The Brotherhood of Joseph: A Father's Memoir of Infertility and Adoption in the 21st Century

Calling to mind the well known adoptive father, Joseph the Carpenter, novelist Hansen (The Monsters of St. Helena) tackles the practical and emotional turmoil facing would-be parents with fertility problems: assisted reproduction technology may be ""yielding more happy children and parents who look like each other, but... it is also meting out despair at a rate, and for lengths of time, that I'm not sure the human heart was designed for."" Chronicling the four years Hansen and his wife spent trying to get pregnant, and the two years they spend trying to adopt, Hansen gently guides readers through the labyrinth of interventions now available to infertile couples, while at the same time eloquently attesting to the trials and pitfalls of following them. Divided into three sections covering infertility, adoption and an international trip to meet a baby, the book is well paced and benefits from Hansen's careful insights; this is one sports fan who has thought much about what it means to be a father. Though the subject matter is emotionally difficult, Hansen's humor and positive outlook make this memoir an encouraging read for any parent-to-be.