The Ultimate Adoption Resource Guide

For Mental Health Professionals

• Adoption & Suicidality: An Anthology of Stories, Poems & Resources for Adoptees, Families, Healthcare Professionals & Allies Beth Syverson & Joseph Nakao
• Altogether Us: Integrating the IFS Model with Key Modalities, Communities & Trends: Chapter 23: IFS & Adoptees Kathy Mackechney
• Adoption Therapy: Perspectives from Clients & Clinicians on Processing & Healing Post-Adoption Issues Laura Dennis
• Seven Core Issues in Adoption & Permanency: A Comprehensive Guide to Promoting Understanding & Healing in Adoption, Foster Care, Kinship Families & Third Party Reproduction Sharon Roszia, Allison Davis Maxon & Deborah Silverstein

Research & Resources for Adoptees

• Adoptee Rights Law: https://adopteerightslaw.com
• Adoptees with Disabilities: https://intercountryadopteevoices.com/2022/12/15/navigating-disability-and-rare-medical-conditions-as-an-intercountry-adoptee/
• Adoptive & Foster Family Coalition of New York: https://affcny.org
• Also-Known-As https://www.alsoknownas.org/
• Citizenship Clinic by Adoptees https://adopteesunited.org/citizenship/
• Global Adoption News: https://adoptionland.org
• Intercountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV): https://intercountryadopteevoices.com
• National Center on Adoption & Permanency: https://www.nationalcenteronadoptionandpermanency.net/
• U.S. National Directory of Adoptee-Therapists: https://growbeyondwords.com/adoptee-therapist-directory/

Resources for Siblings of Adoptees

• Suddenly Siblings: https://suddenlysibs.com/

Resources for First/Birth Parents

• Big Tough Girl: http://www.bigtoughgirl.com
• Lifetime Healing Foundation: https://lifetimehealingfoundation.org
• Musings of the Lame: Adoption & Birth Mothers Building Bridges to Adoption Truths: https://www.adoptionbirthmothers.com
• Putative Father Registries: https://mensrights.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-putative-father-registries
• Saving Our Sisters (SOS): https://savingoursistersadoption.org
• Sky is the Limit Foundation: https://skyisthelimitfoundation.com
• Twisted Sisterhood Podcast: https://www.twistedsisterhoodpodcast.com

Adoption Documentaries, Movies & Educational Videos

• Adopted
• A Girl Like Her
• Approved for Adoption
• On-Demand Adoption Courses - Beyond Words Psychological Services
• Calcutta is My Mother
• Closure
• The Dark Matter of Love
• Father Unknown
• From Place to Place
• Girl, Adopted
• Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter (Netflix)
• My Russian Side
• Off & Running
• Removed
• SideXSide
• Somewhere Between
• South Korea's Adoption Reckoning (PBS)
• Three Identical Strangers
• Twinsters
• You Follow

Adoptee Blogs, Podcasts & Websites

• The Adopted Life (Angela Tucker): http://www.theadoptedlife.com
• Adoptees On Podcast: http://www.adopteeson.com
• Beyond Words Psychological Services: https://growbeyondwords.com/blog
• Born in June Raised in April: http://juneinapril.libsyn.com/
• The Declassified Adoptee: http://www.declassifiedadoptee.com
• Dear Adoption: https://dearadoption.com
• Diary of a Not-So-Angry Asian Adoptee: https://diaryofanotsoangryasianadoptee.com/
• Harlow’s Monkey: https://harlows-monkey.com
• The Lost Daughters: http://www.thelostdaughters.com
• My Adoptee Truth: https://www.myadopteetruth.com/blog
• My Adopted Life: https://myadoptedlife.com/blog
• Thriving Adoptees Podcast: https://www.thrivingadoptees.com

Books for Teen & Adult Adoptees

• The Adoptee Self-Reflection Journal Chaitra Wirta-Leiker
• The Adoptee's Journey: From Loss & Trauma to Healing & Empowerment Cam Lee Small
• Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists Janine Myung Ja, Michael Allen Potter & Allen Vance
• Adoption Unfiltered: Revelations from Adoptees, Birth Parents, Adoptive Parents & Allies Sara Easterly, Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard & Lori Holden
• All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir Nicole Chung
• A Long Way Home: A Boy's Incredible Journey from India to Australia & Back Again Saroo Brierly
• Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption Susan Devan Harness
• Dear Wonderful You, Letters to Adopted & Foster Youth Diane Rene Christian & Mei-Mei Akwai Ellerman
• Decoding Our Origins: The Lived Experiences of Colombian Adoptees Abby Forero-Hilty
• Flip the Script: Adult Adoptee Anthology Diane René Christian, Amanda Transue-Woolston & Rosita González
• The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade Ann Fessler
• Journey of the Adopted Self: A Quest for Wholeness Betty Jean Lifton
• Lions Roaring Far From Home: Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees Aselefech Evans
• Not My White Savior: A Memoir in Poems Julayne Lee
• Other Words for Grief Lisa Marie Rollins
• The Son with Two Moms Tony Hynes
• Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love & Lost Identity Catana Tully
• Spilled Milk: Based on a True Story KL Randis
• The Girl I Am, Was, & Never Will Be Shannon Gibney
• Three Little Words: A Memoir Ashley Rhodes-Courter
• When We Become Ours: A YA Adoptee Anthology Shannon Gibney & Nicole Chung
• You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity & Transracial Adoption Angela Tucker

Books for Foster/Adoptive Parents & Caregivers — Adoption & Trauma

• Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections Jean MacLeod & Dr. Sheena Macrae
• Adoption Unfiltered: Revelations from Adoptees, Birth Parents, Adoptive Parents & Allies Sara Easterly, Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard & Lori Holden
• Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens Debbie Riley & John Meeks (C.A.S.E.)
• Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control: A Love-Based Approach to Helping Attachment-Challenged Children with Severe Behaviors Heather Forbes & B. Bryan Post
• The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog and Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook Bruce Perry & Maia Szalavitz
• Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain Daniel Siegel
• Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal Donna Jackson Nakazawa
• The Connected Child Karen Purvis & Dr. David Cross
• The Family of Adoption Joyce Maguire Pavao
• The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade Ann Fessler
• No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind Daniel Siegel & Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
• The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole Lori Holden & Crystal Hass
• Parenting from the Inside Out Daniel Siegel
• Parenting in the Eye of the Storm Katie Naftzger
• Parenting the Hurt Child: Helping Adoptive Families Heal & Grow Gregory Keck
• Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies that Really Work Robyn Gobbel
• Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption & The Privilege of American Motherhood Gretchen Sisson
• The Secret Life of the Unborn Child Thomas Verny
• Spilled Milk: Based on a True Story KL Randis
• Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child: Making Sense of the Past Betsy Keefer Smalley & Jane Schooler
• Who is a Worthy Mother: An Intimate History of Adoption Rebecca Wellington

Books for Teens/Adults/ Parents — Race/Transracial Parenting

• Black Anthology: Adult Adoptees Claim Their Space Diane Rene Christian
• Black Baby White Hands: A View From the Crib Jaiya John
• For Black Girls Like Me Miriame Lockingham
• The Harris Narratives: An Introspective Study of a Transracial Adoptee Susan Harris O’Connor
• I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness Austin Channing Brown
• In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories Rita Simon & Rhonda Roorda
• In Their Parents' Voices: Reflections on Raising Transracial Adoptees Rita Simon & Rhonda Roorda
• In Their Siblings' Voices: White Non-Adopted Siblings Talk About Their Experiences Being Raised with Black and Biracial Brothers and Sisters Rita Simon & Rhonda Roorda
• Internment Samira Ahmed
• Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning Cathy Park Hong
• My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma & the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts & Bodies Resmaa Menakem
• The Myth of the Model Minority: Asian Americans Facing Racism Rosalind Chou & Joe Feagin
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness Michelle Alexander
• Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption Jane Jeong Trenka & Julie Chinyere Oparah
• The Skin We’re In: Teaching Our Teens to Be Emotionally Strong, Socially Smart, and Spiritually Connected Janie Victoria Ward
• So You Want to Talk About Race Ijeoma Oluo
• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You Jason Reynolds & Ibram Kendi
• Waking Up White Debby Irving
• What White Parents Should Know About Transracial Adoption Melissa Guida-Richards
•  “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and Other Conversations About Race Beverly Daniel Tatum
• The Violence of Love: Race, Family, & Adoption in the United States Kit Meyers

Books for Kids — Adoption

• Adoption is Both Elena Hall
• A Different Home: A New Foster Child’s Story John DeGarmo
• Adoption is a Lifelong Journey Kelly DiBenedetto, Katie Gorczyca & Jennifer Eckert
• And That’s Why She’s My Mama Tiarra Nazario
• Being Adopted Amy Wilkerson
• Casey Conquers Bedtime (Adoptees Like Me series) Chaitra Wirta-Leiker
• Families Change: A Book for Children Experiencing Termination of Parental Rights Julie Nelson
• How I Was Adopted Joanna Cole
• Learning About My Friend's Adoption Allison Olson
• A Long Way from Home Rey Sirakavit
• Marie Discovers Her Superpowers (Adoptees Like Me series) Chaitra Wirta-Leiker
• Maybe Days: A Book for Children in Foster Care Jennifer Wilgocki
• Surrounded by Love: An Open Adoption Story Allison Olson
• We Are Family Patricia Hegarty

Books for Kids — Race/Multiracial Families

• All Are Welcome Alexandra Penfold
• The Day You Begin Jacqueline Woodson
• Dumpling Soup Jama Kim Rattigan
• Hey Black Child Useni Eugene Perkins
• I Am Not A Number Jenny Kay Dupuis & Kathy Kace
• I Don’t Have Your Eyes Carrie Kitze
• I Love My Hair! Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
• Momma, Did You Hear the News? Sanya Whittaker Gragg
• My Hair is a Garden Cozbi Cabrera
• Not Quite Snow White Ashley Franklin
• Sesame Street: We’re Different, We’re the Same Bobbi Jane Kates
• Shades of People Shelley Rotner & Sheila Kelly
• Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You Jason Reynolds & Ibram Kendi
• Something Happened in Our Town Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins & Ann Hazzard
• Why Can’t You Look Like Me? Ola Zuri

For Relatives and Friends

• Adoption Is a Family Affair: What Relatives & Friends Must Know Patricia Irwin Johnston
• In On It:  What Adoptive Parents Would Like You to Know About Adoption, A Guide For Relatives & Friends Elisabeth O’Toole