4.5 stars

This is a book I wish I had earlier in the adoption process. There's little education provided to parents considering transracial adoption so I appreciate books like these and believe they should be required reading for all adoptive parents. What I like best about this book is that it's co-authored by a white adoptive mom and a Black woman. Unlike so many adoption books that are written by, for and center white adoptive parents who tend to just talk into an ignorant void and pat themselves on the back. I read those books in the beginning, but they are completely lacking in the education adoptive parents need.

Adoption books that cover transracial adoption tend to cover little ground: how to respond to rude questions about why your family doesn't match, how to care for Black hair and skin, and how you should have Black dolls and books in your home. Those three topics are just the tip of the iceberg, and this book hits hard on how important Black culture and identity are. That's the message white adoptive parents need to hear and listen to.

I only wish that they had included a transracial adoptee's voice since they are the true experts with lived experience. I also wish I'd had an e-version so that I could have highlighted some of the important messages shared.