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Alex
Wheatle has written a contemporary story of a young girl,
Naomi, who has never had a real home. She has grown up in
the foster care system, shuffled from one family to another,
never connecting, distrusting, and hardened. When her caseworker
sends her to a temporary situation with an African American
family, she remains stoic yet vulnerable to their kindness.
Yet, she still cannot trust completely, spurring her to run
away. She runs to her grandmother, whom she can connect. Her
foster father finds her and takes her “home,”
a word not familiar to Naomi.
She
has girlfriends in the system, which like her, have had bad
experiences while in care. This leads Naomi to distrust all
men. When her friend makes a move on her, Naomi realizes she
must rely on her new family and this scares her. Her caseworker,
Louise, is overworked and apathetic to her true needs but
Naomi’s only real protector and advisor. Her temporary
family finds Naomi distrustful but continues to treat her
as one of their own. As she becomes more indoctrinated into
their life, she softens and begins to accept kindness and
love.
Wheatle
has written a poignant, yet real story of a young girl caught
in the foster system trying to survive. This is not your average
story. It is a story of hope. The conversational style in
the writing is true to life form and immediately draws the
reader into Naomi’s story.
It
is a story of one girl’s journey through the foster
system, but speaks to every child who has ever been placed
in foster care. This book is refreshing and hopeful. It is
a must read for any social worker, administrator, and young
adult who is or has been associated with child placement in
foster care.
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