Many of my fellow bloggers at adoptionblogs.com have posted book reviews recently. Unfortunately I just don’t have the time to read them all.
I want to point out some books that are useful to anyone looking at Ukrainian adoption or culture. The books aren’t listed in any particular order.
I know the book is specifically about AIDS in Africa. But I am willing to bet some of the information could apply to Ukraine as well. Ukraine has the highest epidemic rates in Europe for HIV/AIDS.
And many political historians see Ukraine as a former Soviet Union colony. So they experience the same problems as other colonized countries. This includes the struggle for a national identity. Ethnic struggles are fairly common.
The AIDS rate in Ukraine has grown so quickly, it is scary. My daughter’s Green Forest Orphanage started accepting AIDS babies 2 years ago. So many of them are just abandoned by their parents. The parents are struggling with their own AIDS. And feel unable to deal with a sick child.
MAMA+ program was started in 2005 to give Ukrainians parents the tools they need to parent their HIV/AIDS babies. There have been a few success stories.
Twelve gifts sounds like a great affirmation book to read to any child. You are valued. You are loved.
Affirmation books are valued at my house. My favorite one is It’s Okay to Be Different.
This one just sounds like a great bedtime story. I try to include stories from around the world at bedtime.
Natasha’s Ukrainian adoption is like her brown hair. It is just one fact about her. We don’t talk about it (brown hair or adoption) all the time. And we certain don’t read Ukrainian bedtime stories all the time.
