Book Review:A Starfish at a Time

       

By Dana Wynn Steele  

Dana Wynn had recently graduated from law school. She worked as a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines when she married a San Diego business man, Alan Steele, who was a single father. Alan shared custody of his three children with their mother.

She opened a law office shortly after their marriage. Until the law practice sustained itself, she continued to work as a flight attendant on the weekends. She and Alan talked about the possibility of their adopting a child. She tells us she was unable to have children. Due to the needs Alan’s three children had of them, she dropped the subject.

In her book, A Starfish at a Time, touches on the life stories of the children she and Alan have adopted. Most of the adoptions are cross racial. They adopted these children through the welfare departments’ foster parent program. They have taken in infants, toddlers, older children-including some who were almost going to ‘age out’ of the system. These children were classified as ‘hard to place’. One of the little girls got removed from their home and placed with a relative in another area of the United States.

Mrs. Steele shared that at Christmas, each child receives three presents from her and her husband. They arrived at this number because of the three gifts the Christ Child received from the Magi.

At the end of most of the chapters, she has included pictures of the adopted child and a comment from that child.

During one period of her life, Dana Wynn Steele underwent treatment for Breast Cancer-including a double mastectomy and reconstruction. While all this occurred, they received a call that asked them to take another child into their home. This is one remarkable couple.

I received a copy of this book from the author through The Book Club Network, free of charge. All she asked of me was that I give an unbiased review.

Graphic. amazon.com