Three Little Words

I read this book after it was recommended to me by my boss's wife. She worked in the social work field and witnessed a lot of the things that can go wrong with it, and she suggested I read this book as part of my research into whether I wanted to change careers and head into the world of social work. I'm glad she recommended it.

This is the memoir of a young woman who spent about 8 years of her life in the foster care system in Florida and the abuses she suffered at the hands of one of her foster homes, as well as the happy times she experienced. Ashley Coulter-Rhodes is currently in college and this story was very touching and heartbreaking.

Ashley was taken from her mother at a young age and went into the care of the state foster care system. She and her younger brother were separated when he was just a baby and it was several years before she was reunited with him. The memoir itself is scattered, much like memories of a childhood that one is not sure she really had. Unfortunately, Ashley was done a great disservice by her various social workers and case managers, which is evidenced by the boxes of paperwork her adopted parents and attorney gather in order to file a civil suit against the state and one of her foster care families. She had over 20 of each and there were times when documents in her files were falsified and even lost.

Ashley's story came to the attention of Hillary Clinton when she was First Lady and Ashley ended up being invited to the White House to speak about her experiences. This came about due to an essay she wrote for a magazine contest. She's been travelling around the country telling her story and educating people about the numerous flaws in the foster care system in this country. Ashley and her brother were abused by foster parents and neglected by case workers. By the time she arrived in the home of the couple who would later adopt her, she was extremely distrustful of adults and figured that at any time this couple would not want her and return her to the “home” they found her at. That didn't happen, instead they adopted her and then, after seeing a news report that the abusive couple Ashley had spent so many years with had been charged with numerous counts of child abuse, helped her bring a lawsuit against the couple.

I really enjoyed this story and was saddened at the nightmarish childhood Ashley had. Her story is similar to ones I have read about and it seems that there are significant problems with the foster care system here in the United States. It seems that it is too understaffed and overworked to truly protect those placed in its care – young children. I definitely want to change careers and head into the social work field where I hope to make some sort of positive difference in the life of at least one child. Ashley had that person in her GAL. I thought Ashley's story was astounding and I hope to attend a speech she gives at some point in the future. This is not the best written memoir I've ever read, but it's definitely one that caught my attention and left me a slightly changed human being.