This gripping memoir details an ordinary American woman's quest to adopt a baby girl from Guatemala in the face of overwhelming adversity. At only 32 years old, Jessica O'Dwyer experiences early menopause, seemingly ending her chances of becoming a mother. Years later, married but childless, she comes across a photo of a two-month-old girl on a Guatemalan adoption website , and feels an instant connection. From the get-go, Jessica and her husband face numerous and maddening obstacles. After a year of tireless efforts, Jessica finds herself abandoned by her adoption agency undaunted, she quits her job and moves to Antigua so she can bring her little girl to live with her and wrap up the adoption, no matter what the cost. Eventually, after months of disappointments, she finesses her way through the thorny adoption process and is finally able to bring her new daughter home. Mamalita is as much a story about the bond between a mother and child as it is about the lengths adoptive parents go to in their quest to bring their children home. At turns harrowing, heartbreaking, and inspiring, this is a classic story of the triumph of a mother's love over almost insurmountable odds.

After the devastation of a miscarriage wore off, we decided to pursue the possibility of adopting a child. We subsequently adopted two lovely children. The process was so complicated, cumbersome and costly that I decided to write a book on it to help others through the process and minimize the complications, cost and cumbersome paperwork. Helpful bullet points are at the end of each chapter.

What happens when your child doesn't speak your native language? How do you maintain cultural traditions while living outside your native country? And how can you raise a child with two cultures without fracturing his/her identity? From our house to your house - to the White House - more and more mothers are facing questions such as these. Whether through intercultural marriage, international adoption or peripatetic lifestyles, families these days are increasingly multicultural. In this collection, women around the world, such as Xujun Eberlein, Violet Garcia-Mendoza, Rose Kent, Sefi Atta, Christine Holhbaum, Saffia Farr, and others, ponder the unique joys and challenges of raising children across two or more cultures. Suzanne Kamata's short work has appeared in over 100 publications. She is the author of a novel, LOSING KEI, and a picture book, PLAYING FOR PAPA, both of which concern bicultural families. She is also the editor of two previous anthologies - THE BROKEN BRIDGE: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan and LOVE YOU TO PIECES: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs, and is currently fiction editor of "Literary Mama." Born and raised in Michigan and most recently from South Carolina, she now lives in rural Japan with her Japanese husband and bicultural twins.

Adoption doesn't end when the papers are signed -- not for the birth mother, not for the adoptive mother and not for the adopted child. It is a decision with consequences that last a lifetime. While there are many wonderful books on how to adopt, when to adopt, making an adoption plan, and the like, ADOPTION IS FOREVER is at times humorous, sometimes gut-wrenching, but always honest. "A refreshingly new look at adoption," reviews Roger H. Rubin, Ph.D.

Adopting a child can be an exciting and anxious time in prospective parents' lives. There are rooms to decorate and clothes and toys to buy. There are many preparations to make before welcoming the new arrival. In "Before You Finalize the Adoption-The Pre-Adoption Workbook," author Joyce Vrooman provides advice and information for parents who are thinking about adopting a child.

Based on personal experience, Vrooman developed this workbook to guide parents through the adoption process to ensure they are knowledgeable and informed. In addition, Vrooman discusses information that parents need to know so the child will receive the proper counseling, therapy, medical treatments, or educational assistance.

Loaded with an array of helpful details, "Before You Finalize the Adoption-The Pre-Adoption Workbook" contains forms, checklists, worksheets, and questionnaires to help adoptive parents learn everything about their new child prior to the finalization of the adoption. All information pertaining to this child and their adoption is contained in one book.

Sarah Culberson was adopted one year after her birth by a loving, white, West Virginian couple and was raised in the United States with little knowledge of her ancestry. Though raised in a loving family, Sarah wanted to know more about the birth parents that had given her up. In 2004, she hired a private investigator to track down her biological father. When she began her search, she never imagined what she would discover or where that information would lead her: she was related to African royalty, a ruling Mende family in Sierra Leone and that she is considered a "mahaloi, "the child of a Paramount Chief, with the status like a princess. What followed was an unforgettably emotional journey of discovery of herself, a father she never knew, and the spirit of a war-torn nation. "A Princess Found" is a powerful, intimate revelation of her quest across the world to learn of the chiefdom she could one day call her own.

A Dress for Anna: The Redemption of the Life of a Ukrainian Orphan tells the fascinating story of how God led Deborah and Rob Amend to adopt a handicapped preschooler from an orphanage in Ukraine, and intricately knit her into their family. Beginning with the circumstances that opened their hearts to adoption, continuing through the entire process, and culminating with the difficult adjustments for Anna as she experiences life in a new culture, this book honestly shares the struggles, grief, and joy the Amend family faced as they followed God down the rocky path of international adoption.

This powerful narrative not only provides readers with a clear understanding of the often challenging aspects of adoption, particularly for special needs children, it also offers inspiration by illustrating just how much an average, ordinary family can do when listening to God and following His call.

"Children of Dreams" is borne out of Lorilyn Roberts' shattered dreams. The inspiring story of turning stolen dreams into life-changing hope not only for her but two destitute children will bring tears to the reader as he identifies with her feelings of insecurity and fear. The timeless theme of God's faithfulness-the stuff out of which God brings redemption-will leave the reader riveted to the pages of this book. "Children of Dreams" is more than an adoption story set in the remotest regions of the planet. Facing insurmountable odds-communist blockades, life-threatening illness, betrayal and deceit-Lorilyn Roberts' courage and determination never to give up will touch the reader. Despair transformed into heavenly joy and evil overcome by God's redemptive love will inspire even the most skeptical to believe in miracles. "Children of Dreams" resonates with Biblical truth at a deep level and in a sense is everyone's story. Timeless in nature, "Children of Dreams" is sure to be a favorite adoption story for years to come. Ms. Roberts is intimately familiar with adoption, having also been adopted as a child, and is able to present the spirit of adoption, as never before captured, in this tender story. Comparing the adoption of her daughters to her adoption by the heavenly Father throughout the story flows naturally.

"Psychology of Orphans" is written by Dr. Lyudmila Shipitsyna Rector of the Institute of Special Education and Psychology Saint-Petersburg, Russia. She has a Doctorate in Science and Biology and works as an honored professor in this specialty in the Russian Federation. Considered an expert and pioneer in this field in Russia, she has authored over 400 publications. Today these books have formed the foundation in teaching on special education within Russia and beyond. "Psychology of Orphans" is the combination of written theory with the clinical practice and experience of dealing with orphans, adoptions and families.

"Psychology of Orphans" was written as a resource book for students, researchers, academics and professionals. Those who work with orphans and families with special needs children affected by social and psychological problems will find "Psychology of Orphans" invaluable.

Any potential adoptive parent needs to know the research and conclusions that "Psychology of Orphans" reveals. Question on children's behaviors and actions are answered presenting a better understanding of those from state institutions.

The exciting fact that sets "Psychology of Orphans" apart from other books is that the research obtained is for the first time based from within Russia.

A Foster-Adoption Story tells the story of a brother and sister experiencing abuse, neglect, multiple foster care moves, sibling separation, and eventually adoption. The goal of this workbook is to open the door to discuss difficult topics; issues like abuse, neglect, birth parents, and loyalty conflicts. It can be used as an aid in helping children heal; one that allows them to read about "kids like me." Youngsters can color the pictures as they wish and share their feelings as they go along. This workbook will be a useful therapeutic tool to help children process their experiences and grief along the path to healing.

A father's journal of his 2 week trip to China with his wife and daughter to adopt their 2nd child is captured from the daily email's he sent to friends and family.

"I didn't know if I could be a mother. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to be a mother. Nothing in my upbringing seemed to support motherhood." So begins Corinne Chateau's odyssey to claim the mother in herself and embark upon an unexpected journey that will lead her to a child in the distant Republic of Georgia.The Road to Cali is about not giving up. It is the story of a rescue--of both a child and oneself.

Wanted:Home for baby boy, aged 1 month, complete surrender. In late 1942, that advert was placed in the Reading Mercury. Two weeks later, on the deserted platform of Reading railway station, a young couple who had read the advert were to fleetingly meet the mother of this baby boy as she passed the child over to them. The reasons for the surrender of her child were never explained. The boy, Dave Sharp, grew up happily, never knowing the full story of his parentage. But a chance discovery some sixty years later was to set him on a quest to uncover the truth behind his mysterious abandonment. This search would lead to shocking and uncomfortable revelations, both for Dave and for the family that he discovered. Not only was Dave, a bricklayer by trade, to be united with the brother he never knew he had, world-famous novelist Ian McEwan, but the two men were to discover a shared history and a relationship closer than they could ever have imagined.

John Sonego and his partner, Michael, had always wanted to start a family. Little did they know they would become the fathers of not one, not two, but three precious boys.

"My Three Sons" shares the heartwarming true story of this incredible family. Born to a drug-addicted mother and taken from her after a string of arrests, the three biological brothers come to their new home to begin a new life. With John and Michael's unconditional love and acceptance, the five became an instant family, learning to lean on each other for the support and devotion only a family can give.

Poignant and funny, heartbreaking and inspiring, "My Three Sons" recounts one family's life and reaffirms the transformative power of love in children's lives.

""This is the story of five very lucky people, three brothers and the two men who raise them. The story of how this family came to be is inspirational but it's more than that. It reminds us of one simple and powerful truth - that in raising children, it is often difficult to determine who is the teacher and who is the student. John's journey is proof that in parenting you get as much as you give.""

-Joan Garry, former executive director of GLAAD, activist, and parent

AUTHOR BIO
John Sonego is an author, adjunct professor, and consultant serving internationally respected health, education, and advocacy organizations. He writes about social, spiritual and family issues as a Midwesterner, progressive Christian, national gay advocate, adoptive parent, and active citizen of the broader community. Sonego received a BA from the University of Michigan and a MA from the University of Santa Monica. He and his family live in Hollywood, California.

During the Orphan Trains Era, 1854 until 1929, an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children and families were relocated from major metropolitan east coast cities to new homes in the "west" traveling aboard trains. Children relocated via

Aching to expand from a couple to a family, Jeff Gammage--a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer--and his wife, Christine, embarked upon a journey that would carry them across a shifting landscape of emotion and through miles of red tape and bureaucratic protocol. On the other side of the world--in the smog-choked city of Changsha in Hunan Province--a silent, stoic little girl was waiting for them: Jin Yu, their new daughter. Now they would have to learn how to fully embrace a life altered beyond recognition by new concerns and responsibilities--and by a love unlike any they'd ever felt before.

Alive with insight and feeling, China Ghosts is an eye-opening depiction of the foreign adoption process and a remarkable glimpse into a different culture. Most important, it is a poignant, heartfelt, and intensely intimate chronicle of the making of a family.

"I am Robert, but once I had another name. As an infant I was held and loved by two women, one who would give me up, and another who raised me and loved me more than life itself. I suppose I should consider myself blessed to have been loved by two mothers when most of us get only one, and some none." Who am I, where did I come from? Why do I feel lost, incomplete, and isolated? These questions haunted my for my entire life growing stronger as time passed by. I finally chose to find my answers and this is my story. It's about my methodology, how it changed me, and who I became at its final destination. Not Remembered Never Forgotten is an examination of the resolution of an adoptee's emotional memories and the search for the authentic self. Not knowing his name at birth, and barred by archaic secrecy laws that seal adoption records forever, the author searched back through fifty years of his past to find the truth that would redefine the essence of who he is.