Dim Sum, Bagels and Grits:
  A Sourcebook for Multicultural Families
   Myra Alperson
  2001 Farrar, Straus & Giroux, NY
    ISBN: 0374526117

The face of adoption has changed dramatically in recent years, a fact that the author, whose daughter is from China, knows very well. In this invaluable handbook “for multicultural families formed through adoption,” she offers not only her firsthand experience & wisdom, she also offers those of other adoptive parents & experts from around the U.S.

Myra Alperson writes: “Just ten years ago, I would have had far fewer options, as a single woman over forty, to adopt.” She traces the history of cross-cultural adoption in the U.S. -- which only began in a significant way after WWII & the Korean War.

Facing & addressing anti-ethnic & anti-adoption prejudices? This book outlines some of the specific issues facing multi-ethnic families, along with strategies for dealing with them. Whether it's facing down racism & family disapproval, helping to create a diverse community in which to raise a child or arranging a homeland tour, Dim Sum, Bagels, and Grits leaves no stone unturned.

In a frank style, along with the abundant interviews laced through the book, Myra Alperson lends a supportive tone to discussions of both the struggles & joys that multicultural families experience.

Dim Sum, Bagels, and Grits is a guide to adoptive parents & parents-to-be on the journey toward creating a multicultural family with appropriate traditions, religious observances, role models & developing alternative ways to draw a family tree. 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.

How to find a community where your children see other “kids like them” and what to do if this is not possible. This book provides an expansive resource directory for everything from adoption agencies & publications to Web sites & sources for multicultural toys & affirms the importance of balancing birth culture & adoptive culture within the family. The author also lists discussion groups, support organizations & heritage camps for both parents & kids.

Simply what it is: a really useful & thorough handbook for those considering cross-cultural adoption.

Myra Alperson is a New York-based writer whose books include: The International Adoption Handbook: How to Make Foreign Adoption Work for You. She is an adoptive mother herself.
(09/02/01)

Rebecca