An American Family is the story of Jon and Michael Galluccio, two gay men who become foster parents to Adam, a premature baby, born with the AIDS virus and addicted to crack, heroin, marijuana, and alcohol. While nursing Adam through the many medical emergencies of his first year and surviving the daily dramas that all new parents go through, they realize that this child, their son, could be taken back from them at any time by the state, and they decide to try to legally adopt him together. Refused by the state-even as it asks them to care for another at-risk infant-they decide to fight for the adoption of their son in the courts, and win, setting a precedent for all unmarried couples in New Jersey. This book is dramatic proof that the American family is vibrantly alive and extending itself in remarkable new directions.
"This moving, often funny, and sometimes quite poignant memoir explores the emotional, psychological, and legal battles that gay couples (and unmarried heterosexual couples) often face when dealing with issues of foster care, adoption, and social intolerance."
Publishers Weekly
"An American Family--loving, strong, facing all challenges together. Jon and Michael are a model for all American families."
Betty DeGeneres, author of Love, Ellen
"As a gay rights activist, I know just how important it is that our stories are told. And what a story this is--two loving men and their very, very lucky kids. As a parent of three, I know just how hard gay men and lesbians work to create our families and to ensure the safety and well being of our children. Jon and Michael's story represents so many of us who carefully, thoughtfully, and lovingly
Joan M. Garry, Executive Director of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAA
