Dim Sum, Bagels, and Grits: A SourceBook for Multicultural Families
- Book Review,
by Myra Alperson
From Publishers Weekly
The face of adoption has changed dramatically in recent years, a fact that the author, whose daughter is from China, knows very well. "Just ten years ago, I would have had far fewer options, as a single woman over forty, to adopt," Alperson writes. In this invaluable handbook "for multicultural families formed through adoption," she offers not only her firsthand experience and wisdom, but also that of other adoptive parents and experts from around the U.S. She also provides an expansive resource directory for everything from adoption agencies and publications to Web sites and sources for multicultural toys. After tracing the history of cross-cultural adoption in the U.S.--which only began in a significant way after WWII and the Korean War--the book outlines some of the specific issues facing multi-ethnic families, along with strategies for dealing with them. Whether it's facing down racism and family disapproval, helping to create a diverse community in which to raise a child or arranging a homeland tour, Alperson (The International Adoption Handbook) leaves no stone unturned, and her frank style, along with the abundant interviews laced through the book, lend a supportive tone to discussions of both the struggles and joys that multicultural families experience. For readers just beginning to consider cross-cultural adoption or those already in the thick of it, this fine book should be at the top of their resource list. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Based on her research and her own experiences raising a daughter born in China, Alperson (The International Adoption Handbook) has written a helpful book for parents who want to make the ethnic and cultural heritage of their adopted children part of their everyday lives. Her down-to-earth, practical guidance for building multicultural ties will appeal to people thinking about adoption as well as those who already have adopted children. The 80-page annotated listing of publications, organizations, and web sites that follows the text is well done and provides a wealth of information, although this reviewer would not call the compendium a "sourcebook." Alperson's advice is similar to that of the founders of PACT: An Adoption Alliance, Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall, in Inside Transracial Adoption (LJ 11/1/00), although her focus is more directly on international adoptions. Recommended for parenting collections.- Kay L. Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills, MD Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Multicultural families--and supportive friends or neighbors--will find useful advice and involving narratives in this volume. Alperson, author of The International Adop tion Handbook (1997) and adoptive mother of a Chinese-born daughter, describes the experiences of dozens of multicultural families to help readers understand the problems, choices, and opportunities these families face. She discusses "the journey" by which a multicultural family is formed, the places where such families find community (choice of home, church, school, etc.), and tools (cultural history, religion, role models, language, and family trees) that may help children grasp the multiple components of their own identities. In a section on "Meeting Challenges," Alperson considers coping with prejudice, and the need for parents to allow older children to take the lead on cultural issues. Includes 80 pages of valuable resource lists. Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Gail Steinberg, co-director of Pact, an adoption alliance, and co-author of Inside Transracial Adoption
"A thoughtful, provocative, and cheerful personal journey into the identity issues of multicultural adoptive families . . . straightforward views."
Book Description
An informed, comprehensive guide to raising a multicultural family.
How many times do you celebrate the New Year at home? Just once? If your family is Jewish, Chinese, and a few other things besides, you might celebrate twice or even three times a year! As the rate of cross-cultural adoption grows in the United States, new traditions are emerging. These are part of a new multiculturalism which, with its attendant joys and challenges, has become a fact of life in urban, suburban and even rural America. Alperson's sourcebook offers families the first complete guide to the tangled questions that surround this important phenomenon. As the adoptive Jewish mother of Sadie, her Chinese-born daughter, Alperson is able to offer personal as well as professional insight into such topics as combining cultures in the home, confronting prejudice, and developing role models. Focusing on adoptive families - international and transracial adoption in the United States has jumped in recent years - she provides guidelines on how families can prepare for their exciting journey toward becoming a multicultural family.
In addition to drawing on extensive interviews with such families, her book includes a wealth of on-line and "conventional" resources to find books, food products, toys, clothing, discussion groups and heritage camps that help families to enhance their lives as they build a multicultural home.
About the Author
Myra Alperson is a New York-based writer whose books include The International Adoption Handbook, about which Booklist wrote, "her advice and counsel are heartfelt, simply stated, and specific. She is the adoptive mother of Sadie Zhenzhen Alperson.
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