Notes that Steinberg and Hall's book examines challenges and possibilities of transracial adoption, asserting that the work is the choice for white parents thinking about becoming or already in a transracial-adopted family, and for professionals working with parents and/or children in such families. Suggests that the book's only weakness stems…

Notes that Crumble's book assists professionals in preparing families who adopt transracially and highlights the importance of understanding one's racial and cultural identity. Describes three areas of focus: complex issues involved in raising cultural issues, providing services to families, and staff attitudes and views. Highly recommends the…

Praises Wegar's examination of the debate over sealed birth records and searching for birth parents to explore the meanings of kinship, family, and identity in contemporary culture. Criticizes the work's lack of incorporation of open adoption literature, overlooking of feminist works, and lack of strategies for changing negative attitudes toward…

Notes Modell's examination of complexities of adoption from the perspectives of birthparents, adoptive parents, and adoptees, using lenses of kinship theory and symbolism, particularly blood as the central symbol of kinship in western cultures. Argues that as an anthropological study, Modell's work does not explicitly draw implications for…

Reviews the longitudinal study on special needs adoption examined in Groze's work. Notes that the main strength of the book is showing how these adopted families are different from other families. Criticizes the work's limitations, including small sample size, use of self-reports, and decreased information when the children became adolescents.…

Notes that "Handbook" presents 10 topics related to attachment interventions, including attachment disorders as an antecedent to violence, ADHD treatment, permanency planning, and adoption. Maintains that the handbook's tone and style varies from the highly practical to the broadly philosophical although the specific professional…

Reviews Cline and Helding's guide for adoptive and foster parents of disturbed children, noting author's direct approach in considering the difficulties of adopting special needs children, the quality of practical assistance, and the Cline/Helding Adoptive Parent Attitude Assessment. (JPB)

Reviews "Adoption Wisdom: A Guide to the Issues and Feelings of Adoption" by Marlou Russell. Maintains that its narrative/comment format and accounts of those involved in adoption validate the feelings of the adoption-triad members. Suggests that the book lacks information on individuals who contributed comments and contains few narratives from…

Reviews three books: (1) "A Practical Parent's Handbook on Teaching Children with Learning Disabilities" (Shelby Holley); (2) "Children Can't Wait: Reducing Delays for Children in Foster Care" (Katharine Cahn and Paul Johnson); and (3) "Transdisciplinary Play-Based Intervention: Guidelines for Developing a Meaningful…

Finds the author most effective when recounting personal experiences of dealing with regulations and bureaucratic procedures of adoption. Finds the book ineffective as a critique of adoption because of a fallacious premise that there is a shortage of children available for those waiting to adopt due to a defective adoption system. (Author/SD)

Characterizes the focus of Keefer and Schooler's book as being on talking to children who do not have contact with birthparents, while neglecting the issue of helping birth and adoptive families overcome differences inherent in what brought each to adoption. Presents chapter contents of the work. Notes that book is the best available to parents on…

Reviews five books on how the politics of choice affects adoption, abortion, and welfare; Roe v. Wade; causes and consequences of nonmarital fertility; how misguided feminism harms young males; and the myth of frailty. Suggests that many of the issues raised will receive national notice if recent legislation requiring all states to test students…

Reviews Goldstein and others' work concerning identification of the least harmful alternative in complex child custody situations. Notes that the book's major assumption is that children's needs are paramount and families are inviolate except in extreme cases. Maintains that the book has clear assumptions and values, recommendations following…