Search: Handbook for Adoptees and Birthparents - Softcover

Whether medical, genetic, genealogical, or personal, the need to know one's family history can be especially strong for those adopted as children. Adoptees who wish to find their birthparents, and birthparents who want to locate their adopted sons and daughters, can now reference the updated second edition of "Search: A Handbook for Adoptees and Birthparents", by Jayne Askin. "Search" provides a detailed step-by-step process for unearthing adoption information through sealed adoption records, government data, and reference resources. The book is also a resource for professional searchers asked to discover the whereabouts of adoptees' or birthparents' biological family members. New to the second edition is a listing of the various online computer services, such as KinQuest and Prodigy, for those searchers who want to establish a network with other searchers; and a "Search Resources and Services" chapter covering new magazines, newspapers, phone services, legislative and educational groups, and adoption-related books. In "Search", Askin discusses the issues surrounding the decision to search; where searchers can receive moral support; the costs involved and how to budget them; available reference guides; and primary/secondary data sources for locating information. In addition, the book lists nearly 500 search and support groups, provides the names and addresses of reunion registries (many contain phone numbers), offers sample letters and forms, and defines the various types of searchers. The appendixes provides a searcher's checklist and a completely updated state-by-state listing of agency addresses and applicable state laws.