Book excerpt: 'Honest, funny and, crucially, helpful to anyone who has ever had difficulty conceiving or considered adoption, this is required reading.' Emma Thompson When journalist Rosalind Powell and her husband wanted to start a family, they had no idea of the journey that lay ahead. Encountering fertility issues and gruelling IVF treatment to no avail, but still determined to be parents, they set off on the adoption route. After many false starts and dashed hopes they eventually, and luckily, found their son. How I Met My Son is more than a memoir, it is an invaluable guide to the reality of adoption in the UK. Both joyful and heartbreaking, the path to becoming a parent is laid bare. The story explores the sadness of infertility, the rigours of IVF, the minefield of social services, the intensity of the assessment process, the difficulties of choosing a child (and being chosen) and the happiness and shock of finally bringing that child home. A candid, compelling and inspirational book about what it means to be a parent of a child that isn't, biologically, your own. 'Whether you have no children, have been through IVF, fostered, adopted or borne biological children, this stunning warts-and-all account of the yearning to parent is a must-read. Powell's experiences, told with such particular and often heart-rending hilarity, speak to the universal questions we all ask of our parents, partners, friends and ultimately of ourselves.' Cate Blanchett