Tag: foster care

Stranger Care

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Stranger Care is Sarah Sentilles’ memoir of her and her husband’s journey to become parents. This book shares their process of deciding upon adoption, of the education and homestudy and licensing process, and of the long periods of waiting before they finally get the call that Coco needs a home. They pick up this sweet infant from the hospital, and want her to be theirs forever, but they also know her biological mama loves her and wants her. This memoir will make your heart bleed, but it will also make your heart swell with love. It comes out in May, so make sure to keep your eyes out for it.

The parts of this book where Sentilles was talking about adoption and foster care were absolutely gorgeous. She is a talented writer, and I was so invested in her journey to become a mom. However, much of this book focused on things other than adoption. Particularly for the first third of the book, we would get four pages about adoption, and then four pages on an unrelated nature topic like birds or trees, and then four page on adoption, and then four pages on another nature topic. These were still well written, but were less interesting to me as they weren’t what I had come to the book for. But if you can power through those, it’s absolutely worth your time to read.

What I loved most:

I really appreciated Sentilles’ thoughts on the responsibility of people to each other. American culture is so individualistic, and teaches us to care for ourselves and our nuclear/biological family. Beyond that, we don’t tend to feel like we need to care for other people – and in particular, for other people’s kids. We’re aware that there are kids in foster care, and that’s sad, but we figure it’s someone else’s problem to deal with it. That lets us ignore the fact that in the US, there are around 400,000 kids in the foster care system, and 100,000 of them have parental rights terminated and are ready to be adopted (stats from AdoptUSKids). Stranger Care brings up how important it is to be each other’s support networks. Some families are formed biologically, and that is great. But biology doesn’t always make the best family, and love doesn’t only come in one form.

Read this book if you like:

Memoirs, adoption, foster care, chosen families, Rock Needs River by Vanessa McGrady

Book details:

  • Author: Sarah Sentilles
  • Publisher: Random House
  • Date of Publication: May 21, 2021
  • Interest Level: Adult

Aged Out

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Dr. Lanetta Greer has owned and run a nonprofit group home for teenage girls for many years. In Aged Out, she looks at the long-term implications of being placed in Out-of-Home Care (OHC). This is a qualitative research study, compiled based on interviews and narratives of 8 participants who were in OHC during at least part of their childhood. These participants have all “aged out” of the foster care system – that is, they are above the age threshold to still be receiving care. Aged Out is essential literature for professionals working with people in OHC, and would also be important reading for parents and families (biological, adoptive, and foster) of kids in OHC.

What I loved most:

When we have kids, my husband and I are planning to adopt from foster care. As such, I try to read any and everything I can get my hands on relating to the foster care system. This was scholarly literature that took me back to my grad school days – it’s been a hot minute since I read through a methodology section. But it was so great to see research focused on the experiences of youth who have been in foster care. My favorite part was reading the narratives, and being able to learn directly through quotes from study participants. I’m hopeful that service providers will read this to know how to better work with kids in OHC, but I’m also hopeful that this research will reach people who make policies and legislation that directly governs the lives of these kids.

Read this book if you like:

Research, sociology, qualitative studies, considering policy implications

Book details:

  • Author: Dr. Lanetta N. Greer
  • Publisher: Archway Publishing
  • Date of Publication: April 26, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: Adults
  • Look up Aged Out on WorldCat to find it at a library near you!

Tune It Out

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Lou has never liked big crowds, or people touching her, or loud noises. She may not have a life like most other kids, but she knows she’s safe with her mom. In between shows where she has to sing in front of crowds, she and her mom sleep in their truck. They’re staying in a town that Lou likes, and hopefully they will be there for a while. But when an accident happens and Child Protective Services gets involved, Lou has to move to a brand new place, with a family she doesn’t know. Starting at a new school is never fun, and Lou just wants to fly under the radar. But a persistent friend, a school counselor, and a loving aunt and uncle help her realize that maybe things will be alright after all.

What I loved most:

In so many books about neurodivergence, the differently-abled character is a sibling/friend/side character. That’s not the case in Tune It Out – Lou gets to be the heroine of her own story. At the beginning of the book, she’s never heard the term “sensory processing disorder”. By the end, she’s working on coping skills and management strategies, and boldly tells her mom about SPD and what it means. It’s SO important for children to see themselves reflected in the literature that they read – and not just as a side character. Three cheers for differently-abled protagonists!

Read this book if you like:

Contemporary fiction, complicated families, neurodivergent protagonists, music, theater, accepting who you are

Book details:

  • Author: Jamie Sumner
  • Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
  • Date of Publication: Sept 1, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: 5th – 8th graders
  • Look up Tune It Out on WorldCat to find it at a library near you!