Son from Ukraine: A True Story

After a long flight, Sandra and Albert Upeslacis step out of the aircraft and look upon Ukraine, a country with a rich heritage and culture that is, in the year 2000, still working to shake off the ghosts of Soviet occupation. A five-week stay lies ahead for the couple, and if all goes to plan, they will not be returning to Canada alone-through the many hurdles of international adoption, a young boy waits for them, unaware that soon, his family will find him.

Son from Ukraine is the heartwarming true story of Sandra Upeslacis’s international adoption of her son. It shows in stunning detail the international adoption process, Ukraine at the turn of the century, and the cultural, linguistic, and bureaucratic realities of a post-Soviet country. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in international adoption and the history of Ukraine. Shining above every difficulty, however, is the story of love and a family taking its first tender steps into togetherness.