“Adoption is a Family Affair!” by Patricia Irwin Johnston

From the very beginning, author Patricia Irwin Johnston does not mask or dilute the meaning of this book: that adoption is not merely a decision, but a lifelong journey, and that these journeys are all the more sweet when they include family and friends. “Adoption is a Family Affair: What Relatives and Friends Must Know” is book that describes the typical response family members and friends have when an individual or couple announce that they have started the adoption process. This book also suggests new ways family and friends can respond that would be more supportive of the prospective adoptive parents.

Johnston explains that because adoption is most often not the “first choice” when it comes to family growth, many prospective adoptive parents have already experienced some type of trauma with infertility. This being said, the leads to these parents to be all the more vulnerable to criticism from their family members and close friends. In such situations, this book explains, an adoptive family’s adoption journey could even be disrupted or stopped completely by the input (or lack thereof) of their family. Just like every other major life event, those who make the decision to adopt a child will be in need of support from those closest to them.

This book is written towards the audience of the family members, friends, and coworkers of a person or couple that have made the decision to adopt a child. As Johnston states on the back cover of the book, “A child is coming – whether you approve or not! It’s time to get with the program!”This book serves as a guide to these people on how to appropriately respond and support the prospective adoptive parents. This book also help the prospective adoptive parents understand how some responses from family, while may be critical, are truly meant with good intentions.

If you are interested in “Adoption is a Family Affair: What Relatives and Friends Must Know” by Patricia Irwin Johnston, you can order it at Tapestry Books!