Reviews for
Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families

Buzz continues to build about this January, 2008 book

May 19, 2008

This book is perfect if you’re seeking answers and if you’re open-minded to hearing about different ideas in adoption. Personally, I am seeking answers and am open to gleaning advice anywhere I can take it, therefore, I thought this book was extremely helpful. I’d recommend it to anyone starting the process or anyone who is emotionally bumping into walls in the process. It is a strong, solid book–well-written and very thorough. You may not agree with every bit of advice, but for me, the mark of a good book is one where I walk away having underlined a few things. And my handwriting dots the margins throughout the whole book.

snipped from a review in “Found Poetry” on the blog 
Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters

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March 17, 2008…Patricia Irwin Johnston’s seminal book Adoption: Sound Choices, Strong Families provides sound advice and thoughtful analysis of adoption as a way to building a family - from coping with infertility and deciding to adopt, through the ups and downs of the adoption process, and into the realities of raising your family. While her focus is on people considering adoption, this well-written, fascinating discourse would be beneficial to anyone involved in adoption, including professionals working in the field of adoption and adoptive families.Pat Johnston, a well known adoption publisher and advocate, has long been a force in adoption education. Her lengthy discourse on adoption proves her to be an able and thoughtful writer, as well. Based on an in-depth knowledge of adoption history, theory, and practice, plus years of interaction with all members of the adoption triad, this is a book that is sure to engross anyone interested in adoption. Sometimes controversial, oftentimes wise, your understanding of building families through adoption will be greatly enhanced by consideration of the important issues raised in this seminal, wide-ranging tome.One of the unusual features of the book, Adopting, is that it is extremely helpful for all types of adoption: private, direct, agency, foster-adopt and public; inside the United States and International; babies, toddlers and older child adoption; and same or different race/culture. The breadth and depth of this book is tremendous; it ranges from a discussion of infertility, the realities of adoption and whether it is the right option for you; through the emotional journey and practicalities of the adoption process; and into many aspects of being an adoptive family. Bonding, your child’s health, emotional journeys, pitfalls, history of adoption, adoption ethics, media and public views of adoption, school concerns, raising confident children, race, and many other key issues are just some of the important topics covered in Adopting. Highly recommended, this is a book that is sure to be referred to by both adoption professionals and adoptive parents for years to come.

Reviewed by Alison Martin
Comeunity.com _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ March, 2008In Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families (Perspectives Press; $26.95), her newest addition to adoption literature, Patricia Irwin Johnston tackles the tough questions prospective parents must ask before deciding whether adoption is right for them.This informative, densely packed book guides those who are married, single, gay, or lesbian through four distinct phases of thinking about adoption. The first is about resolving personal issues, including infertility, before deciding to adopt. The second is about understanding that raising a family formed by adoption is inherently different from raising a biological family. The third is about making educated choices about the type of adoption to pursue. The final phase is understanding what will happen during the adoption process and after the child arrives.Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families is not a how-to guide for adoption, but it compiles the wisdom Johnston has accumulated in her 30 years of experience. With real-life vignettes and ample resources in each chapter, the book is a must-read for those who are just beginning to think about adoption, or who are in the early stages of the process. It will help parents navigate the emotional and practical aspects of an adoption, and help them understand that adoption is a lifelong issue for children, parents, and extended family alike.

Reviewed by Sue Gainor, who serves on the national board of Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA) for the March/April Issue of Adoptive Families magazine.
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1/2008… From infertile heterosexual couples to same-sex couples to single parents–anyone who has struggled wit barriers to family-building faces similar losses and similar decisions about their next steps. But what should those next steps be, and is adoption the best way to go? Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families was written to help those who find themselves “family-challenged,” as it explores the adoption process within the context of deeply personal and emotional obstacles and encourages readers to actively address, examine and puzzle out the process before adoptive parenthood begins.Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families is not a “how to” guide for the adoption process, It does not specifically detail the nuts and bolts topics such as which adoption agencies to contact or what paperwork is required. Rather, its goal is to serve as an experienced, compassionate guide through the hard questions that must be addressed and examined before any realisitic decisions about adoption can be made. It also provides support and practical advice that readers will need after they make their own decisions about adoption. This is a book that explores the process of adopting asn an emotional journey that begins with [a family challenge] and takes the reader through the decision making, preparation and experience of adopting. This book does a great job of looking at the deeper issues and acknowledging the complexity of feelings and experience that are all part of adoption today. If you are not infertile or if you are a single parent, don’t be put off by the focus on couples communication and the grief of infertility in the first section; the other sections are well worth the read.Pat is a good writer and well organized as she addresses the issues faced by adopting families. No one speaks more clearly or directly to and for this group. Required reading for waiting Pact families.Reviewed by Beth Hall
Fall/Winter 2008 Pact’s Point of View
Pact an Adoption Alliance
Oakland, CA______________________________________________________________________________________________________________  9/2007… Pat Johnston has the unique ability to understand the feelings of a person struggling with infertility and has once again shown why she is the authority on infertility and adoption resources. Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families is a wonderful tool that will help many people trying to make the transition from the emotional burdens of infertility to adoption. I would recommend this book for my infertility patients, regardless of where they are in the treatment processJeffrey L. Deaton, M.D.
Reproductive Endocrinologist
Premier Fertility Center, North Carolina_________________________________________________________________ 9/2007… Having placed my son for adoption almost a decade ago, only through Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families have I come to know and respect the dragons faced by my son’s adoptive parents. Underlying this book is a great how-to guide for communication in marriages and partnerships, whether the issue faced is infertility or who cleans what when! Through Pat Johnston’s insight, expertise, and personal experience in the fields of adoption and infertility, she brings knowledge and understanding to a diverse audience of readers from infertile couples and singles to their children, to supportive family members and friends, to parents considering placement and birthparents who stand on the other side of the adoption process, to the media and general public. Certainly, a “must read.” Courtney Lewis
Birthmother and Adoption Advocate_________________________________________________________________ 

I couldn’t be more thrilled with Pat Johnston’s latest book Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families.  There is a tremendous need for such a comprehensive work addressing all family compositions and every avenue of adoption.  Her chapters on attachment and transitioning are extremely relevant and applicable and should be required reading for any family considering adoption (as well as those formed by birth).  Pat’s voice educates and entertains simultaneously.  Her new book is a must read for adoption workers, families and those who support them.

Kathie G. Stocker
Adoption Social Worker, Adoptive Parent
NACAC state rep and board member of Northwest Adoptive Families Association (NAFA)_________________________________________________________________ 

8/2007…As I finished reading Pat Johnston’s new book—Adopting Sound Choices, Strong Families— I felt as if I had just found the ”Adoptipedia”. Johnston leaves no rock unturned as she takes readers through a journey which begins long before people even know or realize that they may have an adoption journey. She examines every single issue mentioned in adoption literature; I found each page filled with valuable information for those individuals considering adoption. This well integrated piece of work is a ”must read” for anyone thinking about adopting; it should be mandatory reading for all professionals who work within the adoption arena. Johnston illuminates issues well beyond those typically addressed in pre-adoptive training. This will become a handbook for those exploring adoption and for those working with them. I highly recommend this book!

Gregory C. Keck ,Ph.D.
Founder/Director of the Attachment & Bonding Center of Ohio

Co-author of Adopting the Hurt Child and Parenting the Hurt Child 
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The world of adoption has changed dramatically over the last few years, making this update to Pat Johnston’s previous books an  essential tool. Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families will become one of the classic resources for the adoption community. 

Mark T. McDermott, Esq.
Adoptive Parent, Adoption Attorney
Past president of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys

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I have been recommending Pat Johnston’s Adopting after Infertility for 15 years. In truth, I have almost insisted that prospective adopting parents read what I have considered to be the adoption Bible.

I didn’t think it was possible to improve upon Adopting after Infertility, but Pat has done it again.  Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families has incorporated the wisdom of her prior books and expanded them to include updated material and current adoption professionals’ thinking on virtually every imaginable aspect of adoption.

This is the quintessential book for those considering adoption and those who are already adoptive families.  It is also a must-read for those facing any genetic or gestational loss, as she guides singles and couples through the grief process, helping them to make wise and considered family building choices.Thorough and clear, this book is simply excellent.  I will be buying it, gifting it, lending it and reading it for many years to come.

Carole LieberWilkins, M.A.

Marriage and Family Therapist

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Touched both personally and professionally by adoption for over three decades, Pat Johnston brings to her newest work, Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families, wise direction and thorough advice gained from such incredible life experiences.  With solid insight, Pat guides her readers through the early stages of exploring and learning about adoption through to preparation for a child’s arrival and the early months that follow, touching the emotional, relational and practical aspects of the journey.  She fills each and every chapter with valuable information for families considering adoption and for the professionals that guide them in their journey of family building.  This book will be a great addition to any agency’s pre-adoption suggested reading. I highly recommend this tremendous resource!   

Jayne Schooler
adoption educator and author/co-author of The Whole Life Adoption Book and
Telling the Truth to Your Adopted and Foster Child.
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Pat Johnston’s book Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families is a thoughtfully written book that addresses a myriad of unique issues likely to be encountered by families preparing to embark on their adoption journey. Richly illustrated by poignant and sometimes humorous vignettes it delves into the complex aspects of adoptive parenting in a style that is compassionate and child focused. Married couples, same gender couples and singles hoping to build their family through adoption will find Pat’s practical “how-tos” and sound advice invaluable. This comprehensive book is my number one choice for families and professionals seeking to broaden their knowledge of adoption.

Jane M. Page, LCSW
Clinical Director of Adoption
The Cradle, Evanston Illinois
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