The Adoption Book She Had Been Looking for
An Interview with author and America World social services client, Megan Portman Moore
Nothing can truly prepare someone for parenthood, and becoming a parent through adoption is no exception. However, when Megan Portman Moore was going through the adoption process, she tried to prepare herself as much as possible.
She says, “During that time, I read and listened to everything I could about families who had adopted. I craved real stories of their experiences. I checked out books from the library, downloaded podcoasts, and over-asked other moms who had grown their families through adoption. I wanted to know everything.”
After a three-year adoption process, Megan and her husband, Caleb, adopted their son, Seth, from China in 2018. As her family became settled in their new life together, she decided to write the book she had been looking for during her process. She interviewed twenty-seven families for their individual stories to paint a picture of what adoption is like.
The result was Given Family: A Collection of Adoption Stories, which she published this year. Because Megan and Caleb had used our home study and post-adoption services, we had the opportunity to connect with her about this project. Read below to learn more!
How did you find all the different families to feature?
Some of the families are people I know, but most are not. Friends connected me with families they knew. It was cool how many people were really supportive of the project and wanted to put me in touch with someone they knew!
What have been people’s responses to reading the book?
Readers have been very supportive. They say they shed many tears while reading and felt very encouraged by the stories.
Now that it’s out, is there anything you wish you had included but didn’t? Or that you did include but wish you hadn’t?
I spent a lot of time re-reading and praying before the book released. These are very tender stories and I wanted to make sure I got it right. I don’t regret anything that is in it, but I do wish I had a story of a single parent. I just never had the opportunity to write that story.
What have you learned since the book came out?
People love stories. This was a vulnerable process and there were a lot of nerves leading up to the release, but people have been really kind and supportive, and I really believe that we all just love life stories.
In the end, you say that you didn’t set out to write a Christian book, but it became one. Could you expand on that?
We are Christians, so I knew our story was Christ-led, but I wasn’t intentionally interviewing only Christians. I didn’t know anything about most of the families I interviewed until we met. So the goal of the book was just focusing on adoptive families, but it turned out that every one of those families highlighted the importance of their Christian faith in their adoption process.
What is next on your list of projects?
I’d like the next book to be the same set-up but from the perspective of the adoptee. I have a few people willing to participate, but I haven’t begun the writing process yet!
Anything else you’d like to say?
Adoption can change the world! This so deeply matters, and I am honored to have the opportunity to highlight just a few of these important life stories.
Thank you, Megan, for taking the time to connect with us over your wonderful book! Anyone who would like a copy of Given Family: A Collection of Adoption Stories can find it on Amazon in paperback, hardback, and Kindle versions.
Like Sarabeth Wheeler, whom we profiled last month, Caleb and Megan Moore used another agency for placement, but we helped them with their home study and post-adoption reporting. Since we are licensed in nineteen states, we help many adoptive parents in this way, and we consider them a part of the America World family, too!
If you are considering adoption, our Learn About Adoption page is a great place to start. We have been placing children in Christian homes since 1994, and we would love to use our vast experience and knowledge to help you in your adoption journey!