Includes bibliographical references (p. 150-152) and index.

ch. 1. The adoption process -- 1. Americans have a favorable opinion of adoption / Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute -- 2. Americans still have lingering fears about adoption / Kelly King Alexander -- 3. Common decisions that parents will make in the adoption process / Richard Mintzer -- ch. 2. International adoption -- 1. International adoption is risky / Kim Clark, Nancy Shute -- 2. The Hague Treaty can remove some of the risks of international adoption / Ethan B. Kapstein -- 3. Transcultural adoption poses unique challenges in families and children / Anne Adams Lang -- 4. Exporting Black babies through foreign adoptions / Dawn Davenport -- ch. 3. Nontraditional adoption -- 1. Gay adoption can negatively impact children / Paul Cameron -- 2. Gay adoption serves the best interests of children / Shannon Minter -- 3. Transracial adoption / Samiya A. Bashir -- 4. Adopting a teenager / Amy Engeler -- ch. 4. Openness and disclosure -- 1. The benefits of open adoption / Adam Pertman -- 2. The problems of open adoption / Mary Beth Style -- 3. Choosing an open adoption arrangement / Gabrielle Glaser -- 4. Adult adoptees should have full access to their adoption records / Bastard Nation -- 5. Adoptive parents should help their children reunite with birth parents / Lorna Collier -- ch. 5. Personal stories of adoption -- 1. A daughter and birth mother reunite and end the uncertainty in their lives / Susan Freinkel -- 2. Adopting the children of a deceased relative / Nancy Hanner -- 3. Contrasting experiences of reunions with birth mothers / Sarah Saffian -- 4. Single-parent adoptive families work / Nancy E. Dowd -- Organizations to contact.