You Can Adopt: An Adoptive Families Guide [Paperback]

Susan Caughman (Author), Isolde Motley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2009

From Adoptive Families magazine, the country’s leading resource on adoption, this warm, authoritative book is full of practical, realistic advice from leading attorneys, doctors, social workers, and psychologists, as well as honest, intimate stories from real parents and children. You Can Adopt answers every question–even the ones you’re afraid to ask:

• When should I shift from fertility treatment to adoption?
• How do I talk to my spouse about adoption?
• Can we find a healthy baby?
• Do I need an attorney? An adoption agency?
• Can the birth mother take the baby back?
• How much will this really cost? How long will it take?
• Aren’t all adopted children unhappy?
• Can I love a child who “isn’t mine”?
• How can I ease the rest of my family into this decision?

Complete with checklists and worksheets, You Can Adopt will help make your dreams of family come true.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The definitive guide to adoption: readable, reliable, and comprehensive. Every possible question–even the most sensitive–is answered here, and the companion website ensures the information will never go out of date."—Mark T. McDermott, former president, American Academy of Adoption Attorneys

"A necessary resource for anyone considering adoption and going far beyond what you can find on the Internet, You Can Adopt filters out the noise and gathers the best there is to know on the experience of adopting." —Susan Soonkeum Cox, vice president, Holt International Children's Services

"An absolute must-read. These hauntingly beautiful tales are all about the astonishing power of love between children and parents who in so many cases seemed eerily destined to be together. This book convinced me: If you want to do so, you can adopt–and it will be the best thing you've ever done."—Susan Kane, editor in chief, Parenting

magazine "A satisfying combination of facts and guidelines that are simple to follow with the supportive, lyrical, sentimental and experienced words of those who have lived the experiences of every aspect of the process from beginning to end."—Dr. Jane Aronson, director, International Pediatric Health Services, and CEO, Worldwide Orphans Foundation

"We expect this guide to adoption to become the go-to book on the topic.  The authors lay out the process in a smart, step-by-step fashion; essays from adoptive parents give it the feel of a real-life support group."—Cookie magazine 
 
"An excellent handbook…This thorough and honest resource stands out among other books on this topic in both its comprehensiveness and the authors' candor…Rather than endorsing any one way to adopt, the [authors] examine many approaches and outline the benefits and pitfalls of each." —Booklist , starred review
 

About the Author

Susan Caughman , the publisher and editor-in-chief of Adoptive Families magazine, is the expert the media turns to when they have an adoption-related story. She has appeared on Fox News and NPR, and in People, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe.
Isolde Motley is the former corporate editor of Time Inc., where she was responsible for the editorial content of its women’s magazines.

Between them, Susan and Isolde have five children, three of them adopted, from China, Ethiopia, and New Jersey.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Original edition (August 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345504011
• ISBN-13: 978-0345504012
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Adoption

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Only Guidebook You Need, December 17, 2010

By 

Charles Hirshberg (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Can Adopt: An Adoptive Families Guide (Paperback)

When we decided to adopt, my wife and I bought all sorts of adoption guides, but "You Can Adopt" was by far the best. Adoption can be a rocky road and this book, with its frank advice and encouraging tone, gives you a very accurate picture of what to expect. It really covers everything, from mundane issues like costs to highly nuanced ones, like how to handle the emotional roller coaster ride that most adoptive families are forced to endure. It saw us through from beginning to happy ending.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, so incredibly well-done, January 6, 2010

By 

MS Wally (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You Can Adopt: An Adoptive Families Guide (Paperback)

I've already bought several copies for people I know who are considering adoption. It's well-researched, well-organized and full of great stories - real stories. I'm an adoptive mother already and still it touched me deeply. Adoption can be a daunting subject, but this book puts all the questions, all the debates, all the options in one place. Use this book. Buy it for friends. Trust it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Number one adoption book on Amazon, Oct. 2009, October 21, 2009

By 

Jennifer Hollister (Skippack, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You Can Adopt: An Adoptive Families Guide (Paperback)

We have been through the adoption process twice already, so we can't speak about how useful this book is for the new parent researching adoption. We do like how the book is organized, and we like the positive and encouraging language (some adoptin books are surprisingly negative and full of warnings). We also like that our daughter's picture is featured in the book! Yes, we are biased in rating this book. Our family is a testament to the joyful blessing of adoption. You can adopt too!