Adoption Nation: How the Adoption Revolution is Transforming Our Families -- and America (Non)

With compassion for adopted individuals and adoptive and birth parents alike, Adam Pertman explores the history and human impact of adoption, explodes the corrosive myths surrounding it, and tells compelling stories about its participants as they grapple with issues relating to race, identity, equality, discrimination, personal history, and connections with all their families. For the first edition of this groundbreaking examination of adoption and its impact on us all, Pertman won awards from many organizations, including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, the Dave Thomas Center for Adoption Law, the American Adoption Congress, the Century Foundation, Holt International, and the U.S. Congress. In this updated edition, Pertman reveals how changing attitudes and laws are transforming adoption - and thereby American society - in the twenty-first century. "A treasure. It is the most complete book on adoption—ever—by one of the most eloquent, knowledgeable experts in the field." —Sharon Roszia, co-author of The Open Adoption Experience and program manager of the Kinship Center With compassion for adopted individuals and adoptive and birth parents alike, Adam Pertman explores the history and human impact of adoption, explodes the corrosive myths surrounding it, and tells compelling stories about its participants as they grapple with issues relating to race, identity, equality, discrimination, personal history, and connections with all their families. For the first edition of this groundbreaking examination of adoption and its impact on us all, Pertman won awards from many organizations, including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, the Dave Thomas Center for Adoption Law, the American Adoption Congress, the Century Foundation, Holt International, and the US Congress. In this updated edition, Pertman reveals how changing attitudes and laws are transforming adoption—and thereby American society—in the twenty-first century. "Groundbreaking . . . courageous, penetrating, engaging, and deeply personal. —David Brodzinksy, Ph.D., co-author of Being Adopted: The Lifelong Search for Self "Creative, insightful, and a must-read." —Ruth McRoy, Ph.D., co-author of Openness in Adoption: Exploring Family Connections "Pertman combines journalistic research and personal anecdotes in this stimulating overview of the trends and cultural ramifications of adoption." — Publishers Weekly "A valuable experience for anyone, especially the adoptive parent." — Kirkus Reviews "In Adoption Nation, Adam Pertman provides valuable insights into the pleasures and perils of adoption. He shows how it now affects almost all our lives, whether we realize it or not. And he lays out the ways in which policymakers should revise our laws to improve the process of adoption, stop treating members of the "adoption triad" as second-class citizens, and remove the obstacles that keep the children who most need permanent homes from getting them.". "Filled with up-to-the-minute information and a wealth of dramatic real-life stories, Adoption Nation is essential reading for adoptive families, for anyone contemplating adopting a child, and for the more than 22 million Americans who are touched by or curious about this extraordinary cultural transformation."--BOOK JACKET. Out of the shadows, into our lives A legal maze from coast to coast Joy and surprises from abroad Adoptees : the quest for identity Birth parents : a painful dilemma Adoptive parents : infertility begets a family Special needs, diverse families The money's the problem Old lessons for a new world.