Rock needs river A memoir about a very open adoption

McGrady's slim and moving memoir follows her decade-long journey to becoming a parent, during which she suffered three miscarriages before adopting her daughter. Living in New York City and Seattle, McGrady worked an assortment of jobs-waitress, owner of a dating service, voice-over actor, playwright-while involved in a series of relationships. She didn't seriously start thinking about having children until she became pregnant for the first time, in 2000 at age 32, and suddenly she fell "madly, irreversibly in love with the idea of becoming a mom." She told everyone she knew that she was going to have a baby, and when the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, she was devastated. A decade later while living in Los Angeles, McGrady decided to contact an adoption agency. After a few failed matches, she received a call about a young pregnant woman named Brigett, who had already backed out of an agreement with another potential adoptive parent. McGrady agreed to help Brigett and her boyfriend Bill with their living expenses and eventually adopted their daughter, named Grace Magnolia. McGrady also allowed the newly homeless Brigett and Bill to live with her and Grace until they got back on their feet. McGrady wrestles with gratitude to Grace's birth parents, for finally giving her the daughter she'd always dreamed of, and concern for Grace's (and her own) mental health with Grace's birth parents living under the same roof for six months. McGrady's memoir is a touching and honest adoption story. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A memoir from a woman who adopted a baby girl and then supported the birth parents when they became homeless.In her early 30s, McGrady pregnant and fell in love with the idea of being a mother, but then miscarried. Suddenly, the need for a child was foremost in her mind, but her body wouldn't cooperate and bring a pregnancy to term. So the author and her partner, Peter, turned to adoption as an alternative. After two years of waiting, a baby girl, Grace, arrived. McGrady thought she had it allhouse, husband, and childand then it began to fall apart. Peter's drinking led to divorce, but they continued to co-parent Grace. Remarkably, when Grace's biological parents became homeless, the author took them in. Though they only planned to stay a few nights, they lived with her for a month before moving out, only to come back when they had nowhere else to turn. Amid the tumult, McGrady wondered about the psychological effects for Gracee.g., would she still call McGrady "mom" when her biological mother was living in the house with them? In this open, honest tale, the author shares the intimate thoughts and feelings that led to her decision to adopt, to leave Peter, and to let Grace's parents into their lives. The conversational tone makes the reader feel like a trusted friend as the author meanders through her thoughts on motherhood and the memories of her parents and childhood and of the men she was involved with prior to Peter. She offers interesting insight into the lives of those who adopt and those who give up a child for adoption, as well as the personal angst that goes along with such a decision.An expressive and love-filled tale of a unique adoption scenario. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.