A collection of personal essays and fiction, Wanting A Child explores the alternative ways in which people become parents today. With humor, courage, pain, and joy, the writers in this collection share their complicated journeys to parenthood, whether they involve surrogacy, in-vitro fertilization, pregnancy after multiple miscarriages, or adoption. Tama Janowitz gives a hilarious account of her journey to bring her adoptive daughter home from China: Phillip Lopate describes the challenges of caring for an infant with a serious medical condition; and Agnes Rossi writes of her jubilation at giving birth to triplets after in-vitro fertilization. Also included are inspiring accounts of families that defy the traditional definition, from homes with same-sex partners to those with single parents or stepparents.The first book of its kind, Wanting A Child finally gives voice to the heartbreak, hope, and elation experienced by the many who discover that pregnancy and parenthood cannot be taken for granted.