Russian Adoption Handbook: How to Adopt a Child from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan [Paperback]

John H. MacLean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000

Adopting a child can be one of lifeÂ’s most rewarding experiences. Unfortunately, complex policies, legal risks, and fewer available children make adopting domestically difficult. International adoption offers a solution to parents yearning for a child of their own.

American parents are now adopting over 5000 children a year from Russia and Eastern Europe. John MacleanÂ’s The Russian Adoption Handbook is a comprehensive guide to adopting a child from overseas.

From the pitfalls to the practical, the rewards to the risks, The Russian Adoption Handbook leads parents through the maze of:

• How the international adoption process works.
• How to start the process.
• What you need to know before traveling to Russia and Eastern Europe.
• Making the most out of your trip- the inside scoop on customs, hotels, and food.
• The children's homes, the courts, and the questions that need to be asked.
• Medical issues, special adoption doctors, and travel requirements.
• Post adoption procedures, and much, much more.

Practical, accurate, and written with a fatherÂ’s sense of humor, The Russian Adoption Handbook is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to adoption yet.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Maclean is an attorney. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and their two children adopted from Russia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: Writers Club Press (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595131948
• ISBN-13: 978-0595131945
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,724,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the Best Foreign Adoption Guide Ever Written, April 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Russian Adoption Handbook: How to Adopt a Child from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan (Paperback)

This book is extremely comprehensive and should be read early in the process. Through no fault of the author's, some material is out of date because the Russian Laws have changed since the book was written (i.e. two trips are now required). Outside of that, my wife and I found the book to be the best resource we could have possibly found. It contains helpful information and lists of questions to ask medical professionals, children's home directors, and adoption agency guides. The best thing about the book is that the material is broken down into simple sections and is presented in an easy to understand manner. I don't have enough room to write all the good things about this book, but it should be required reading for anyone considering adopting from Russia or other countries.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Have" For Anyone Adopting From Russia, August 23, 2001

By 

Karl B Schweitzer (Duxbury, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Russian Adoption Handbook: How to Adopt a Child from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan (Paperback)

This book is an excellent guide to the process of adopting a child from Russia. My wife and I recently returned from the first trip to Russia on a two-trip adoption (The book explains the difference between one and two trip process--something you will want to understand), and I can say that the information on Russia, what you need to do, etc. is very accurate. We have found this to be an excellent reference for a wide range of questions and issues about Russian adoption. I wish I had read the book earlier in the process--It would have helped to understand things and helped to reduce some of the stress. There are sections on the entire process, so it will be useful for people at any stage of adoption.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One new dad to another (buy this book, skip the rest), July 27, 2004

By 

Zane Dick (Upstate, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Russian Adoption Handbook: How to Adopt from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova (Paperback)

Honestly you're paying $20-30K+ and you have no idea what you should be getting, doing or how. Buy the book, give it to your wife and make sure you bring it to Russia!

I don't write reviews and I rarely read reviews on amazon. But after buying the 6+ books on adoption, this was the only one we needed (Dad's opinion). Read it and take it with you to Russia, we just got back (7/21/2004) and the book was right on. Everything from the Russian documents, translated to english and certified to the free internet access on the 4th floor of the Marriot Taverskaya in Moscow.