Adoption Alliance Resources--Reading List

In association with Tapestry Books, the premier online adoption bookstore, Adoption Alliance is proud to bring you our “Top 10 Adoption Related Books” as well as our selected “Book of the Quarter.” Please click on the image or the title of the book to purchase the book from Tapestry’s website. A percentage of the purchase will go to Adoption Alliance so that we can help more children find homes!

Book of the Quarter

There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene

THERE IS NO ME WITHOUT YOU is the story of Haregewoin Tefarra, a middle-aged Ethiopian woman of modest means whose home has become a refuge for hundreds of children orphaned by AIDS. It is a story as much about the power of the bond between children and parents as about the epidemic that every year leaves millions of children, mostly healthy themselves, without family.

"I started crying on page 26 and didn't stop until I finished the book. This is a great book for anyone involved in adoption." -Rebecca Harris, Adoption Alliance Staff Member

Upon hearing that she is adopted, Allison's whole world becomes an uncomfortable place. She becomes angry and withdrawn. She wonders why she was given up, what her real name is, and whether other children have parents in faraway countries.

Proper attachment is an essential piece of every adoption. This book offers practical, constructive advice for adoptive parents.

Don't you wish that there was an easy way to explain the how's and why's of adoption to your parents and the other members of your family? Well, wish no more. Have them read this book. Many of their questions will be answered.

Nico was adopted from Korea. Her mother explains that all families are different but that all families have one thing in common: they are glued together with love.

Children who are adopted have predictable and often unspoken concerns about themselves and how they joined their families. This guide helps parents anticipate and respond to these concerns in ways that build self-esteem.

This book covers a range of issues that often crop-up in adoptive families. Issues raised in ths book include, how will my child "bond" or form attachments to me? When and how should I tell my child that he/she was adopted? What should schools be told about my child? Will adoption make adolescent upheavals more complicated?

Offers insight into how adopted children commonly think and feel about being adopted. It explains why and in what way adopted children grieve for their birth parents and suggests ways that adoptive parents can help them to come to a healthy resolution of this grief.

In the zoo there are all kinds of animal families, but Tango's family is not like any of the others because both of her parents are male. This book tells the story of her parents, Ray and Silo, and the effort they put forth to have a daughter of their very own.

Covers all aspects of adopting and parenting these young children: making an informed decision whether or not to adopt, preparation and education, forming attachments, behavior management, and more.

Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge
This is an excellent guide to communicating constructively about feelings of insecurity, anxiety, and curiosity. Gives voice to children's unspoken concerns and shows adoptive parents how to free their kids from feelings of fear, abandonment, and shame.