Eye of Adoption (Dyer)
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The Eye of Adoption: The True Story of My Turbulent Wait for a Baby
Jody Cantrell Dyer, 2013
Little River
288 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781481040136
Summary
No one just adopts.
From the very first steps of acknowledging adoption as a choice to the final document that seals the deal, Jody Cantrell Dyer paints a raw, warm, heartbreaking and eventually triumphant portrayal that narrates the entire adoption process through compassionate and humorous prose.
Dyer’s candor and soul color each page of The Eye of Adoption. She directly addresses the sorrows of infertility and the demands of adoption while consistently word-weaving a life rope of assurance, humor, and optimism for her readers. A middle-aged wife, mother, and teacher, Dyer “tells it like it is” in hopes that waiting adoptive parents, birthparents, adoptees, and those close to them will find kinship through her story.
Author Bio
• Birth—February 14, 1974
• Where—Columbus, Georgia, USA
• Raised—Gatlinburg, Tennessee
• Education—B.S., University of Tennessee
• Currently—currently lives in Knoxville, Tennessee
In her words:
Women, I wrote this book for you!
When I was a child, I often shopped at the Sevierville, Tennessee, Kmart department store with my mother. During each visit, I listened intently for an East Tennessee twang to broadcast over the loud speaker and say "Attention Kmart shoppers, the blue light special is...." When I heard those messages, I rushed to the pulsing blue light to see what helpful piece of merchandise was marked down and up for grabs.
I am a teacher and a writer. More importantly, I am a middle-aged married mother of two children—one biological and one adopted. Folks, that is not as simple as it sounds. I went through the gauntlet to add a second child to my family, and I know many of you can relate. I wrote this book for you.
So, I would like to broadcast in my own East Tennessee twang, "Attention Amazon.com shoppers! If you are in any way associated with the heartbreak of infertility or the 'beautiful burdensome blessing' of adoption, my book, The Eye of Adoption, may help you."
I know that most author pages are written in third person, but that does not match my down-to-earth personality, nor does it match the tone of my book. I want to talk directly to readers because I want your to clearly understand my serious goals for the book as the following:
- To inspire and encourage infertile or waiting adoptive families.
- To enlighten birthparents with a story from an adoptive parent's point of view.
- To educate the extended families and friends of adoptive parents and birthparents.
- To serve adoption agencies, social workers, churches, and ob/gyns as they care for and minister to those affected by unplanned pregnancies, infertility, and/or adoption.
- To hopefully entertain readers with anecdotal commentary, commiseration, and comic relief.
Please visit my website (see below) for information on my blog Theories: Size 12 and my other work (guest posts, magazine articles, speaking opportunities, and more).
Also, I love to hear directly from readers. Please email me with comments or questions about any of the above at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Again, thank you for learning about The Eye of Adoption. Happy reading! —Jody Cantrell Dyer
"If God can work through me, He can work through anyone." —Francis of Assisi. (From the author.)
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Book Reviews
This book has been reviewed extensively by Amazon customers. Click on the cover image above to see their comments.
Discussion Questions
1. What are universal experiences and emotions lived and felt by women struggling to build their families?
2. How do you relate to Jody and Jeff?
3. How does Dyer’s writing style promote the message of her book?
4. What did you learn from The Eye of Adoption about yourself?
5. What did you learn from The Eye of Adoption about infertility?
6. What did you learn from The Eye of Adoption about domestic adoption?
7. Have your views of infertility changed? If so, how?
8. Have your views of modern adoption changed? If so, how?
9. What did you enjoy most about your experience reading The Eye of Adoption?
10. What did you enjoy least?
11. How will you demonstrate support to a friend or family member going through infertility?
12. How will you demonstrate support to a friend or family member going through adoption?
13. How do you think Jody can best use her book to spread her message of hope and humor?
14. How do you feel and think, now that you’ve met Jody and her child’s birthmother, about birth parents’ rights and processes of termination of rights?
15. What do you think adopting his son did for Jeff, emotionally speaking?
16. Do you think Jeff should try to find his birthparents? Why/why not?
17. What issues do you think could be problematic for Jody’s family as their adopted child grows older?
18. How are some of the issues (open adoption, domestic infant adoption, and anti-abortion statements, financing adoption) mentioned in the book controversial?
19. What were your favorite “scenes” in the book? Why were those scenes or moments memorable to you?
20. What, if any, relationship do you have with infertility or adoption? Has your attitude toward either changed? If so, in what ways?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
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