1. Review of a new adoption-themed novel

Please read Sara Easterly’s courageous review of The Nature of Small Birds, published in Englewood Review of Books. I say courageous because Sara herself is a writer in the Christian writing space; she takes no pleasure in exposing another Christian writer’s blind spots in crafting a novel about an adoptee from Vietnam.

Considering adoptees are four times more likely than non-adoptees to attempt suicide, it’s critically important that literature about adoption is held to a higher standard than it traditionally has been—especially in Christian circles where hurtful adoption messaging can be so prevalent.

—Sara Easterly in Englewood Review of Books

Sara details 4 main problems that affect the mental and spiritual health of adoptees, and they are striking.

More Sara wisdom on LavenderLuz.com:

• 8 Dynamics to Consider Before Oversharing Your Adoption Story
• Parenting an Adoptee in the Pandemic: A Guide for Parents
• “I Want My Real Mom!”
• Coming Out of the Adoption Fog

2. Conscious Adoption Parent Education Courses with Astrid Castro of Adoption Mosaic

A 6-week course on Transracial Parenting starts Jan 19. A course on Tough Conversations is coming in March. Check out the rest of the offerings and adoption resources from people with lived experience here.

Astrid Castro and Adoption Mosaic are a wonderful adoption resources for adoptive parents.

3. The Connected Parent: Creating a Family interviews Lisa Qualls and Emmelie Pickett

This is an excellent interview on attachment, self-inquiry, and using scripts to help you implement Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) with your child. Dawn Davenport talks with Lisa Qualls, author of The Connected Parent, and Emmelie Pickett, who worked closely with Dr Karyn Purvis on the previous book, The Connected Child.

This episode, like so many from Creating A Family, is an essential adoption resource for parents.

4. The Importance of Maintaining Openness and Honesty in Open Adoption

I was recently a guest on the the Heart-to-Heart podcast, in which we talked about the complexity of adoption, how we got where we are, and where we need to go in our adoption practices.

“Lori and Jenna [Stocks, host] take a step back in this episode, to view adoption through a lens people often are blind to. They discuss the effects and impacts of maintaining openness in the household and with birth parents. As well as the importance of honoring Post-adoption contact agreements and doing so authentically. Lastly…they dive into the importance of extended birth families and educating everyone involved.”

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What’s been on your radar lately? Share your finds in a comment below, whether adoption-related or not.