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Summary: Writings from Families with Children from China
Review: "A Passage to the Heart: Writings from Families with Children from China" began as an e-mail conversation among FCC newsletter editors. Within a few months that conversation had turned into a book of more than 100 articles from 24 adoptive family support groups in the U.S., Canada, and Britain.The quality, range, and depth of the writing far exceeded my expectations. There's something in here for everyone whose life has been touched by adoption from China: adoptive parents, waiting parents, family, and friends. The book covers all aspects of the China adoption experience to date. Articles by experts form the backbone of the book. The flesh, blood, and life breath come from the families themselves, sharing their hopes, anxieties, and heartaches, their irrepressible good humor, and their intense joy in building families through adoption. Families with Children from China (FCC) exists on a global scale and yet has no central organization: no national office, no paid staff, no universal by-laws. Each FCC--from small groups scattered across Montana to nonprofit corporations in major metropolitan centers--is entirely independent. The only central address is on the web. This is the sort of international "organization" that could never have existed without e-mail--a grass-roots movement that rapidly expanded across a continent and beyond largely through the electronic grapevine. "A Passage to the Heart" gives all adoptive families with children from China a sense of how large our world is and assurance to our children that they are not alone. As we look forward to watching our children grow and prosper, many of us are also committed to improving the lives of the children who remain in orphanages in China. Each purchase of "A Passage to the Heart" benefits two foundations providing direct care and practical assistance to orphanage children: the Amity Foundation, a Chinese nongovernmental organization based in Nanjing to whom parents contribute through FCC-New York, and the Foundation for Chinese Orphanages, begun by adoptive parents from FCC/New England, which works directly with Chinese orphanage officials to improve care and conditions for waiting children. This book is dedicated to our children, and to all those who wait.
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Summary: The best book on adopting from China ever published!
Review: "Nothing prepared me for the weight and expanse of the collected voices....The piece reads like gumdrops, each short enough for even a tired single parent to enjoy several in a sitting. I confess I had no idea of the impact of these voices, together for the first time, the sound of these parents finding extraordinary openings in their lives -- hearts cracked open with joy -- through which their individual voices ring so strikingly....The image reflected by the book is large. It's magnificently civilized. It's beautiful. It has permanently changed the way we think about ourselves." --Rita Guastella, FCC/New England
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Summary: Wonderful resource for families considering adoption.
Review: I bought Passage to the Heart at our annual meeting of the New England chapter of Families With Children From China (FCC) and I have been reading it cover to cover. It is wonderful and I even sent a copy to our pediatrician to help her understand possible issues with our planned second adoption. Of course, I have to read it during private time because tears come streaming down my face every time I pick it up. Strangers would wonder what was the matter with me if I read it in public! Thank you for compiling this book. It is a wonderful service to the FCC community and it will become a reference book for all of us.Perhaps when my daughter is older, she will read it and better understand her journey to make us into a forever family. Fondly, and gratefully, L. Welch.
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Summary: Good collection
Review: I enjoyed this collection of varied stories, but in my opinion nothing captures the China adoption experience like Karin Evans' The Lost Daughters of China. Readers seeking information on China adoption would do well to try both books, I think. And for the nitty gritty on background and issues concerning international adoption from China, I recommend yet another book, Laura Cecere's The Children Can't Wait.
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Summary: Very helpful and interesting
Review: I purchased this book as we were in the "learning process" about internation adoptions and wanted to learn more. we were focused on China and this book is very helpful and brought up issues I hadn't even though of yet. wonderful book....
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Summary: Very helpful and interesting
Review: I purchased this book as we were in the "learning process" about internation adoptions and wanted to learn more. we were focused on China and this book is very helpful and brought up issues I hadn't even though of yet. wonderful book....
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Summary: The MOST helpful book on Adoption I have ever read!
Review: I was already a 2x adoptive parent from Vietnam and considering a 3rd adoption from China when I found this book. It was by far the most complete and helpful book I have read on adoption. It is at times funny, sad and thoughtful... Now that I am home with our Chinese daughter, we are still referring to this excellent book. It is a great resource for anyone adopting from anywhere in Asia.
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Summary: The MOST helpful book on Adoption I have ever read!
Review: I was already a 2x adoptive parent from Vietnam and considering a 3rd adoption from China when I found this book. It was by far the most complete and helpful book I have read on adoption. It is at times funny, sad and thoughtful... Now that I am home with our Chinese daughter, we are still referring to this excellent book. It is a great resource for anyone adopting from anywhere in Asia.
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Summary: A Must Read for Anyone Interested in Chinese Adoption
Review: In A Passage to the Heart, Amy Klatzkin has compiled the best writing to date about adopting children from China. It includes articles concerning all aspects of adoption, from planning for an adoption trip to dealing psychologically with your new cross-cultural family. This is an ideal gift for those considering adoption from China, for grandparents of adopted Chinese kids (who may not realize all the issues involved!) and for friends and relatives of adoptive families, and anyone else who is touched or might be touched by an adoption from China. In addition, this book does not "sugarcoat" the adoption experience but deals with both the joys and sorrows that are part of adoption. Klatzkin is a brilliant editor who has grouped the articles and a few poems in appropriate subject sections so that you can read what is of most interest to you at the moment. This book belongs in the reference library of every family that has adopted from China and for their friends and associates. Don't miss it.
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Summary: Priceless Knowledge on Chinese Adoption
Review: In the book, A Passage to the Heart, you will find an invaluable series of articles on international adoption that tug at your heart and at times bring you to tears while the next article will provide priceless professional information and technical advice. Amy Klatzkin has done a tremendous job putting together this invaluable book that provides information on the complexities of international adoption. These 100 articles provided us with a compact knowledge of adoption with feeling. While the articles are a few pages at most, once you start you cannot put the book down especially for an adoptive parent from China. The book assisted us through our adoption by providing key family members (grandparents) with in depth knowledge that we could not provide just by talking about it. With two countries involved, the process of adoption can seem daunting. This book puts to rest a lot of worries and provides you with the specific words and language to talk with the various agencies and experts you will encounter in the international adoption. From paperwork (the paperchase) through post-adoption issues in raising a child this anthology is a must read for any adoptive or prospective adoptive parent or professional. This book is required reading for professionals in any part of the adoption process from the medical and pediatric folks to any government's agency employees. This book will give you an insight to what people go through in adopting a child, a testament to the perserverance of people to put themselves before two governments. Guys, this book empowers the knowledge side of motherhood and fatherhood in international adoption. The information, the process, the people and the experts herein will put you and your wife on the same plane of understanding calming feelings while preparing you for things to come. We found this book so useful we gave gift copies to our parents and friends who wanted to know more about what we were doing.
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