Customer Reviews

A Peacock or a Crow? Stories, Interviews and Commentaries on Romanian Adoptions

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Groza writes some basic information but really does not go into the proper detail or accuracy about the problems so many families have experienced with romanian Adoptions. His book was somewhat off track when he went into his "fantasy characters" in one of his chapters instead of providing more hope and better treatment guidelines. he seems to focus on old issues as opposed to new medical and psychiatric information which would have made the book more helpful. It read like a "basic guide' as opposed to something more scientific or helpful to the family in need of assistance.

I applaud Victor Groza for finally writing a book that sees the glass of water as half full instead of half empty. As the parent of two adopted children - one from Romania the other from Bulgaria I feel it is time that someone tell the truth - international adoptions while sometimes start out on a sad note can have the happiest of endings. My children are both very beautiful, intelligent and well adjusted children. To say that the information in his book is inaccurate and unprofessional is a terrible disservice to a truly remarkable and dedicated person who has devoted his life to giving the public accurate and informative information regarding international adoptions. It is my daughter who appears in the before and after pictures in the book. She is now a seven year old and in the first grade and functioning at the appropriate level for a first grader. She is also in the 70th percentile for height and weight. I think that it is about time some people realize that maybe it is them and not their child that has problems. Especially the person who feels their true identity was not fully hidden. It would be a great tragedy to have this book taken off of the market/shelf. It represents the first real efforts anyone has made to present Romanian adoptions positively. Victor is constantly researching medical and psychiatric data and to say it is misleading or he did not consult with "real" experts is an insult to all of us who have had successful international adoptions.

As yet another Romanian-born professional who has read this book (a full professor of History of Eastern Europe Affairs), Groza's book falls short of accuracy and facts. He writes misleading reaserch statistics about "adoption contentment" which have nothing to do with the scope of the Romanian institution problem. It is clear he is writing from an "American Perspective" as, without living through the tragedy of Romania and seeing the evolution of the problem, you cannot write an accurate portrayal. Furthermore, this book misleads many needy parents who may want to adopt as he offers no real scientific or medical research which is valid and reliable regarding the true health of these very special children who have been a legacy of years of oppression. He portrays that the children will do well in families but fails to indicate that not all families may be able to handle an instituitionalized child. His attempts at mocking humor make this book even more unprofessional and a "no buy". Groza and his writers needed help and more accuracy as opposed to conjecture.

As the parent of a Romanian adoptee who is doing well, I'd have to say that I think this book contains some significant flaws, perhaps even an overoptimistic belief in love and nuturing to make up for developmental delays caused by orphanage life. I think that many adoptive parents find they must also seek special services such as physical therapy and speech and hearing services for their children. Often they must be strong advocates to obtain proper ESL (English as a Second Language) services in their schools. We had to do all of the above. Having done so, I can say that our son is doing amazingly well. Even so, families considering the adoption of a child from Romania should be fully aware of the risks as well as the potential joys. Having said all that, I still think this book is MUST reading. I searched the Web long and hard before adoption and found only a few scattered areas where there was much information or support, so I think adoptive parents (and those considering adopting from European areas) should read whatever they can get their hands on and find as many adoption groups and individuals to network with as possible. Along with this book, I'd recommend Come to the Window, Daniella - an account of a family's adoption of a little girl. It is far more honest and less optimistic than A Peacock Or a Crow. Both books together give a fairly well-rounded look at adoption and the issues involved.

As a Romanian immigrant, I found this book very inaccurate and it did not tell the full or accurate story of Romanian culture. Groza did not do accurate research in the history of Romania nor does he really understand the issues related to the institutionalized children and the evolution of the problem. He makes some very off the cuff remarks which further lower the books quality and make no real sense in the context of Romania and how families can help the overall problem. It is clear Mr. Groza needed to do more accurate research about the children as other research in the field which has been published disagrees with his "studies" which seem to be more of a "survey" than true scientific data. This book may also be a bit misleading to families about to adopt from Romania as, again, the whole tragic story and conditions are not being told.

My daughter was adopted from Romania at 18mths of age weighing only 13 lbs. She is now a happy, very healthy 8 year old who is ahead of grade level in school.

After reading Professor Groza's book, I find it to be very informative and an excellent representation of the situation at that time in Romania.

I see no reason to believe why people would think that Mr. Groza's research would be anything less than accurate. I myself participated in his study and have no reason to lie.

We all knew the risks involved in such an adoption. I myself have no medical records for my daughter. I think the real reason some people are writing bad reviews is because they did not get that "Gerber Baby" or the perfect child.

I wonder if you all realize the unnecessary stress you are causing prospective adoptive parents with your negativity and the terrible disservice you are doing to the tens of thousands of children still waiting for homes. It is so sad to see some peoples vendetta against one man hurt innocent children.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in pursuing a foreign adoption. It tells the whole story bad, and good. AND THERE IS ALOT OF GOOD!

As a Romanian, I found many of Groza's statements to be inaccurate although he tries his best as an American-Romanian. He did not seem to really understand the evolution of the Romanian culture which led to the serious problem of children in institutions (you would have to live there to actually know as opposed to just visiting). I could not figure out the relevance of his last few chapters talking about characters in a mocking sense--it just did not fit in the book's main topics. Having seen many of the children who have been adopted out of Romanian institutions, I don't think Groza gave a full picture of the long term problems these children are facing as well as their families. There are certainly good outcomes, but it seems Groza missed the issue of how the children fair over time as he is not a doctor who treats patients--more of a researcher on sociological matters.

As the major reviewer for the Comeunity website, I have read many books on adoption, but only a few are as touching and evocative as A Peacock or a Crow. At the heart of this book is a deep compassion for the children of Romania, and a concern for those others who also care about them. A Peacock or a Crow is vital reading for those interested in Romanian adoption; it will also be influential for people interested in international adoption.. The issues it raises about the impacts of instutionalism and ethics of adoption practices are important to adoption from any country, even if the circumstances are far from being as extreme. The history of adoption in Romania and the impact of the history and circumstances on the people involved in adoption provide the central focus. Personal stories of the parents' adoption journeys to Romania alternate with factual but evocative chapters on the history of Romania, institutionalism and impacts on children, special needs of these children, and the history of Romanian adoption. Compassion for the children of Romania permeates the A Peacock or a Crow. While doing his part to highlight the special needs and intense problems that many of the children and families raising them face, Victor Groza is optimistic about the positive changes and healing that adoption brings to their lives. His take on institutional impacts is worthwhile reading for anyone interested in adoption from Eastern Europe, or in special needs and older children adoptions.

Groza writes from a historical perspective but does not offer any real help for the thousands of families who have struggled with difficult Romanian adoptions. Other reviewers praise him, but the book offers no real medical or psychiatric guidance...just ball-park figures as opposed to the real data showing the plight of our families. As another reviewer felt many were not satisfied with our adoptions, this is not true at all and a rediculous statement. We are not satisfied with the overwhelming burdens of having a special needs child when our agency told us "everything would be great with love and a new home" (which was far from the truth). Maybe Groza should try treating these damaged children or even parenting one. It is a bigger challenge than writing a book with some information followed by rather odd "fairy tales" of people . We never understood what his final point was...maybe we have to figure out our own problems which we did through other more professional and medical/psychiatric books.

As the parent of two adopted children, I would like to commend the authors of "A Peacock or a Crow" on their uplifting view of Romanian adoptions. The book is well written, easy to read and full of information. I feel that so far all that has been published is negative information, if only for the reason that it attracts more attention. I would strongly urge any parent of internationally adopted children or anyone considering international adoption to read this book first! Romanian adoption is not, as some would have us believe, all gloom and doom.