Love You More-The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter
By: Jennifer Grant
Love You More is a new book out about one family’s journey into adopting a child from another country. A story about life in a new marriage begins the narrative. The true story continues with the introduction of children being born. Finally, this family reaches a decision point about adopting their last child.
Mia, a Guatemalan baby, was adopted by Jennifer and her husband David in a long and painstaking process. But they didn’t blindly dive in to this journey. They began with a lot of research, and did not move forward until they knew a lot about what to expect.
Part of the decision process is examined in Chapter 7, entitled “Adoption: A Crime, a Necessary Evil, or a Miracle?” This chapter explores the pros and cons of adoption, and addresses contemporary attitudes of society toward blended families.
Jennifer travels from the decision point to the actual adoption event. She invites everyone to share each step with her. She tells what happened upon Mia’s arrival home, describing this as a honeymoon period, complete with the natural exploration that occurs during such a period. Then, she honestly portrays the resulting difficulties that all parents experience with any child.
Peppered throughout the story are anecdotes of the reaction of others to seeing a blended family.
She completes the package by providing the following resources at the end of the book: adoption resources, humanitarian resources, books about adoption, children's books about adoption, and a complete bibliography for the material that she has referenced throughout the book. She even includes discussion questions at the end to both facilitate the exploration of the subject in a book club setting, and to assist potential adoptive parents with questions to consider.
Love You More is a must-read for anyone who has adopted a child, or is considering adopting a child. It is a must-read for the rest of us to increase our understanding of these families.
Jennifer Grant brilliantly weaves a memoir that tells a tale of love, doubt, anxiety, patience, impatience and many other emotions as her family inches closer to the finalization of the adoption process. Then she seals the tapestry with details about life after the adoption.
Her wonderful writing, along with her very honest biographical approach will keep this book around for a very long time. I predict it will become the new handbook for adoptive parents.
198 pages
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
I loved this book as well. I think it's a great resource for anyone contemplating becoming a parent, whether via adoption or birth. The author has great insights on what it means to be intentional about family culture, but shares them with humor and humility--she's quick to admit she hasn't got it all figured out, but also to share the important questions she's pondering. A well-told, beautifully-written story of what it really means to be a family.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Keri. I think that it helps that she admits that she doesn't have it all figured out. Thank you for the comment!
ReplyDelete