The search for one's self during the challenging teen years can be even more difficult for the adopted teen. Many adopted teens have unanswered questions that may result in fear, anger, and low self-esteem. These feelings may be compounded by the isolation they feel because most friends and family members cannot fully relate to their situation.
The Ultimate Teen Guide enables young adults to explore their feelings as they read the personal experiences of other adopted teens. Through these stories, adopted teens can learn how others have resolved some of their adoption issues and gain powerful insights from those who have experienced some of their same frustrations, struggles, and concerns.
Experienced adoption professionals share practical ideas and strategies for teens as they answer their questions in the "Teens Ask" sections of the book. Adoption experts, such as Hollee McGinnis (Policy & Operations Director for the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute), Judy Stigger (Director of International Adoptions at The Cradle), Kathleen Morrison (member of the board of trustees of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys), Katrina Carlisle (adoption counselor and search specialist at St. Elizabeth Coleman Pregnancy and Adoption Services), and others, provide valuable answers to teen questions. Replete with stories, pictures, and artwork by adopted teens, this up-to-date source will benefit teens as they move forward on their adoption journey.
Adopted is written as a part of the It Happened to Me series by Suzanne Buckingham Slade. This book did fit my more traditional idea of a non-fiction work. While it wasn’t dry, it skimmed the surface of what it means to be adopted and the stories of adopted children. While it attempted to dive deeper, overall it struck me as shallow, cliché, and possible outdated, as everything looks like it comes straight from the 80s. If I am skeptical, you can be sure young adults will be.
Published in 2007, this book is not from the 1980’s, and even though it is mostly shallow and a bit patronizing, I did learn a few nuggets of facts that hold true today, like that adoptees get a brand-new birth certificate. I liked the infographics, quotes, pictures, and blurbs of information, even if the layout was distracting. I found myself skimming the main text and reading the boxes and blurbs more in-depth. While I don’t regret reading this, I wouldn’t recommend it to a reader or an adoptee, and I wouldn’t read it again. The patronizing tone makes it seem like it may be aimed toward younger readers, but readers younger than the teen age group would probably find it too dry.