book review - Life on the Road Less Traveled

March 23, 2009

Miracle Mondays: “Paper Sack Kids” by Brenda K.

Last November “Grandma K” got in touch with me regarding my “Best Books for Foster and Adoptive Families” at “Mommy Monsters.” She had a book she thought my readers might enjoy, called Paper Sack Kids. It tells the stories of some of the kids who have come through the home of her sister Diane, who with her husband Rex have touched the lives of foster children for more than thirty years. In one fell swoop, the gray-haired woman opened her door, the passenger door behind her, and the trunk lid. There were no “hellos,” “sure is warm out, isn’t it?” nor any mention of how cute the new batch of […]

November 14, 2008

Anti-Adoption? Review of “The Adoption Mystique” by Joanne Wolf Small, MSW

My article “Anti-Adoption Advocacy: How Should We Respond?” drew a wide variety of responses. The ones that gave me the greatest pause came from those I mentioned in the article as being against adoption, who wrote to protest. According to co-founder/executive director of Bastard Nation (B/N) Marley Greiner, “We are concerned only about the civil right of all adult adoptees to receive their obcs [original birth certificates] upon request without government interference.” (Ironically, the most heated attacks concerning the adoption/abortion issue came from members of his organization.) However, her comments reminded me of the complexity of the issues surrounding adoption, and that to seek […]

April 24, 2007

Blue Moon: Raising Depression Free Children

It can come out of nowhere, and flatten like roadkill. Or it can send out little signals: The chaos, the irritibility, the restlessness, the scalp prickling and pulling tighter than a bongo. Then the tears start falling on the inside … and (finally, mercifully) on the outside, where they start to do some good. If you’re prone to depression, knowing when and how to get help is imperative not only for your own peace of mind, but for that of your entire family. One book I’ve found especially helpful is Kathleen Hockey’s Raising Depression-Free Children, which offers practical help not only on how to keep […]