Reading Recommendations
These are books that our team has read that are relevant to some of the experiences of families inside the foster care system. Feel free to reach out with any suggestions you may have in your own learning!
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Invisible Child
Andrea Elliott
This is a phenomenal true story about a child who is growing up in extreme poverty, in and out of shelters in New York City. Dasani’s family regularly has to face the Child Welfare Agencies despite never entering care, and she is the child of a parent who was a child in care. This is a powerful look at the complexities of childhood poverty in a modern setting (Dasani is 12 in 2013). I highly recommend this book.
Click Here to view on Amazon -
The Body Keeps the Score
Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD
If I could recommend this book to everyone in the entire world, I would. It is more academic of a read but it is written for the average reader. It gives both scientific evidence and real life perspective and stories to the impact of trauma on people.
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To The End of June
Chris Beam
This is another one of my favorite books. This one is also a memoir written by a reporter who followed several families for several years. It documents stories of reunification, aging out, adoption. It is real, heartbreaking, and written from a perspective of compassion.
It is written in the early 2000’s so some of the system information is no longer relevant but it is is still relatable.
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Stranger Care
Sarah Sentilles
This is one of my top recommendations as it is written from a foster parent who has to wrestle with the relationship between herself, the child in their care and their biological family. It’s incredibly raw and honest and does a powerful job of honoring the tension and complications that exist in the foster care journey.
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Labeled Ward of the State
Kenisha E. Anthony
This book is a powerful memoir as told from a black woman who grew up in the foster care system, experiencing both the heartbreak of generational addiction, domestic violence, poverty, etc. and the brokenness of the system. Kenisha consistently falls through the cracks, yet she defies all the statistics stacked against her and goes on to become a college graduate and a social worker.
She shares her heartbrokenness, the issues of race in the system as a black woman, and some powerful perspectives on what needs to change.
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Walking the Tiger
Peter Levine
This is another leading book on the experience of trauma on the body. Peter Levine is a leader in the somatic therapy and is known for his research on the animal-like response to trauma and human response. I highly recommend this book to read for personal understanding as well as in working with people in any setting!
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The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
This is another phenomenal novel based off of true story that documents childhood poverty that runs alongside the child welfare system.
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What I Carry
Jennifer Longo
This book is a fiction story that was created after extensive interviews of youth in care who are aging out of the system. Jennifer Longo writes the story to share about the emotional struggle many youth face. This story focuses on a teen who is successful in school and has learned to use the system as a tool, but who struggles with relationships and attachment from a lifetime in care. It’s powerful and a fairly easy read.
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Three Little Words
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
This memoir is a powerful read that documents a child’s journey through multiple placements, some of which caused more abuse than the home she left. This book shares about many of the failures in the foster care system, the impact volunteer roles can make in the life and advocacy of a child, and the experience of adoption for an older youth.
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Shattered Bonds
Dorothy Roberts
This book is written by a black female legal theoretician who tells the blunt truth about the experiences of the foster care system for black parents. This book is heartbreaking, and is full of both stories and of startling statistics and research.
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When the Welfare People Come
Don Lash
This book is a must-read for anyone working with families in the foster care system. It specifically addresses the oppression of those living in poverty and the oppression and racism experienced by people of color.
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Another Place at the Table
Kathy Harrison
This book is one that I genuinely hugged after I read it. It is a memoir written by a foster mom who has fostered hundreds of children, specifically hard to place children. Her stories are honest, heart breaking and give insight into the brokenness of the system, and the heart of a foster mom. It is based in the Northeast, but a lot of it is still relevant.
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The Whole-Brain Child
Daniel J. Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PH.D.
This is a great resource that is easy to read and ver applicable to parenting any child! This could be helpful for supporting parents who need a little guidance with parenting.
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The Connected Child
Karen Purvis and others
This book appears to be written for adoptive families but is actually relevant to any family loving on children who come from trauma backgrounds. It provides practical tools, insight into behaviors and how to deal with them, and offers an approach that is compassionate and patient. I recommend this book for anyone who works with kids or has kids in their home!
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The Black Foster Youth Handbook
Angela Quijada-Banks
This book is written for the youth in care (specifically for black youth, but it is applicable for all races)- it comes equipped with a plethora of resources and rights for teens aging out, affirmations and encouragement, and tools to support independence. For those loving on teens in this space, this book evokes a lot of empathy for what the needs may be. The author writes from a personal perspective which is powerful.