Book Review: Addition by Adoption

Laughs, Memories and Inspiration

I’m a sucker for a good adoption story. Combine that with the brevity of Twitter and numerous laughs provided by his now 4-year old daughter, and you have Kevin Hendricks latest book “Addition by Adoption: Kids, Causes & 140 Characters.”

When I first began following Kevin’s blog and Twitter feed it was because of his writing on church marketing, my profession at the time. But a few months after the Hendricks embarked on their adoption journey, my family began traveling the same road that would eventually lead us to the same destination – Ethiopia.

“Addition by Adoption: Kids, Causes & 140 Characters” cleverly weaves 19 months of Kevin’s tweets into a heart warming and funny look into the life of a work-at-home dad, a Sesame Street-loving four year old and their family’s journey to adopt a baby boy.

In between laughing (often out loud) at Lexi’s antics, I experienced waves of nostalgia as I remembered feeling the same emotions conveyed in Kevin’s book during the different steps in our adoption process.

I was also relieved to find out that I am not the only parent who sometimes feels it necessary to hide behind closed doors and eat large amounts of chocolate in order to regain sanity.

Like many adoptive parents, the Hendricks journey to Ethiopia changed more than just their family structure, it changed their focus. “We embraced other causes and the realities of Ethiopia began to have their subtle affect us on us,” Hendricks says.  His book details his Bald Birthday Benefit which raised money for charity:water and his efforts to bring attention to the plight of homelessness.

The book itself continues their families theme of helping others by donating a portion of the proceeds to fund a clean water well in Ethiopia. By buying a copy you get a great book and get to chance someone’s life.

Available for pre-order April 13-20th here. (More $ goes to charity:water w/ pre-order…plus Lexi will autograph it.)