TCWriter

A wonderfully funny and touching read, Meslissa Fay Greene's book about raising four children -- and then adopting five more -- is a little disjointed at times, but the overall effect is charming.

As the proud daddy of two adopted Ethiopian girls, I loved this book, both for the shared experiences and the insight I gained.

Greene writes in an engaging, witty style that I found impossible to resist; I stayed up late to finish the book. She paints clear pictures of the joys -- and the difficulties -- of adopting children from other cultures, and wraps them up in heartwarming vignettes of everyday life.

At times the book reads like a folksy family memoir in the style of Erma Bombeck, but it also takes a realistic (and unflinching) look at the difficulties transracial adoptees face (thankfully, it largely avoids arguments about the pros and cons of international adoption, which are being hashed out elsewhere).

I really enjoyed this book, my only caveat being that some of the chapters felt out of place, as if they were adapter from other essays. The overall effect is of slightly rambling narrative, but frankly, that's being picky.