“Everyone wants a happy family, but some parents fear they don’t have the knack for it.  We tilt anxiously above our children, examining them from every angle, consulting experts, and reading how-to books about increasing their popularity and enhancing their odds of getting into the expensive university of their choice.” Melissa Fay Greene 

And thus begins an incredible journey of a mother and a family who decided to adopt their fifth child from Bulgaria… and then four more from Etheopia.  Already the parents of four children by birth, it was their 10 year old son who asked if they would be adopting.  Little did he know that his parents were already in talks and that his family would grow more than he could have imagined.

Being adopted myself, I found the trials and tribulations of a family seeking a child to adopt very interesting.  In the book, No Biking in the House Without a Helmet, Greene speaks of the fears and joys of becoming a mother to adopted children after her own miscarriage.  She writes just as I would expect her to… from a mother’s heart, and holds back nothing as she discusses her fears of not being able to bond with her new children and the frustrations of the adoption process.

I love the touching personal accounts, like when one of her adopted sons discovered LEGO’s for the first time, or when her son, Lee showed them baseball movies.  And she shows wonderful family photos throughout the book that helps tie in the stories on an even more personal level.

This book is an easy read – except for some of the names, I know I am pronouncing them all wrong – heart felt and human.  And, surprisingly, very funny.  In the midst of a serious story at times, I laughed a lot!  And I really love that this is a book about a family.  It is not moralistic or “HA! Look how good of a person I am!”   It is just a really uplifting, touching, happy story of a family put together in pieces but operating as one.

I am still reading and rereading parts of this book and I know you will too.  One time through is just not enough! Take a moment to check out all of the all of the awesome reviews on Amazon and learn more about this wonderfully written novel and why everyone, not just parents of adopted children, should take some time to read Ms. Greene’s story!

And because the author is so generous, one of my readers will win their own copy of No Biking in the House Without a Helmet of their own!  Just click [continue reading] for easy Rafflecopter entry:



a Rafflecopter giveaway