From Runaway to Youth Advocate

In her new book, 'Runaway Girl,' Carissa Phelps shares the story of how she turned her life around after years of trauma.  Read her story here.

Book Review

Here is a short review from Christianity Today on the new book, Orphanology.
Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care
Tony Merida and Rick Morton (New Hope Publishers)

"Christians do not approach orphan care as mere humanitarians but as people adopted by God through the work of Jesus Christ. Orphanology provides the burgeoning orphan care movement with a gospel-centered theological foundation as well as a comprehensive plan for getting involved at many levels, including adoption, orphanage restoration, foster care, and transitional assistance. Between adoption stories, Tony Merida and Rick Morton offer a compelling picture of how the gospel motivates us to action on behalf of the fatherless."

Tips and Recommended Reading When Adopting an Older Child

Older Child Adoption  - What to Think About, Tips for Successful Transition

by Susan Serrano as reported in Adoptive Families Magazine.

As more infants and toddlers are united with adoptive families within their birth countries, an increasing number of older children have become available for international adoption in recent years.  “I think older children have always been there, but there is a growing awareness that there are families interested in adopting them,” said Denise Schoborg, director of Dillon International’s China adoption program. “The
need for families is very real, but prospective parents need to do some soul-searching to determine if they are ready to parent an older international adoptee.”

The realistic expectations, research and education, that are key to any successful adoption experience, become even more vital when considering the adoption of an older child, who may have some additional struggles adjusting to life with their adoptive family.  “Kids that come from institutional settings are survivors. It may take some time for the child to learn what their role is in a healthy family and develop interpersonal skills in their new environment,” explained Debbie Wynne, director of Dillon International’s Texas office and Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services. “A child may be biologically a 7-year-old, but that does not mean that they have had seven years of nurturing by loving parents. They may even have been in a situation where they had to act as a parent.” 

“It is important for parents to realize that while they may be dealing with a 7-year-old that has the street smarts of a 14-year-old, that same child could also have the attachment needs of an infant. You have to be prepared to parent where that child is developmentally in the moment,” Schoborg added.

Patience is critical as the child attaches to the adoptive family and learns how to be nurtured. “The child may take their disappointments out on their family, but parents need to recognize that the child is acting out of a sense of grief and loss and to steadfastly offer unconditional love in return. They should not take those attacks personally,” Wynne said.

Families preparing to adopt an older child can pave the way for smoother transitions with plenty of advance education that focuses on the needs of older adoptees. It is also crucial for families to surround themselves with a support network that includes adoption professionals and adoptive families, Schoborg recommended.

Securing the services of a translator and locating other language resources prior to the child’s arrival will also go a long way toward building attachment and establishing relationships, Wynne added.

Although the adoption of an older child does come with some unique challenges, it offers advantages as well, Wynne points out. “With an older child, there is an opportunity to really ‘see’ them,” she explained. “You can know their health and how they respond in social and educational environments. With an infant or toddler, you really haven’t seen the person that they will grow into being.”

“There are children who desire so much to be in a family,” Wynne said. “The families that do well adopting older children are resourceful and committed to helping their child heal from the traumas of the past. It is exciting to see families that have chosen this path do extremely well. There are families for every
kind of child.”

Recommended Reading:
• Raising Adopted Children by Lois Melina
• Attaching in Adoption by Deborah Gray
• Nurturing Adoptions by Deborah Gray
• The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis, Ph.D.
• Adopting the Hurt Child by Gregory Keck, Ph.D.
• Parenting the Hurt Child by Gregory Keck, Ph.D.
• With Eyes Wide Open by Margi Miller, MA, & Nancy Ward, MA, LISCW
• Toddler Adoption by Mary Hopkins Best, Ed.D.
• Parenting Your Older Adopted Child by Brenda McCreight, Ph.D., RSW
• Our Own - Adopting and Parenting the Older Child by Trish Maskew
• Adopted Teens Only: A Survival Guide to Adolescence by Danea Gorbett
• Beneath the Mask by Debbie Riley, MS
• Parenting Adopted Adolescents:  Understanding and Appreciating Their Journeys by Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D.
Susan Serrano is director of media relations for Dillon International, Inc. Founded in 1972, Dillon International is a licensed, nonprofit adoption and humanitarian aid agency that is affiliated with Dallas-based Buckner International. Headquartered in Tulsa, Okla.—with branch locations in Tustin, Calif. (in Orange County); the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area; the Kansas City, Kansas area; St. Louis, Mo.; Little Rock and Fayetteville, Ark; and Richmond, Ind.—Dillon International is Hague Accredited through the Council on
Accreditation to process international adoptions pursuant to the Intercountry Adoption
Act of 2000.

Want to Learn More About the Foster Care System?

Holly Schlaack, a social worker from Ohio, has authored a book titled, Invisible Kids: Marcus Fiesel's Legacy,  which provides an insiders view of the foster care system and educates readers on what they can do to improve that system. 

Amazon says of the book that it "tells the stories of many children and foster families. It tells them straight and backs them up with statistics and facts that show why the system works, why it doesn t, and where it needs help. It describes the special program Holly created for early identification of red flags in the lives infants and toddlers. It details how this program, ProKids Building Blocks, is making a difference, with specialized training and home visitation checklists that assist in objectifying warning signs that might otherwise go unnoticed. It also identifies more than a dozen ways, large and small, anyone can apply to make a difference."


For more information about Holly Schlaak, the book, or her work please visit her website:  http://www.invisiblekidsthebook.com/index.html

New Book on Adoption from NPR Radio Host

Scott Simon, the host of Weekend Edition on NPR, writes about his journey in adopting two baby girls from China in his new book, Baby We Were Meant For Each Other.
Amazon describes the book as,
a love story that doesn’t gloss over the rough spots. There are anxieties and tears along with hugs and smiles and the unparalleled joy of this blessed and special way of making a family. Here is a book that families who have adopted—or are considering adoption—will want to read for inspiration. But everyone can enjoy this story because, as Scott Simon writes, adoption can also help us understand what really makes families, and how and why we fall in love.


Here, Simon discusses his book on a segment of NPR's Fresh Air.  He also discusses his international adoption story on a segment of NPR's Morning Edition here.

Jedd Medefind's (the President of Christian Alliance for Orphans), Top 5 Books on Orphan Care

This article is from July's Christianity Today, focusing on adoption and orphan care.

1.  Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches
     by Russell D. Moore (Crossway)
With deep theological moorings, Moore builds an inspiring case for why adoption carries special priority for Christians. Even readers who don't agree with Moore on all points will find it difficult to escape the power of his conviction that God's adoption of all believers is the wellspring for Christian action to "defend the cause of the fatherless."

2.  The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family
      by Karyn Purvis, David Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine (McGraw-Hill)
Built on research and medical expertise, this accessible book provides both compassionate insight and concrete practices that any parent can apply to nurture and connect fully with children coming from difficult backgrounds. Purvis's new study guide and other resources are also invaluable.

3.  There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children
      by Melissa Fay Greene (Bloomsbury)
Greene opens unforgettable windows into the plight of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS with the true story of one Ethiopian widow and the children she took in. Her well-crafted account is both haunting and hopeful, exposing both aching need and the complexity of responding wisely, alongside the beauty found when we do.

4.  Fields of the Fatherless: Discover the Joy of Compassionate Living
     by Tom Davis (David C. Cook)
Weaving together Scripture and compelling narrative, Davis paints a simple yet powerful picture of what it looks like when Christians come to share God's passion for orphans. Fields of the Fatherless offers not only inspiration and provocation, but also practical steps for action.

5.  The One Factor: How One Changes Everything
      by Doug Sauder (4Kids of South Florida)
Focusing on real stories of children from foster care, this slim volume delivers its punch with dozens of poignant reminders why the number one matters more than all the statistics in the world. Sauder helps us turn the tired adage that "one person can make a big difference" into a vibrant, vivifying confidence.

Remember the Fatherless this Father's Day

As we celebrate and honor our fathers this week-end, keep in mind that there are approximately 27 million American boys that are being raised without a father in the house.  Author Donald Miller was one of those boys and he wrote a book about the experience entitled, Father Fiction.  He also started an organization called The Mentoring Project which partners young men growing up without dads with positive male role models. The Mentoring Project's goal is "to see thousands of kids enter into relationships with somebody who would be let down if they screwed up, and ecstatic when they succeed."

Miller was recently a guest on NPR's The Diane Rehm Show where he discussed Father Fiction.  You may listen here.

Win a Free Copy of Tom Davis' Priceless

Tom Davis' new book, Priceless, won't be released until June 1, but you can win a free copy now!  Details here.

Tom Davis Tackles the Issue of Sex Trafficking in His New Book

Tom Davis' new book is now available for preorder on Amazon.   In Priceless, the sequel to Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World,  a photojournalist on assignment in Russia joins a dangerous campaign to rescue girls from the sex-slave trade.

Go to http://www.sheispriceless.com/ for more information.

Book Recommendation for Those Considering Adopting or Fostering

Adoption Today magazine provided this book review in their April 2010 issue.

Out of Many, One Family: How Two Adults Claimed Twelve Children Through Adoption
By Bart and Claudia Fletcher
Third Degree Parenting,2009, ISBN: 978-0-615- 31538-6,221 pages, $15

“Out of Many, One Family,” is the true story of two remarkable people who decided to grow their family through adoption. That sole decision leads to a 10-year journey creating a permanent home for 12 children, as well as a temporary home for numerous foster children.

Bart and Claudia Fletcher share their experiences, joys and challenges of fostering, adopting foster children and adopting internationally.  By far, “Out of Many, One Family,” is one of the best foster and adoption books available. Because few people have journeyed through so many different avenues of adoption, the Fletchers provide a wealth of information about adoption. The book weaves together the Fletchers’ personal journey with a great user-friendly list of “what they learned” at the end of each chapter which could be essential for parents exploring the idea of adoption. The Fletcher’s openly share the positive and the negative of their adoption and fostering experiences, which creates a
realistic picture of raising children with difficult backgrounds, as well as the unique joy of blending a family together.

Their words of wisdom are priceless, providing a great window into the world of those who feel called to foster and adopt. This book would be a wonderful introduction for those considering fostering or adopting, as well a good read for the more seasoned parent with similar experiences.  I commend the Fletcher’s for creating “Out of Many, One Family” in such an easy-to-read format that kept me flipping the pages to follow their
 journey. I will anxiously await the sequel to their first book.

— Reviewed by Kim Phagan-Hansel

A Novel About Human Trafficking

This is an NPR book review on the novel, Purge, set in 1992 Russia and Eastern Europe.

Surviving Human Trafficking: A Noir Fairy Tale
by Oscar Villalon

In Koba the Dread, Martin Amis' concise history on Stalin's legacy of perversity, the British novelist makes the point that the enormity committed by the Soviets during (and before and just after) World War II somehow didn't get the deep traction in the consciousness of the West that the inhuman crimes of Nazi Germany did.

Sofi Oksanen's disturbing, riveting novel Purge partly operates in opposition to that fog of forgetfulness. Her book's story — an escaped Russian sex slave turns up out of nowhere, collapsing in front of the dilapidated house of an elderly woman in Estonia — is a jolt.

Set in 1992, only three years removed from the joyful optimism undammed by the demolition of the Berlin Wall, Purge burns through the mists to show how decades of debasement have twisted society in the former USSR into one characterized by crime and cruelty. Oksanen couches this larger theme within a tight, unconventional crime novel, one punctuated by dreadful silences, shameful revelations and repellent intimacies. By examining the toll of history on a close, personal level, Oksanen, an acclaimed Finnish playwright and novelist, makes the cost of mere survival (never mind the price of retaining one's dignity) sickeningly palpable.

Yet for all its darkness, Purge is an engrossing read.  Continue with review - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125915533&ft=3&f=1025,1032,1036,1132

Want to Know What It's Like to Be a Foster Child?

Read Ashely Rhodes-Courter's memoir, Three Little Words.

New Book for Those Who Have or Are Adopting from China

Description from the author:
The Dragon Sisterhood is an education workbook for Chinese adoptive families. It covers the adoptive family wellness topics of historical origin, racial identity, attachment, adoption history, life books, educational scholarships for Asians, books, and documentary film resourcing. Each chapter includes a workbook page for adoptive parents in preparation for their child's adoptive life book.

100% of the sale of this book go towards the non-profit 503(c)(3) The Dragon Sisterhood, dedicated to educational opportunity scholarships for Chinese American adoptees.


Here is a link to The Dragon Sisterhood blog - http://www.dragonsisterhood.blogspot.com/