[.ca] The International Adoption Handbook: How To Make Foreign ... (ISBN 0805045791)

What an awful book:
Outdated, declasse and so preachy/stupid. You'd be better using the internet to find out the real deal on international adoption than reading this insipid book.

Outdated - But Useful for the Basics:
I took this book out of the library, and boy was I glad I didn't buy it before getting a good look at it! The information is woefully outdated (ie: Alperson claims that filing the all-important INS I-600A form costs only $168 - it now costs $405! She doesn't even acknowledge that all the important INS forms are now easily downloaded off the IRS website with concise instructions - a lifesaver!). While her basic information is good, there is nothing here that you can't find online. Our exhaustive pre-adoption research found that the most reliable and up-to-date info is on the web - ever-changing country guidelines, INS procedures and politics place the international adoption process in a constant state of flux. There is no way a print publication can possibly keep up with the changes. Since there is such an emotional toll with adoption, I feel that it is best to seek out only the most current info - that way you won't get your hopes up based on outdated material. Also, by using the web, you can read the stories of individual families and contact them directly to learn first-hand of their adoption experiences. I really learned how to negotiate the process from families who had recently completed adoptions in the country we had selected. They gave me the real inside information, and even helped us to choose the agency that was right for us. If I had gone on Alperson's circa 1997 advice, I would have taken many wrong turns. While Alperson's book contains some good, solid info on the aspects of international adoption that are constants - save yourself the money and avoid being confused by old data by checking out the web. If you are intent on having a "hard copy" of adoption information, be aware that this book contains serious misinformation regarding country regulations and INS procedures that may set you back.

Not really what the title promised:
While she has a lot of good information (the list of contacts at the end are great), as a Catholic-Christian, married-father adopting from Guatemala, I did not like the single-mother, pro-homosexual slant of the book. It is NOT a handbook of how to adopt internationally. It is her story of adopting a girl from China. In writing the book, she talked to a lot of people who adopted from all over the world. Their stories are spread throughout the book and add a lot to the book. Overall, I was disappointed with the book and would not recommend its purchase.

Definitely worth reading:
This book wasn't quite what I was looking for (more of an instruction manual, less of a personal-journey saga) but it was still definitely an interesting read. Ms. Alperson is very honest and upfront and does have great advice. This book is good moral support.

Casualty of an ever-changing world:
This book is one of the many casualties of the Web where ever changing country guidelines can be found with a click of the mouse. In Alperson's defense, a print publication of this nature is by definition static and outdated before it even hits the market. Still, this book makes for good reading and provides good advice. It is definitely worth reading, but double check the figures and requirements on the Web and elsewhere. Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?