Rating: 
Summary: Adoption Nation
Review: I was very excited to read this book because I had heard so much advance praise for it. I also read several reviews praising it. So, I guess I had really high expectations going in. When I finished the book I felt a little dissappointed. I still don't know what all the excitement is about. It IS a good book and it is very well written. But, at least to me, it didn't reveal anything new. It was more of an overview of what adoption has been and what it is becoming. I think it could be a very informative book for people who are getting into adoption and need an idea of how it all works. But, as far as being a bombshell of an adoption book, I just don't see it. I am happy to see an adoption book that talks about open adoption and open records, two things that I strongly believe in. I would recommend this book but, I would stop short of calling it a must have. This is not meant to criticize Mr. Pertman, he did a good job and should be proud of the book. More, I am just wondering what other reviews saw that I missed?
Rating: 
Summary: Adoption Nation - required reading for adoption professional
Review: In a perfect world, adoption would not exist. However in the year 2000, thousands of infants and children still need homes and we, as a society, must actively work towards making this process humane and compassionate for all involved. Adam Pertman, in his well researched and beautifully written award winning book, explains how adoptions were done in previous decades, details the recent changes that have improved the process and speculates on future practices. As a reunited birth mother who relinquished a son in 1970, it is gratifying that this book was published; this should be required reading in all college curriculum dealing with social work and psychology.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehnsive reporting, passion and purpose
Review: In Adoption Nation Adam Pertman beautifully combines a veteran journalist's insistence on comprehensive research and reportage of a full and balanced story with the passion and purpose of an advocate for freeing adoption from the burdens entailed in the cloak of secrecy which has so often surrounded it. This book is a thoroughly researched, comprehensive and illuminating depiction of adoption in the USA, its history, present state, and, one hopes, its future.Mr. Pertman's extensive consideration of the issues is seamlessly interwoven with compelling individual stories which strongly convey the emotional challenges encountered by the adopted child, adoptive parents and birth parents. The reader is given a full appreciation of the complexities of the issues. Mr. Pertman is deeply concerned about the vulnerabilities of all the parties, and about attitudes and practices which place burdens on them, often throughout the lifespan. At the same time, this book brims with optimism and hope for the ways in which growing awareness and openness about adoption can play a positive role in the lives of individuals, enriching their lives. And on a social-political level, such perspectives have the potential to contribute to a more flexible and dynamic image of the American family. Every human services provider has regular and frequent contact with people who have been powerfully affected by experience with adoption. The meanings of those experiences are being transformed as attitudes and practices regarding adoption change. What I may have learned (and there was little systematic teaching about this subject) when I began my training in psychiatry 25 years ago and what my current students learn now need to be different. I would recommend Mr. Pertman's fine book not only to those personally touched by the adoption experience, but to anyone who works with individuals and families. It offers an illuminating view of issues which are of central importance in the lives of millions of people. Howard Katz, M.D. Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, Brookline, MA
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes frustrating and often uplifting
Review: It's only frustrating to realize how far we have come, yet how much more we have to go. This is a great book for anyone starting this process. It's not a how-to book, but just a how is it book. The state of affairs for adoption.
Rating:
Summary: Fathering A Cause
Review: Like so many books Adoption Nation arose in direct response to human need. In this case, Adam Pertman's need is the nation's gain. The plot line is uncomplicated; award winning journalist and wife seek to become adoptive parents. The saga of their striving through unforeseen logistical obstacles and emotional sandtraps sheds new light on the practices and policies surrounding adoption. If this were all there was to it, Adoption Nation would be a book worth writing and worth reading. But Adam Pertman has done something more enduring; he has offered a framework for a renewed national consideration of our culture of adoption, and none too soon! Born of his own pursuit of fatherhood Pertman steps into the strange and archaic world of adoption rituals and reasoning. Most would have either lost heart or simply accomadated to the circumstances with singleminded determination to gain parental rights over the child we sought. With wisdom and kindness and a broad concern for the common good Pertman marshalls his writing skills, and one thinks his advocate's heart, to awaken all of us to the much needed transformation underway in the world of adoption. As Upton Sinclair once exposed the meat packing industry and Michael Harrington introduced us to the Other America, of poverty; so too has Adam Pertman provided a road map to the unfamiliar landscape of adoption. In his quest to become an adoptive father, Pertman has also sired a cause which is long overdue and which will provide important dividends for children, their new families and the society as a whole. For the sake of all of us let us hope he is as successful in the latter as he and his wife have been in the former. This book will serve as a sourcebook for the campaign!
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and Accessible
Review: Lively and accessible, Adoption Nation demonstrates how adoption is changing our concept of family to include not only people who are biologically related, but people who love each other, and that ties of affection can be as strong as ties of blood. The tone of this book is encouraging, warm and inclusive. But Adoption Nation is also a serious book, encyclopedic in scope, and provides a clear picture of the institution of adoption in 2001. I wish I had been able to read this book when my adopted daughter reunited with her birth family three years ago. I recommend this book to anyone touched by adoption, and also to readers interested in the state of our country. Adoption Nation would be a useful text for students of psychology or social work. Adam Pertman has written a wonderful book.
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Summary: Viewing the "Big Picture" of Adoption
Review: Most of us tend to gravitate toward books that either affirm or stretch our deepest beliefs. I read Adam Pertman's ADOPTION NATION because I met him early on in his research for the 1998 Boston Globe series, watched him thoroughly explore the many facets of this complicated and bittersweet social institution, and knew that finally someone was working on a book that looked at the big picture of the "adoption revolution" that is truly transforming America. That book is here, and put into the hands of policy-makers who truly care about the best interests of children, it can make an enormous difference in the future -- and the integrity -- of adoption in America. A charming aspect of this brilliant examination of adoption's impact on our society is that through personal vignettes, Pertman eloquently illustrates how the revolution has been shaped not by professionals but by people who have lived adoption. His respect and compassion for all the voices in the adoption experience make this an unforgettable book.
Rating:
Summary: A Fair, Sensitive and Well-Written Book
Review: Most people obviously enjoy "Adoption Nation" a lot, judging from the reviews I've seen. But there are a small number of critics and, having just finished the book, I need to ask them: Have you bothered to read this book, or did you just breeze through the chapter headings, apply your own prejudices, and assume you knew what the author would say? I'm not connected to adoption in any direct way, but I was engrossed by the stories in "Adoption Nation," learned an enormous amount about families and children, about our country, and even about myself. And I was struck by the sensitivity and knowledge shown to adoptive parents, birth parents and adopted people alike. It's no wonder that the author and his book have won so many awards and received so many accolades. One last thing: There's a recent reader review here on Amazon that says "Adoption Nation" is somehow critical of international adoption and of the adoption of healthy infants. As far as I can tell, the writer of that review simply made those things up - there's absolutely nothing in the book that even vaguely implies such criticisms, so they must come from the reviewer's biases or imagination. I loved "Adoption Nation," I learned from it, and it's as fair, sensitive and well written a book as I've had the pleasure to read in years.
Rating:
Summary: A masterful political and personal map of American adoption
Review: Mr. Pertman brilliantly and methodically maps the long-hidden political and social landscape of American child adoption. His pen and sextant miss little: from the most heroic, through the most poignant, to the most disturbing. He precisely places seemingly dissonant features of this landscape and then clearly plots the linkages between them. From the rubble of post-Communist Bucharest to the bully pulpit of resurgent American extremism to the halls of power on Capitol Hill, he praises the meritorious and exposes the depraved. In doing so, he presents a powerful case for an end to the secrecy and lies - both personal and political - that have long-dominated American adoption practice. And when confronted with the all-too-pervasive venality, injustice and fanaticism, Mr. Pertman does not hesitate to take aim with his rhetorical gun... and open fire. This is a profound, sometimes uplifting, sometimes horrifying and altogether necessary book. Buy it, read it, send it to your legislators, and then run for public office yourself.A.S. Wei, Special Advisor to Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for adoption and against secrets & lies
Review: People who are planning to adopt, or who have adopted kids should read this book. Told from the perspective of an adoptive parent, it will help them understand how adopted people like myself need the respect and humanity that openness provides. While I had a good adoptive experience, I don't think I would have wanted an open adoption as a kid. In any case, I sure do think that adopted adults need the same access to personal information that every other citizen gets, like our original birth certificate and other government-held files. Good book. Hope many people read it.
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