Desperate to start a family, New York schoolteacher, April Epner hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband unexpectedly abandones her and her adoptive mother dies. She gets another shock when she meets her biological mother, an eccentric, self-centered talk show host, whom at first she rejects. Then the divorced dad of one of her students begins courting April. As her life is turned upside-down, April finds herself opening up in...

"Sharing the secrets that will enable you to face the challenges of adoptive parenting with confidence, Sophie Ashton offers tips and strategies which have worked for her family. She discusses preparing for the journey ahead, parenting with empathy, facilitating your child's attachment, helping your child feel listened to, and providing structure and consistency in order to successfully integrate your child into your family and go on to have a stable...

"Iris Bowen is a young Irish gardener and mother of a beloved adopted daughter, Rose. A recent widow, Iris has spent the last two years concentrating on the day-to-day business of launching Rose into the world. But when she receives some worrisome results on a breast scan, the words of her husband as he was dying of cancer become hauntingly urgent. He had begged Iris to search for Rose's birth mother so that Rose would still have family if anything...

Graham Holt the middle-aged village postmaster decides to break the cycle of emptiness as he applies to adopt James, a lonely, rage-filled boy as starved for love as Graham is. Together, Graham and James discover families aren't born, they're made. One risk, one joy, one act of trust at a time.

Driven by the negligent death of her adopted daughter at the hands of a West African exploitation ring, American mother Erica Stone finds herself an unlikely advocate for orphaned children in Sierra Leone. Her dedication is tested by the deeply ingrained corruption she encounters as she fights to have her daughter's life recognized while simultaneously trying to protect the lives of countless other children. Stone's memoir is raw, heartbreaking, and...

Wendy and Rip Porter are a working-class couple fighting to regain custody of Joey, the young son Wendy gave up for adoption when Rip went to prison seven years earlier. But Joey's adoptive parents will stop at nothing to ensure that the small boy stays in the only home he's ever known.