In the Absence of Love, you will learn what happens behind the closed doors of adoption that no one wants to talk about. The word Adoption should create feelings of hope, excitement and life changing bliss not sheer terror and heart wrenching anxiety that it many times brings. The feelings come from a mistrust of a system that was originally designed to help children. And this mistrust may not be displaced and is very legitimate. This is a brutally honest and candor story of this family's experience within this broken system in hopes to bring awareness and hopefully move those who read it to change. So if you are interested turning over rocks and a telling it like it is approach you may want to be prepared, so you may want to sit down and strap in, it's going to be a wild ride. The adoption of Jana Mari is a surprisingly blunt and honest accounting of their day in and day out family's experience working through the adoption process with Children and Youth. You'll hear what they did to get through the adoption process and how they maneuvered through the Children and Youth system. There are Educational Resources where you can get statistics of children involved in the child care system and contact information for support. Hopefully this book will not deter you from the adoption journey but rather help prepare you for it. Additionally, for those looking for individualized support for either navigating through the adoption process or for those who want to share their own experiences there is a website noted in the book. You can go to http://adopt4love.weebly.com where people can meet to get support, uplifted and find fellowship. There is a discussion forum where anyone can contribute their insight and ask and answer questions. About the Author: Meri Richardson, BA, MSW, LSW, SPHR A dedicated soccer mom, counselor, life coach and educator who has experienced adoption from all sides. She herself was adopted and has passed this legacy on to her two adopted chi