Ruth’s Journey: The Authorized Prequel to Gone With the Wind (Donald McCaig)
Ruth, an orphaned black child, is informally adopted by Solange and Captain Augustin Fornier. Eventually Ruth becomes Solange’s children’s Mammy, and later, Mammy to Solange’s grandchildren. In between, Ruth also marries and has a child of her own.
The Atlas of Love (Laurie Frankel)
Jill becomes pregnant (and single) while in graduate school, and she and her two best friends, Janey and Katie, move in together and commit to parent the baby boy, Atlas, together. However, their clashing personalities and opinions on child-rearing and Atlas’ father lead to complexity and heartache.
Forever Mom: What to Expect When You are Adopting (Mary Ostyn)
Ostyn, mother of ten children, six of whom were adopted, explores many aspects of adoption. Weaving her family’s story with practical advice, Ostyn talks about preparing children for new siblings, bonding and discipline, keeping one’s marriage healthy, addressing challenges, and establishing heart connections.
Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet: Tasting the Goodness of God in All Things (Sara Hagerty)
Using Proverbs 27:7 as her foundation, author Sara Hagerty walks readers through her journey of getting married (and navigating marriage) and choosing to adopt, all while being in ministry and coping with life’s spiritual ups and downs. Her honesty is refreshing, and she leaves her readers feeling hopeful, encouraged, and determined.
She Looks Just Like You: A Memoir of (Nonbiological Lesbian) Motherhood (Amie Klempnauer Miller)
Amie Miller shares her journey of becoming a mother. She attempted to get pregnant for two years before her partner opted to try and got pregnant. As they journey through pregnancy and parenthood, Amie explores what it’s like to be the non-biological mother to a child she stays at home to raise.
The Lost Daughter: A Memoir (Mary Williams)
Mary Williams shares her story of trauma, loss, and redemption in this honest memoir. She was unofficially adopted by actress Jane Fonda and went on to travel the world, do humanitarian work, publish a book, and reconnect with some of her biological family members.
Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina (Michaela DePrince with Elaine DePrince)
Professional ballerina Michaela DePrince shares her story of losing her birth parents, navigating a war-torn country, living in an orphanage, and being adopted by American parents. DePrince’s book highlights her professional accomplishments as well as the many ups and downs of her life, including dealing with her skin disorder, losing her brother, grappling with fear and rejection, and overcoming obstacles.
You Can Adopt Without Debt: Creative Ways to Cover the Cost of Adoption (Julie Gumm)
Gumm, an adoptive mother, shares her comprehensive and detailed advice on how an adoption can take place without a person going into debt. Her book not only details grants and creative fundraising, but she also offers advice on how to choose the right type of adoption for the family.
Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League (Jonathan Odell)
Hazel, a wealthy and mentally unstable white woman, and Vida, a black woman who is Hazel’s maid and watch-woman, forge an unlikely friendship. The women, having each tragically lost young sons, band together to stand up to injustices facing Vida, her father, and her friends, during the Civil Rights era.
The Waiting: The True Story of a Lost Child, a Lifetime of Longing, and a Miracle for a Mother Who Never Gave Up (Cathy LaGrow and Cindy Coloma)
This memoir is based on the true story of Minka, a sixteen-year-old girl who becomes pregnant by the stranger-man who rapes her. Minka, thoughout her many years, writes letters to the maternity home, begging for information about the daughter she bore and placed for adoption. Miraculously, Minka and her daughter are reunited when they are both in their elderly years.
Separated @ Birth: A True Love Story of Twin Sisters Reunited (Anais Bordier and Samantha Futerman)
Twenty-five-year-old Sam is contacted via Facebook one day by a woman named Anais. Anais, a young woman living in France, watched a You Tube video featuring a face that identically matched hers, the face of Samantha. The girls discovered they are identical twins, adopted at birth by different families, and begin the journey of reconnecting.
The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy (Peggy Caravantes)
This biography explores the professional and personal life of Josephine Baker, a performer, racial equality activist, and mother of the “rainbow tribe,” twelve children she adopted from all over the world. Baker’s life was often tumultuous and considered subversive and phenomenal, especially because of her multiracial family.
