Who among your circle of friends or family has not been caught up in one or more of these dilemmas: family problems, a difficult choice between an abortion or adoption, an unjust legal system or loss of career, drugs or alcohol dependency, a religious identity crisis or thoughts of suicide? Perhaps someone you know is a Holocaust victim or their descendant, or been touched by assimilation problems. It is all here, in a compelling saga, based on the lives of two Jewish families that converge over an adopted child. A sealed adoption agreement is breached, and the birth-mother and adoptive-mother are forced to confront each other's complicated histories. Spanning seventy years and two continents, the tragedies and triumphs of both families are woven together, ultimately leading to redemption. In recent years there have been a number of books written by a birth-mother forced to give up her child or by the adopted child reuniting with her biological parents. This book is unique. The Blessing and the Curse is written from my point of view, as the adoptive-mother, with the cooperation of the birth-mother and her family. It cracks open the facade of family life, digging deeper into who we are and why. Nothing happens in a vacuum. This saga poignantly reveals the ups and downs, the real life dramas, that funnel our choices and defines who we are.

What happens when all that is familiar disappears...when everything you see, taste, smell, feel, hear....is suddenly gone and lost to the other side of the world? Enter the world of An-Ya and Her Diary... An-Ya and Her Diary chronicles the journey of an 11 year old adoptee from China. Written in diary format, young An-Ya reveals her emotional journey as she is catapulted from a Chinese orphanage into a middle class home in America. The diary, into which she journals, was the only item left with An-Ya when she was found as an infant. For 11 years An-Ya has left the diary blank as she patiently waited in China for her biological family to return. Ultimately, after her adoption to America, she feels compelled to write her story down. Inside her diary she strives to connect the two severed worlds in which she has lived. An-Ya's story is one of incredible loss, filled with painful transitions and longed for hope. It is a story that will linger with you after its final page is turned. AN-YA AND HER DIARY: READER AND PARENT GUIDE...NOW AVAILABLE

Many families want to adopt, but do not have the large amount of money it takes to complete a private domestic or international adoption. Some quickly give up the idea of adopting and are left feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and discouraged. Those who choose to proceed often take out large loans or borrow from family and friends which adds to the financial pressure on the family. Author Julie Gumm shares proven strategies from her own experience as well as from others that include applying for grants, creative budgeting, and fundraising that prospective adoptive parents can use to prepare for and avoid those high costs associated with adoption.