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Abbey Burton

Professor Flores

Composition 3

7 April 2019

Annotated Bibliography

My essay will be discussing the importance of considering

international adoption even though there are so many American

children that need homes. Whether you are adopting internationally or

domestically, adoption is such an important thing that will change your

perspective on life. However, I will be discussing some of the things

that make international adoption so special.

Jordan, Miriam. “Overseas Adoptions By Americans Continue to

Decline.” New York Times, 13 Apr. 2017.

In the article “Oversees Adoptions By Americans Continue to

Decline”, Miriam Jordan write for the New York Times to discuss how

overseas adoption rates are declining. She effectively gives reasoning

behind the statistics by discussing the long, tedious process that

every family has to go through, showing how the government is a big

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part in the declining rates, and giving personal adoption stories of

families that have successfully completed their family.

I think the audience for this article is mainly for people who are

considering adoption or who have already gone through the process.

The writers purpose is to inform people of the governmental flaws and

the reasons behind declining adoption rates. Several specific countries

are mentioned (such as China, Russia, Ethiopia, etc.) and how their

adoption processes need to be changed in order for adoption rates to

go up.

I will use this article in my paper to show people how we need to

take action. If the adoption rates keep declining, so many children will

go without families and then homelessness rates will go up once they

are left to be on their own at 18. What can we do to encourage more

people to adopt? Maybe if America was able to adopt from more

countries and the process was modified, we could be more effective in

giving thousands of children homes.

Davenport, Dawn. “Why Adopt Abroad When There Are Many Kids in

Need Here?” Creating a Family, Foster Care Adoption, 27 June

2018, creatingafamily.org/ adoption-category/adopt-kids/.

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Dawn Davenport feels strongly about overseas adoption, as

expressed in her article “Why Adopt Abroad When There Are Many Kids

In Need Here?”. The greatest need in America is for foster parents,

which is not an option in most countries. More than 50% of American

foster children end up being adopted by their foster parents. However,

there is an extreme need for adoptions of children ages 3 and up in

foreign countries. Many of them are classified as special needs.

Davenport writes with much passion and purpose in her article

showing the needs and concerns of small children world wide. This is

effective for all audiences and can touch the lives and influence

anyone who reads her piece. She proves to be credible because of her

own experience adopting and by her employment from the adoption

agencies.

I plan to use this article to in my essay to show how the system

works and really express the needs that these children in other

countries have. I think that a lot of useful information is provided to

help prove my thesis and show that although there are many children

in America in need of adoption as well, the needs are slightly different

and international adoption should be considered.

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Spence, Virginia. “Why Do Some People Choose to Adopt

Internationally Rather Than Domestically?” Adoption.com, 1

July 2018, adoption.com/why-choose-adopt- internationally-than-

domestically.

In this article, author Virginia Spence tells her own adoption

story and gives reasons why international adoption is so important in

her article published on adoption.com. She shares how she was

originally planning to adopt domestically and was influenced by other

close friends international adoption experience. She then gives many

reasons why foreign countries are in need of families willing to adopt

children such as health conditions, environmental dangers, and abuse.

These reasons are so important to keep in mind while considering

adoption and looking at how the worst conditions in America are still

so much better than the every day living conditions overseas.

Her purpose in writing is clear- to show why international

adoption is important and that it is right for some people. Although it

may not be the right choice for everyone, it should be considered if you

are open to adoption. She also shares how important foster care is in

the U.S. I think this article is written for those considering adoption,

and can be used as a useful guide to making your decision.

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The author proves her credibility by sharing her own experiences

and the experiences of close friends with the adoption process. She

has also been proved by the international adoption website/ agency to

write and advise those looking for ways to adopt.

I plan to use this article to show how conditions in other

countries cannot compare to those in America and use this as a main

reason to adopt a child from another country. Her personal stories can

also be used as inspiration for showing how important adoption can

be. The statistics, facts, and comparisons will be useful to proving my

thesis and show that all children need homes, but international

adoption could be a perfect fit for your family.

Compton, Rebecca J. Adoption beyond Borders: How International

Adoption Benefits Children. Oxford University Press, 2018.

In the book “Adoption Beyond Borders” author Rebecca Compton

covers just about everything you need to know about adopting

internationally. She covers all aspects of development in children,

culture, race, identity, biology of parenting, and adoptive families in

society. She really digs deeper into what it means to adopt and what to

expect, as well as how to go about your personal journey.

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Her purpose in writing this book was to really cover what it

meant to be an adoptive parent. Looking deeper into the process and

your child can be something overlooked in the excitement of adding a

new family member. The audience for this book consists of just about

everyone interested in adoption, as well as just developing parenting

skills.

She proves her credibility by being published by the Oxford

University Press, connecting with Harvard, having personal experience

and a parenting mentor. The book has some countless copies and is

one of the leading books of its genre. It is highly recommended to

anyone considering international adoption or for those who would

simply like to know more.

I plan to use this book in my essay to touch on the things that

most sources don’t, such as the development of children, race and

culture, adoptive families in America, etc. I think it will be one of the

more emotional aspects of my essay, but provide a lot of important

need-to-know information.

xanningk. “International Adoption Documentary.” YouTube, YouTube, 13

Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD8y6_jS96k.

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This documentary is about adoptive families and how their

journeys have impacted their lives. It features different families who

have chosen to adopt internationally and has a variety of ethnicities

included. Children speak on their gratitude and the impact their

adoptive families have had on their lives.

The purpose of this documentary is to show how truly impactful

international adoption is to not only the child, but also the family. It

was filmed through

This is a credible source because of the many families that were

featured in it and their experiences that they share. It was also

released in 2013.

I plan to use this documentary in y essay to give successful

adoption stories and show how impactful they can be, and also use

their stories to compare to my own.

Lynna, Burton. Personal interview. 1 April. 2019.

I plan to interview my mom because she has gone through a 7

year adoption process herself. She and my dad started out set on a

healthy Chinese daughter, and expected a 9-13 month wait. It did not

go as planned, but it could not have turned out better. I don't know
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anyone who knows more about perseverance and what it takes to

complete a family.

This will be a credible interview not only because of personal

experience, but also because of all the connections and governmental

work that has been experienced.

I plan to use this interview to show why I feel so strongly about

this subject, and why I chose the topic of international adoption

specifically. My story will be compared to those of others, but I would

like to share our personal family experience with the readers.

Garner, David B. Sons in the Son: the Riches and Reach of Adoption in

Christ. P & R Publishing, 2016.

The book “Sons in the Son” really touches on what it means to be

an adoptive parent. It is faith based and shows what a good family

upbringing can do for a child. It tells how God calls us to be his

disciples and how we can reach children through adoption.

The purpose of writing this book was to give more information

about adoption through a faith based perspective. Lots of families who

adopt feel that it is their calling to reach out to children in need. I think
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that this book is targeted towards parents, but can be beneficial for

anyone to read.

David Garner is an outstanding author who writes to connect

with people and share his faith. He is Vice President of Advancement

and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster

Theological Seminary, and has a PhD in Theological Seminary. His

work is proved credible by not only his education, but also his success

and experience.

I plan to use this book in my essay to tie my faith into the

reasoning behind adoption and discuss how important it is in most

adoptive families.