Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook: Creating and Raising Our Families [Paperback]

April Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1993

A much needed book that addresses the many questions and important issues associated with lesbian and gay parenting, by a well-known psychotherapist and lesbian parent.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the past, most children of gay or lesbian parents were born into heterosexual families that later broke up. Today, more and more lesbian and gay couples are making the decision to have and raise families together. The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook by April Martin is an indispensable resource for lesbians and gay men who are thinking about, or involved in, parenting. Martin, a psychologist and lesbian parent of two children, has compiled advice and information from almost 60 families and has drawn on her own experience. She touches on every aspect of gay and lesbian parenting, and where she doesn't go into depth, she refers readers to further resources.

The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook covers a vast array of subjects about creating a family, from decision-making to alternative insemination to surrogacy. It includes details on adoption, gay men making babies, coparenting, and legal issues. Martin discusses family roles, dealing with antihomosexual bias, dealing with family crises, and how to handle issues children may have about growing up with gay or lesbian parents. This book should be an essential component of every gay or lesbian parent's--or parent-to-be's--library.

From Library Journal

In this sensitive, practical handbook, Martin combines her own professional and personal experiences as a psychologist and a parent with first-person stories of lesbian and gay parents and their children. She comprehensively explores ethical, legal, logistical, financial, and emotional issues that gay couples or individuals face when they decide to parent, whether via pregnancy or adoption. Martin discusses such topics as artificial insemination, adoption, surrogate pregnancies, and custody and parental rights. A list of groups and organizations, published resources, sample sperm donor-recipient and coparenting agreements, and a donor screening form contribute to this timely, valuable book.
- James E. Van Buskirk, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Perennial (May 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060969296
• ISBN-13: 978-0060969295
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #938,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book; don't miss it., July 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook: Creating and Raising Our Families (Paperback)

For lesbians and gay men who are considering parenthood, this is the single best book to read. The author is a psychologist and a lesbian parent who relates her own story as well as those of many different people she interviewed in the lesbian and gay community. The book neither whitewashes the struggles nor overlooks the joys of lesbian/gay parenting in the U.S. today. It provides much good information, many useful tips, and lots of good laughs. Highly recommended.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for gay guys considering parenthood., October 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook: Creating and Raising Our Families (Paperback)

A great way to start the process on becoming a gay parent (there aren't many books/resources out there for gay guys considering parenting). I found the sections on the different ways to become a parent (international adoption, local open adoptions, birth parents, etc.) to be a very helpful starting point. The stories from friends of the author really helped me and my partner through the concerns and jitters we had. I was especially grateful for the chapters on dealing with parents and others when letting them in on the news.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and helpful, August 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook: Creating and Raising Our Families (Paperback)

A wonderful and enlightening book, bringing some sense of normalcy to a perfectly normal topic. Effective parenting is about love, after all, and not about the sexual plumbing of the persons doing the parenting. I only wish that the authors had gathered a more comprehensive list of educational resources to help us present a balanced view of the world, and of history, to our kids. ...But overall, a splendid book!