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Summary: It's about adoption.
Review: I just finished the book and couldn't put it down. As part of a gay couple with adopted kids, I found the book to be an adoption story, period. It took me through that adoption roller coaster. And yes, Dan Savage is funny. I loved the detail he gives to daily life with a "boyfriend" and extended family. The fortune cookie passage had me sobbing.
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Summary: A great book!
Review: I can't recommend this book enough, unless you are homophobic or have a problem with gays adopting children. This was a well-written heartwarming read that actually changed some of my views on the topic.
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Summary: Absolutely wonderful
Review: This book was so absorbing, I read it like a thriller or a mystery or some other kind of page-turner. I couldn't put it down. Dan Savage is so honest and so compassionate about this experience, it just pops off the page at you. You feel for him, at times are angered by him, but you cannot do anything but respect his courage and directness and mostly his skill in writing this compelling story. I also think it's great to see a gay relationship so fully developed for the mainstream world to look at. This is a delightful book.
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Summary: You'll wish you wrote this well...
Review: I picked this up and fell in love with it on the first page; it's charming, frank and funny, yet also truly informative, revealing, and dare I say, even suspenseful? Dan explains weighty decisions deftly, and isn't afraid to make the book his and his partner's unique story while demystifying the complexities of adoption for the average reader.I'm not gay, I won't be adopting anytime soon, and I was hugely entertained anyway - I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a truly good read.
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Summary: Finally, a book I couldn't put down!!
Review: You know how reviewers always write, "I couldn't put it down"? Well, this is one time they're right. I laughed my head off... and shed more than a few tears. This guy is good. Funny as hell. Touching. Brutally honest. Sarcastic, yet sentimental at the same time. I'm the kind of person who should just throw books I buy into a wood chipper. I never finish the damn things. I bought "The Kid" yesterday and finished it within 24 hours. Treat yourself to a wonderful read. Buy this book. I'm still smilin'.
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Summary: One word: FANTASTIC
Review: This is definitely one of the best books I have read this year. Dan Savage's THE KID is funny, touching, emotional, and an easy read. When you pick this book up, you will not have a dull moment. Dan Savage gives you an "I'm-not-holding-back-anything" approach in his book. He speaks his mind on everything that has happened in his past life, and the adoption process he went through with his boyfriend, Terry. I hope everything is going well with Dan and Terry and their son D.J., and hope D.J.'s mom, Melissa, is well too. And after you read this book, you would hope the same. I would highly recommend ANYONE to read this book. Enjoy it!
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Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: I just finished reading "The Kid" this morning and feel I should add my voice to the chorus of people who are praising it. This is a wonderful story wonderfully told. I deeply appreciate the author's excellent sense of literary style. Nothing to flashy. Nothing too self-aware. Just a graceful and sometimes spicy lilt that pulls you in and keeps you happily turning the pages. It is great to read a book which isn't -- as most literature is -- about the problems of the rich and independently wealthy. This book is crammed with real people, dealing with real situations. I can't overpraise it. Thank you, Dan Savage. I assume there will be a sequel when the kid reaches, oh say, 10 years old; right?
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Summary: more enlightening than "what every parent should know" books
Review: a friend loaned me a copy of this book when i mentioned that i am looking into adoption. i'm from seattle and am familiar with dan savage's weekly sex advice column and i was a bit curious about his decision to adopt a child. savage's account of choosing to raise a child in a gay home was funny, informative, and eye-opening. opening your heart and home to an adopted child means divulging your financial and personal history to strangers who decide if you're worthy of raising a kid. savage wonders, as i do, about "bio-kids" who are born to people who have no business raising a child. In order to adopt a child you have go through mountains of paperwork and interviews to prove that you will make a good parent. savage and his boyfriend indeed proved, against odds, that they would be able to provide a good home for a child. they have to compete with straight couples for a child, and they have twisted ways of coping with the stress, but i was able to related to their situation in many ways. in sum, this is a quick engaging read with funny and poignant scenes that will enlighten you about adoption, love, and what makes up a "real" family.
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Summary: Funny, wise and thought-provoking
Review: Like a number of others who have reviewed this book, I thought it was one of the funniest books I have read. I was surprised, after discovering this title in paperback (it was originally published in 1999), that I had not heard of it before. If The Kid is languishing in the gay/lesbian department, brought to the attention only to readers with a particular interest in this publishing niche, that is a genuine shame. This book deserves a wide audience, one that includes anyone, gay or otherwise, who is interested in family law, the status of gay people in American society, the way Americans think about children, and anyone who enjoys good comic writing. I couldn't put The Kid any higher on my list of recommended books to read this summer. Pick up a copy and enjoy.
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Summary: Both thoughtful and enjoyable
Review: Dan Savage, a parent? THE Dan Savage, gay sex-column adviser, whose sarcastic take on sex and outrageous writing style have made him a cult figure in "alternative" publications around the country? Well, yup. In this entertaining book, Savage details the decisions and processes involved when his partner Terry and him decided to adopt, using the Portland "open adoption" method. Emotional without being sentimental, Savage describes his supportive family and friends (as well as the non-supportive ones), and makes no apologies for his choices. Far more than a simple "gay couple wants baby" polemic, this book describes the trials and tribulations of adoption faced by ALL parents; indeed, what makes it so startling is its matter-of-factness. In the end, Dan and Terry come off as no better or worse than any other prospective parents, and it is this which is probably most revolutionary. An entertaining, yet intellectual, read.
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