Rating: 
Summary: I wish there were more books on this subject!
Review: This book was great. After doing much research, I've found that finding information on donor insemination is difficult. I knew so little about DI (donor insemination) that I wasn't even sure what questions to ask. This book gave me a lot of information and enough knowledge to make a list of good, informed questions to ask my doctor. I do agree with one reviewer that it focuses a bit too much on the emotional aspect, but DI is an emotional decision. I disagree with the reviewer who said this book pushes parents to not tell their child of their DI origins. I found it to be the opposite and it seemed to me that the authors were for telling the child of their conception. I gave this book 4 stars because, even though it is a very good information source, there is a lot more they could have added, and a good deal they could have left out. More information on the medical and financial aspect of DI and fewer anecdotes would have given this book a 5 star rating in my opinion. All in all, it's an excellent book for someone just beginning the DI process and needing a basic guide.
Rating: 
Summary: The donor insemination bible
Review: Vercollone et. al. provide some very helpful information, but they suggest that you should not tell your child that s/he was the result of donor insemination. They spend a great deal of time discussing the stigma attached to DI, yet they seem to be perpetuating this by suggesting that the child should not know about it. Also, this book's focus is on heterosexual couples using DI. It does not claim to be for lesbians.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful information but disturbing editorial stance
Review: Vercollone et. al. provide some very helpful information, but they suggest that you should not tell your child that s/he was the result of donor insemination. They spend a great deal of time discussing the stigma attached to DI, yet they seem to be perpetuating this by suggesting that the child should not know about it. Also, this book's focus is on heterosexual couples using DI. It does not claim to be for lesbians.
Rating:
Summary: A Support Group in a Book!
Review: Where has this book been? This book has everything you always wanted to know about DI but had no one to ask. Helping the Stork is truly a support group in a book. This book is as technical as necessary but it deals with the feelings involved in the DI process. This is a very warm book and easy to read. No matter what feelings you are having you will find them in this book. The authors recognize that DI is a physical and emotional journey toward parenthood. Why should you own this book? Because although this is the only DI book published in the 1990s, it is also an excellent book. These authors acknowledge that DI is not just for married couples. There is a section on Becoming a Mom Without a Dad, Becoming a Single Mom Through DI, Lesbian Couples Creating Families through DI, and a section on Celebrating Differences. Other sections I think are wonderful include: Putting Together Your Medical Team, Emotional Needs At That First Insemination, Two Methods of Insemination, When DI Memories Come to Mind, and Selecting on a Donor's Personal Statements. My favorite chapter was chapter 10 - Humor in Hindsight. The book quotes dialogue from Wendy Levy's zany film SWIM, SWIM...TALKING TO SPERM AND OTHER DESPERATE ACTS. "I start to take Clomiphene, a relatively mild fertility drug, and thankfully, I experience no side effects, except maybe locking my girlfriend in the closet once a week if she forgets to vacuum her hair off the bathroom floor. Okay, a few mood swings..." And, if you enjoy reading, which I am sure you do if you are an Amazon fan, this book is worth the price just for the bibliography included in the end of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Some useful info but not quite enough detail
Review: While this book gave me an overview of the basic process of donor insemination (DI), its pitfalls and successes, I found myself wanting...more. More information, more details on exactly how it all works, why, statistics, etc. This book is, in my opinion, more focused on the emotions of dealing with infertility -- complete with little vignettes *ad nauseum* from DI parents -- the DI process and dealing with postpartum DI concerns. (While those issues are indeed important and that info useful, it wasn't really what I had expected the book to be majoratively focused on.) For single women choosing to parent alone or for lesbian couples, you may find this book a little tiresome, as a good 90% of the language and content addresses couples and nearly every vignette/personal story (perhaps 98%) is from a DI couple. The authors are very upfront about this right in the foreword for the book, but they should perhaps be more forthcoming about that fact on the bookjacket/editorial description, as by then you've likely purchased the book. :-) In the meantime, I've ordered Single Mother by Choice (by Mattes) and have higher hopes.
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