiding others to build their family through foreign adoption. They have a wealth of experience running their own adoption agency, and clearly remain on the cutting edge when it comes to the most current information regarding international adoption. (I now have a beautiful, happy, healthy daughter whom I adopted from China.) This book is a must read for anyone considering the complicated (but ultimately wonderful) experience of adopting a child from a foreign country!

Frankly, I didn't know where to start when I decided to try to adopt from Armenia, a country that (at the time) didn't allow agency-directed adoptions. I read this book cover-to-cover, and realized that I would need a LOT of help in order to avoid the pitfalls inherent in independent adoptions. I found a great facilitator to handle the ideosyncratic Armenian requirements, but she didn't know the ins-and-outs of the U.S. side of the equation. This book is exactly as it claims to be: a Guide to International Adoption. It breaks the process down into sequenced steps that make sense of the bureaucratic nightmare inherent in the adoption process.

If every agency was open, honest, and competent, and every country was consistent in its requirements, then books like this one wouldn't be needed. However, I feel that EVERYONE considering international adoption should be armed with the information contained in this book even if it's only used to evaluate agencies before you make your final decision. Furthermore, those choosing to adopt independantly need a guide to sort through the tons of misinformation they will encounter throughout the process.

Keep in mind that ANY info contained in this guide or any other is only the latest info available at the time of printing. Every step along the way, I checked for variations and/or changes with some recent adoptive families from my network of Armenian friends. I also relied on Internet government sites for updates on paperwork requirements.

Even though this book is marketed as the "2001-2002 Edition," it is already woefully outdated with regard to the adoption laws and requirements of various countries. For instance, if I had taken the Erichson's information as law, I would not be sailing through the process to adopt a beautiful child from Kazakhstan right now. The Erichson's claim that Kazakhstan does not allow foreign adoptions, when indeed it has since 1999. In addition, there is misinformation regarding the adoption process for China, and these are just the two countries I know about. It is my advice to completely skip the "Compendium" section of this book (where the authors outline adoption laws and procedures for over 65 countries) - there is simply no way a print publication can keep up with the ever-changing country guidelines, INS procedures and politics that keep the international adoption process in a constant state of flux. Your best bet for up-to-the-minute information on international adoption procedures is the internet (particularly the US State Department's International Adoption page). If you place your confidence in the Erichson's book,... you could be sorely disappointed or miss out on an excellent opportunity.

However, Erichson's info on preparing for the home study is quiet good. It also provides a helpful chapter on adoption medicine and health issues. The book also contains sample INS forms, although these are easily downloaded directly from the INS's website with complete instructions on how to fill them out. "How to Adopt Internationally" is a good reference to look at BEFORE you actually begin the adoption process - it's a good way to get an idea of what to expect (just don't believe everything you see in the Compendium!). Once you get going, it is vitally important that you have the most up-to-date info available to safeguard yourself from setbacks and disappointment. Your adoption agency and home study social workers will help you do the right thing at the right time, and don't forget to contact families who have recently completed adoptions in the country you are interested in to get a first-hand account of what it's REALLY like (the web is great for this!). This book doesn't provide any info that you can't find easily on the internet - I'd skip it in favor of a good web search specific to the country you intend to adopt from.

Ms. Erichsen's updated version of How To Adopt Internationally is even better than her first version. She accurately clarifies the steps in a process that can be challenging and lengthy. She provides necessary and detailed information and answers the questions any adoptive parent needs to know. Ms. Erichsen's expertise in the field is quite apparent. The book is extremely well written, thoughtful and an absolute must read for anyone who is thinking about adopting internationally or who is in the process.

This is a solid, practical "how to" book that gets right into the nuts and bolts of the international adoption process. While most of the books I found on international adoption were either woefully outdated or tended to be a collection of heartwarming stories about adoptive parents and their journey to their child, this was the only book that explained the entire process from the very beginning to the very end. I have a paperwork phobia, so I especially appreciated all of the examples of the forms and documents the book included, the packing lists for the trip abroad, the guidelines for preparing for the homestudy and for preparing the foreign dossier. I'm planning to get a copy of this book for my parents to help them understand the process.

While I agree with the reviewer who said that it's impossible to publish a book that can keep up with every change in international adoption, that's certainly not a reason to give up attempting to bring people a reasonably up-to-date resource. I applaud the Erichsens for commiting to a new edition every other year. It was definitely the most up-to-date resource I could find.

As a recent adoptive parent, I found the book to be by far the most useful resource in terms of understanding the process of international adoption, helping with the forms and documents I had to collect, understanding how to estimate expenses (and helping me to compare the confusing pricing terms of various adoption agencies), selecting a reputable agency, understanding how the immigration process worked, and choosing a country that was the best fit for me.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone considering adopting internationally.

While I agree with the reviewer who said that it's impossible to publish a book that can keep up with every change in international adoption, that's certainly not a reason to give up attempting to bring people a reasonably up-to-date resource. I applaud the Erichsens for commiting to a new edition every other year. It was definitely the most up-to-date resource I could find.

As a recent adoptive parent, I found the book to be by far the most useful resource in terms of understanding the process of international adoption, helping with the forms and documents I had to collect, understanding how to estimate expenses (and helping me to compare the confusing pricing terms of various adoption agencies), selecting a reputable agency, understanding how the immigration process worked, and choosing a country that was the best fit for me.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone considering adopting internationally.

This is a very useful resource...I love that the book includes samples of all documents that you will encounter in an international adoption. Some of the information, though "updated & revised for 2003," is already outdated in 2008. However, an overall useful tool for prospective adoptive parents.