LGBTQ Family Building: A Guide for Prospective Parents

While “the path to becoming a parent is complicated” for members of the LGBTQ community, “research points to the many strengths that LGBTQ people bring to parenthood,” writes Goldberg (Open Adoption and Diverse Families), a psychology professor at Clark University, in this smart survey. Each of the book’s seven chapters follows the same structure, beginning with a “vignette of LGBTQ prospective parents,” then offering exercises and activities, and ending with a list of resources. “Deciding to Become a Parent” features a list of parenting books to read and some self-reflection questions for future parents to ask themselves, such as “Am I ready to put a child’s needs before my own.” “Surrogacy and Other Family-Building Routes” gets into the nitty-gritty of deciding on a surrogacy agency, handling legal paperwork, and deciding on an egg donor (and includes a list of “Famous Gay Parents via Surrogacy”), and “Parenting in the Early Years” contains tips for teaching kids about heteronormativity and picking LGBTQ-friendly schools. Goldberg notes that her aim was to avoid parenthood advice that’s “too academic” or “hard to access,” and she succeeds admirably, easily defining terms and delivering the goods in a conversational tone. The result is a fantastic resource. (May)