Books on General Adoption

Books for professionals on
General Adoption

Included is a brief description of the book’s content and potential uses.
These books are available to be borrowed through the NJ ARCH Library, free of charge.
Simply click on the book icon to go to the online book request form.
Books can be borrowed for up to 14 days.
(Special Note: Books valued at $50.00 or more will require submission of a credit card number.
Charges will only be made to the account in the event a book is not returned by the due date.)

TO REQUEST A BOOK PLEASE CLICK HERE

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
101 Favorite Play Therapy Techniques		Kaduson, Heidi
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoptees Come of Age	Living Within Two Families	Nydam, Ronald J.
Notes
Describes distinct emotional & spiritual challenges & emphasizes importance of ongoing issues of adoption and relinquishment.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child	A Guide for parents and Professionals	Babb, Anne
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adopting a Toddler	What Size Shoes Does She Wear?	Hoppenhauer, Denise Harris	2002
Notes
All inclusive book covering all aspects of adopting and raising a toddler. Also covers naming your child, baby showers, and developmental milestones. Special section for international adoption and resources.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adopting in America	How to Adopt Within One Year	Hicks, Randall B.	1999
Notes
Comprehensive outline and description of all possible avenues to adopting a child, including foster parent adoption. Gives practical help to navigate independent adoption, explains role of attorneys, working with birth parents, legal issues. Sample documents.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adopting the Older Child		Jewett, Claudia	1978
Notes
Full of practical wisdom and not outdated. Guides adoption caseworkers and prospective parents as they engage in the home study and placement process. Emphasizes preparation of child, involving foster parent, lifebooks, and strategies for problem behaviors.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption	Current Issues and Trends	Sachdev, Paul
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption		Currie, Stephen	1997
Notes
A commentary on the status of adoption in the 90s. Gives a brief history of the last 150 years and highlights of the field today, with current court decisions, the rights of fathers, closed records, etc.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption & Disruption	Rates , Risks, and Responses	Barth, Richard
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption & Ethics Vol.1		Freundlich, Madelyn
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption & Prenatal Alcohol & Drug Expos	Research, Policy, and Practice	Barth, R.; Freundlich, M.; Brodzinski, D.
Notes
Book addresses many important issues re adoption & substance exposure in utero, including impact on children's early well being as well as on long term development. Illustrates the remedial effects of a positive postnatal environment

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption and Foster Care		Gay, Kathlyn	1990
Notes
Book is dated, but for someone trying to understand adoption and for care today, it is an excellent description of the evolution of the system, the issues and problems that continue to plague child welfare efforts. B and W photos. Proper emphasis on permanency.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption and Healing		NZAEHT
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption and the Jewish Family	Contemporary Perpsective	Rosenberg, Shelley Kapnek
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption and the Schools	Resources for Parents and Teachers	Wood, Lansing	2001
Notes
TABLE OF CONTENTS: I Crib Notes/Adoption 101 2 Tot to Teen/Developmental Perspectives 3 "Can We Talk?" Parent-Teacher Communication 4 "I Can't Do It!" Problematic Assignments, Activities, and Occasions 5 In the Spotlight/Presentations for Schools and Classrooms 6 "Is That Your Mom?" Transcultural Considerations 7 "Help!" Special Educational Challenges 8 Better Late Than Never/The Older Child Enters School 9 Experts Speak/Personal Reflections on Adoption 10 "More, Please!" Additional Resource NOTE: This book is a veritable plethora of information concerning adoption.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption Crisis	The Truth Behind Adoption and Foster Care	McKelvey, Carole A.	1994
Notes
The author points out the many failures of the nation's foster care and adoption systems, and the consequent poor results for children in these systems. More complaints than solutions offered.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption Guide (2003-2004)	Practical Information for Successful Adoption	Klatzkin, Amy	2003
Notes
Whether you're just beginning or considering a 2nd adoption, this up-to-date source of national listings for adoption attorneys, agency programs, and parent support groups, as well as recent trends in law etc. From publishers of Adoptive Families magazine.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption is a Family Affair	What Relatives and Friends Must Know	Johnston, Patricia Irwin	2001
Notes
In a conversational tone, this book provides a wealth of information about the hows and whys of adoption to the relatives and friends of adoptive families. In no time at all, they will be experts and real supporters of adoption.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption Life Cycle, The	The Children and Their Families Through the Years	Rosenberg, Elinor
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption Nation	How the Adoption Revolution is Transforming America	Pertman, Adam	2000
Notes
A chat about adoption in today's world, distinguishing it from the secretive environment of the unwed mother of yesterday. Good sections on the waiting children in U.S. foster care, the changing types of adoptive parents, and the global look of adoption.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption: Opposing Viewpoints		Espejo, Roman	2002
Notes
A series of scholarly essays written by various experts in the field of adoption. Each essay proposes a particular viewpoint, eg. "The Internet should be used to recruit families", while the essay following it stresses the opposite. A great learning tool

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption Reader, The	Birth Mothers, Adoptive Mothers and Adopted Daughters Tell Their Stories	\Wadia-Ells, Susan
Notes
The Adoption Reader is a helpful hopeful and vital collection about growth and self understanding and a must read book anyone has been touched by the adoption experience.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Adoption Wisdom	A Guide to the Issues and Feelings of Adoption	Russell, Marlou	1996
Notes
Book examines the many issues of adoption. Its purpose is to prepare those who are considering adoption; to validate the feelings of adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoptees; and to educate people about the lifelong impact of adoption.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
An Educator's Guide to Adoption		Institute For Adoption Information Inc.	1999
Notes
TEACHERS! THIS GUIDE: 1. Increases your understanding of how families are built by adoption. 2. Gives you tools to deal with awkward situations when questions are asked about adoption. 3. Provides research on adoptees' success in school and in life. 4. Helps you play an important role in increasing the acceptance of all families. 5. Provides resources for integrating these lessons into your normal curriculum. 6. Suggests positive adoption language that enhances the acceptance of adoption.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Are Those Kids Yours?	American Families with Children from Other Countries	Register, Cheri
Notes
Well written & researched, author uses her own experience and those of other families to explore international adoption, why it has become so prevalent, how children adjust, how racial issues are handled, & how children can stay in touch with their roots.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Being Adopted	The Lifelong Search for Self	Brodzinski, D.,Schecter,M., Marantz, R.	1992
Notes
A scholarly yet very readable book that uses the voices of adoptees to trace how adoption is experienced at each stage of development from infancy to late adulthood. Covers the important topics of self esteem, identity achievement, and intimacy.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Beyond the Babylift	A Story of an Adoption	Purdy, Pamela Chatterton
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Blending of Foster & Adopted Children into the Family, The		Wagner, Heather
Notes
Explores issues facing families confronting the challenges created by adoption and foster care, & identifies steps members of blended families can take to ensure that they have a strong foundation.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Breastfeeding the Adopted Baby		Peterson, Debra Stewart	1994
Notes
Nursing a baby is a natural process and the first choice for many mothers. Without a pregnancy, more preparation is needed to breastfeed. Book gives all the practical information and emotional support that an adoptive mother needs to make her decision.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Case for Transracial Adoption, The		Rita, Simon J.
Notes
Rita Simon and her collaborators have been the leading empirical investigators of transracial adoption over the past quarter century. The Case for Transracial Adoption is a summary and continuation of that excellent work.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Children Can't Wait		CWLA Press
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Children's Adjustment to Adoption	Developmental & Clinical Issues	Brodzinsky, David
Notes
A significant contribution to understanding the effects of adoption, Children's Adjustment to Adoption presents major issues that affect both the process and outcome of adoption for children and their parents.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Child's Journey Through Placement, A		Fahlberg, Vera
Notes
A must-have, very readable professional book about children: their stages of development, their bonding & attachment, their grief upon separation. Guide to minimize trauma as children move from foster to adoptive home. Great sections on managing behaviors.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Clinical and Practice Issues in Adoption	Bridging the Gap Between Adoptee Placed as Infants and as Older Children	Gorza, Victor & Rosenberg, Karen F.
Notes
Experts representing practitioners, researchers, advocates, and triad members compare adoptees placed as infants and adoptees placed as older children.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Clinical Practice In Adoption	Psychology Practitioner	Winkler, Robin
Notes
The author provide frameworks and skills necessary in work involving any client who is affected by adoption including adoptees adoptive parents birth parent and the entire extended adoptive family.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Complete Adoption Book, The	Everything You need to Know to Adopt a Child	Beauvais-Godwin, L.	2000
Notes
The authors, adoption professionals and the parents of 2 adopted daughters, have created a most comprehensive resource book. Every imaginable topic: the decision to adopt, the available avenues, the finances and legalities, etc. covered in surprising depth.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Creative Arts Therapies Approaches in adoption and foster care	Contemporary Strategies for working with individuals and families	Betts, Donna J.
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Designing Rituals of Adoption for the Religious and Secular Community		Mason, Mary	2002
Notes
Guide for designing Welcoming ceremonies, Baptisms, Naming ceremonies, Entrustment ceremonies, Adoption anniversaries and finalizations. Contains Jewish, Christian (Eng and Span), and secular traditions and ceremonies. Suggested readings, prayers, music, etc.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Encyclopedia of Adoption, The	Facts on File Library of Health & Living	Adamec, Christine
Notes
This book provides a complete, single volume reference to social, legal, economic, psychological and political issues surrounding the adoption experience and it's unique terminology.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Essential Adoption Handbook, The		Alexander-Roberts, C.	1996
Notes
A small encyclopedia explaining adoption alternatives in the 90's. Excellent, in-depth, and practical chapters on Adoptive Parent support groups, on the home study, on preparing a couple resume and birth mother letter. Lots of samples given.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Facilitating Developmental Attachment	The Road to Emotional Recovery & Behavioral Change in Foster & Adopted Children	Hughes, Daniel A.
Notes
Attachment disordered children & their families experience problems which most therapies fail to ameliorate. Dr. Hughes provides a comprehensive understanding of the issues & of the types of interventions that succeed in resolving them.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Family of Adoption, The		Pavao, Joyce Maguire
Notes
Identifies how adoption issues play out at every step along the way, from the birth parent's situation & decision, to the adoptive parent's motivation, to the child's adaptation at each step. Appears technical, but is actually a gem of a book.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Family Matters	Secrecy and Disclosure in the History of Adoption	Carp, E. Wayne	1998
Notes
Scholarly history of adoption in America, starting prior to the existence of adoption records, prior to adoption information being held secret, into the secrecy age, the emergence of adoption rights movement, and the era of more openness. Impressive bibliography.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Getting Ready for Adoption		McCoy, Theresa L.	1993
Notes
Excellent workbook for adoption caseworkers to use with school age kids on their way to an adoption plan. It covers important questions a child has about what adoption might be like. A "fill in", "participate" together book for expressing hopes and worries.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Growing Up Adopted	A Portrait of Adolescents & Their Families	Benson,P., Sharma,A.,& Roehlkepartain, E.
Notes
The Largest Study Ever of Adoptive Families in the United States

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Happy Adoption Day!		McCutcheon, John	1996
Notes
This bright, cheerful book shows the joy and love of new parents as they watch their child grow and as they mark each year with a Happy Adoption Day celebration. Heartwarming verses reassure adopted children that they are wanted, loved, and very special.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
How it Feels to be Adopted		Krementz, Jill	2001
Notes
A new and more attractive publication of an older book. Each chapter tells the adoption story of a school age or teen adoptee from that child's point of view. Complete with lots of b/w photos, the children tell us what it means to them to be adopted.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Identity Formation in the Adopted Adolescent	The Delaware Family Study	Stein, Leslie M. & Hoopes, Janet L.
Notes
This book follows 50 children during their crucial high school years. Essential reading for social workers--particularly adoption workers--clinical psychologists, child psychiatrists, researchers, grad students, adoptive parent organizations, adoptees.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Is Adoption for You?		Adamec, Christine	1998
Notes
All the facts, issues, choices, definitions and concerns that would assist one who is considering adopting a child. Covers all types of adoption, replacing the myths with solid information. Appendix of state by state agencies, support groups, web sites.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Keys to Parenting an Adopted Child		Lancaster, Kathy	1996
Notes
Excellent and affordable basic primer to be read by everyone thinking of adopting a child. Simple, clear, insightful on all the important issues of adoption: nature vs. nurture, self identity and self esteem, confidentiality, preparing for placement, etc.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Launching a Baby's Adoption		Johnston, Patricia Irwin
Notes
Excellent book for all prospective adopters & birth parents to help them prepare for the "big event" of adopting a baby. Covers the before, during, and after of the placement, with an emphasis on baby's needs & development. Special section for professionals.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Let's Celebrate Adoption!		Spaulding for Children
Notes
A Guide for the Jewish Community

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Launching a Baby's Adoption		Johnston, Patricia Irwin	1997
Notes
Excellent book for all prospective adopters and birth parents to help them prepare for the "big event" of adopting a baby. Covers the before, during, and after of the placement, with an emphasis on baby's needs and development. Special section for professionals.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Life Among the Giants	A Child's eye view of the grown up world	Young, Leontine
Notes
This book explains what it is like to be a child, not from an adults point of view , but from the level of brand new inexperienced people to whom the grown up world is confusing and frightening.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Making Sense of Adoption	A Parent's Guide	Melina, Lois R.	1989
Notes
A book of possible conversations adoptive parents might have with their child at various ages and stages of development. Topics include adoption and family issues. No secrets in adoption, but ego enhancing ways to approach hard topics and Ms Melina is an expert.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
On the Frontiers of Adoption	A Study of Special Needs Adoptive Families	Nelson, Katherine A.	1985
Notes
A study of 177 families who adopted 257 special needs children, ages 8+. Good summary of prior research studies and excellent sections on preparation of adoptive parents, parent satisfaction, adoption dissolution, and adoptive recruitment.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Orphan Trains	The Story of Charles L Bruce and the Children He Saved	O'Connor, Stephen	2001
Notes
Excellent and thorough description of one agency's mid 19th century effort to solve the problem of 250,000 abandoned NYC children. Details the process and the pros and cons of sending orphans to permanent homes out west. Explains how that agency works today.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Our Own	Adopting and Parenting the Older Child	Maskew, Trish	1999
Notes
Children adopted as preschoolers or older come with histories and fully formed personalities and feelings about what they have lost. But they also bring happiness, laughter, and resilience. Stories of these adoptions, backed by research are enlightening.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Outsiders Within	Writing on Transracial Adoption	Trenka, Jane Jeong	2006
Notes
"Explores transracial adoption from adopted adults' perspectives using memoir, reflective/analytical essays, poetry, artwork, film critique, psychology, sociology, critical race, reproductive justice, more. Discusses reasons children become available for international adoption (war, poverty, structural inequities), ramifications of the colorblind ideal for adoptee (dealing with racism, cultural alienation, emotional isolation)"---- Provided by publisher.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Pandora's Hope		Patridge, Penny Callan Partride
Notes
A book of poems and prose about being adopted

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Parenting the Hurt Child	Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow	Keck, Gregory and Kupecky, Regina	2002
Notes
Some adoptees come to their new home with hurts from the past that can affect an entire family. With time, patience, and informed parenting, the child can heal, grow and develop beyond what seems possible now. Wise book, helps parents preserve their sanity.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Parent Effectiveness Training		Gordon, Thomas
Notes
A tested new way to raise responsible children.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Perspectives on a Grafted Tree	Thoughts for Those Touched by Adoption	Johnston, Patricai Irwin	1983
Notes
Written by adoptees, birth parents, adoptive family members, adoption professionals and others, a beautiful and moving illustrated poetry collection about adoption. Describes the blend of gain and loss, happiness sand pain, which are all part of the adoption experience.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Prediction in Child Development	A Longitudinal Study of Adoptive and Non adoptive Families	Hoopes, Janet
Notes

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Primal Wound,The	Understanding the Adopted Child	Verier, Nancy	1993
Notes
A book that is forceful and courageous in the way it approaches the subject of adoption. Using pre and perinatal psychology, attachment, bonding, and loss, it illuminates the effects that separation from their birthmother has on adopted children.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Psychology of Adoption, The		Brodzinsky, David & Schechter, Marshall
Notes
In this book, theoretical, empirical, clinical, and social policy issues offer new insights into the problems facing parents of adopted children, and especially the children themselves.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Raising Other Peoples Kids		Felker, Evelyn
Notes
A guide for adults struggling in the role of parents to a child not born to them.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Realities of Adoption, The		Smith, Jerome
Notes
Not a how-to book. Written by a social worker/professor & adoptive parent. Covers the history of adoption, the concept of entitlement, the "telling", open adoption, stages of development in the adopted child, transracial adoption. Lots of insights.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Relatives Raising Children	An Overview of Kinship Care	Crumbley, Joseph
Notes
The rapid growth of kinship care has caught many child welfare agencies off guard. This book gives professionals, agencies, institutions, communities, and organizations the information they need to develop and provide services to kinship caregivers, kinship families, children, and parents. The authors discuss common clinical issues, suggest intervention strategies, examine kinship care's legal implications, and offer policy and program recommendations.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Separation Anxiety in Children and Adolescents	An Individualized Approach to Assessment and Treatment	Eisen, Andrew	2005
Notes
A treatment manual for intervention with separation and related anxiety disorders.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Searching for a Piece of My Soul	How to Find a Missing Family Member or Loved One	Kling, Tammy L.	1998
Notes
The perfect search resource because fully half of the book is devoted to listing thousands of specific resources (web sites, State access organizations, sample documents, etc.) a searcher can use to find someone. Good practical advice given as well.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Strangers and Kin	The American Way of Adoption	Melosh, Barbara	2002
Notes
Details the history of adoption from the early 20th century when childless adults confronted orphanages reluctant to entrust their wards to the kindness of strangers. Poignant stories from case records capture the loss and joy that characterizes adoption.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Supporting an Adoption		Holmes, Pat	1986
Notes
Written for friends and relatives of adoptive families, booklet explains how they can be sensitive and helpful to the prospective or current adoptive family. Includes a one page summary of how they can be supportive.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Swings Hanging From Every Tree	Daily Inspirations and Reflections For Foster/Adoptive Parents	Stone, Susan	2001
Notes
Contains words of advice, validation, blessing, and grace that we all need on a daily basis. This sensitive collection of inspirational experiences is from and for foster and adoptive parents to bring them confidence, a sense of calm, and a smile.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child	Making Sense of the Past	Keefer, Betsey E. and Schooler, Jayne E.	2000
Notes
Three principles guide this book: the needs of the adopted child; honest communication; and love and hope for the child's future as a well adjusted person. Book equips parents with tools needed for a lifetime of communication about the pain of child's life.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
There Are Babies to Adopt	A Resource Guide to Prospective Adoptive Parents	Adamec, C. A.	2002
Notes
Up to date comprehensive guide for anyone embarking on journey to adopt a baby. Covers all practical topics of independent, agency, and international adoption, the home study process, open adoption, and finances. Special emphasis on internet use. Great Appendix

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew		Eldridge, Sherrie
Notes
Easy-to-follow book written by an adult adoptee, expresses adopted children's often unspoken concerns & emotions. A clear, prescriptive guide to assist parents in understanding their adopted child's grief and loss issues.

Title	Subtitle	Author	Year
Weaving a Family	Untangling Race and Adoption	Rothman, Barbara Katz	2005
Notes
"A bold and passionate autobiographical account of a white mother raising her adopted black daughter. Rothman is a loving mother and also a fine sociologist. The blend of these gives us an honest and insightful book. A must read."

Have you borrowed a book you really like? Perhaps you want a copy for your own library. If so, please use our link to Tapestry Books.
For every order linked from the NJ ARCH website, NJ ARCH will receive a percentage from the sale. This arrangement will assist our organization to offer the best service to our customers.