For many years I've been a subscriber of the Bangor Daily News and that has continued even after I've moved out of Bangor. The BDN is a robust, local paper that manages to cover the state of Maine (and it's many regions) quite well. I subscribed when I lived in Bangor as I wanted to support local journalists, including Emily Burnham, and I read most of the content via RSS.
In 2024, I read RJ Heller's brief review of Adopting Anton in the BDN. The author, University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) emeritus Robert Klose, sought to adopt in Ukraine in the early 2000s and grow his family. As graduate of UMA who is interested in adoption I immediately added this tight, focused memoir to my to-be-read pile. Adopting Anton is primarily set in Ukraine, chronicling the challenges and joys of international adoption. The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine was two years deep, with Russian forces advancing and international funding (via the US) delayed, when this book was published in 2022.
Robert recounts how he and his first adopted son, Alyosha, came to the conclusion that they'd be okay to grow the family through a second adoption. Working through an adoption agency, single-father Robert prepares for the vetting, travel, red tape, and more… then had one more thing to worry about: the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which shut down air travel and threw the air transport world into disarray. On busses, planes, trains, and automobiles, across states, countries, cities, and towns, the reader is pulled in and alongside Robert as he is propelled through the complexity and physical spaces he must inhabit in order to achieve his objective.
I loved how we are brought into the journey and how Robert describes the whiplash between the poles of control and surrender. Particularly touching is the support of communities all along the way, but especially in the home town of Anton, the orphanage, and the agencies. To say "it takes a village" is understating the work and investment of time and care.
A lot has changed in the twenty years since Anton came to the United States. After the recent war started, Ukrainian refugees made it to Maine and were resettled officially and through community networks. Mainers and Bangorians volunteered to aid Ukrainians "in theater" as they traveled closer to the conflict zone. Now, with the current US Presidential administration, it's hard to tell what's next for Ukraine and Ukrainians both in the US and around the world. International adoption is a fraught thing and I have friends who are strongly against it. It seems likely that in the near future, Ukraine will face signifiant resource and familial challenges that could drive international adoption issues.
Adopting Anton is well written, cohesive, emotionally powerful, and I recommend it. The book can be obtained, signed, through The Briar Patch in Bangor, ME. A small, independent, and passionate bookstore, The Briar Patch is operated by a great friend and all around excellent person Gibran Graham. Gibran and I met through Twitter through a "tweetup" over a decade ago and he is a standout in the community. I miss curling with him and the crew that formed through Twitter during that time.