My husband and I adopted our three sons domestically as infants. We are a transracial family. The resources below are ones that we have found to be helpful in our journey of learning about adoption in all of its complexities.
Books
The Connected Child by Dr. Karen B. Purvis
Full of research and practical strategies–I think every parent should read this book.
The Connected Parent by Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls
This book is a really helpful follow-up to The Connected Child. This shares from experience and offers encouragement to caregivers as they seek to nurture children well.
Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge
This book is full of insights from adoptees and is a good introduction to some of the challenges and blessings of adoption.
In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories
This collection of many adoptee interviews represents a variety of adoption experiences.
Adoption is a Family Affair: What Relatives and Friends Must Know by Patricia Irwin Johnston
This short book outlines the adoption process simply. A good introduction, especially for those who wish to understand the adoption process and support others who adopt.
Transracial Adoption: Foundational Principles for Healthy Cross-Race Parenting by Be the Bridge
This short book offers both information for prospective adoptive parents to seriously consider and also action steps for adoptive parents as they seek to parent their children well. While I don’t agree with all of the stances around racial issues, it still contains many ideas to consider.
Honestly Adoption by Mike and Kristin Berry
In this book, the authors (who are the adoptive parents of eight children) talk openly about some of the challenges of engaging in adoption and foster care. They offer helpful advice in meeting each child where he or she is, and they also touch on parenting older children and working through having birth order shift in the family. It is an encouraging read and one I plan to return to as my children grow.
The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption by Lori Holden with Crystal Hass
This book addresses open adoption and what adoptive parents need to consider as they navigate open adoption relationships. A helpful guide.
Mother to Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope by Jasmine L. Holmes
This book does not speak directly to adoption, but it is helpful especially for white adoptive parents to learn from Jasmine’s perspective on parenting black sons in America today.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Positive Adoptions Conversations from the editors of Adoptive Families magazine.
This book-length PDF published by AdoptiveFamilies.com is full of helpful information about adoption. It offers strategies for addressing adoption at each age level. It dispels myths and offers practical guides for reframing language around adoption in a way that is honest and honoring.
Read it here.
–Liz Latty, an adult adoptee, shares her perspective in her article What We Lost: Undoing the Fairy Tale Myth of Adoption.
Film
Closure: A Documentary About Adoption by Bryan Tucker
A compelling documentary that shares the details of one adoptee’s experience of growing up in a transracial family and deciding to search for her birthparents.
susiewales.com 