Book Review: Inside look at foster care

Tara was born in a remote fly-in First Nation community. As an infant, she was deceptively removed from her 15-year-old birth mother by the “authorities” when hospitalized due to dehydration and signs of sexual interference. A series of foster homes left Tara adrift and confused.

Her story details the stormy life she led, both internally and externally. Taking to the streets at the age of 14, she faced danger, loss, and ultimately personal discovery. She led a lifestyle that involved prostitution, probation, pregnancy, drugs and alcohol. At times it’s difficult to read about the suffering and remorse that Tara dealt with, but her journey is so compelling that one cannot help but continue it with her.

Perhaps it was the quality of foster homes that Tara encountered, the persistence of her foster parents and her strength of character, which eventually provided her with the foundation she needed to turn her life around.

An insightful look at the foster care experience from a first-person perspective.

–Reviewed by Laura Dokis