Foster Mom: A Journey of Self-Discovery [Paperback]

Francine Hardaway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2004

Middle-aged, successful, Francine and her physician husband accidentally get involved with an inner city family whose life is ruined by drugs. Suicide, death and disappointment overwhelm their optimism.Despite their best efforts, they achieve only modest success with two of the children-a teen-age boy who has attachment disorder and becomes an addict himself, and a younger girl who acts out to get attention. A probing look at the foster care system, the effects of crack addiction, the influence of intervention at various stages of a child's life, and the failure of the liberal ideal.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Francine Hardaway spent ten years trying to make a difference in the lives of one family while balancing her own children, profession and marriage. She lives in Arizona with one of her former foster children, two dogs, and a cat and writes for local publications. In her ?day job? as a partner in Stealthmode Partners, she ?fosters? emerging businesses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (March 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595314317
• ISBN-13: 978-0595314317
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,160,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A reminder to all on what it takes to Make a Difference, May 19, 2004

By 

JOAN KOERBER-WALKER "joankw" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Foster Mom: A Journey of Self-Discovery (Paperback)

FOSTER MOM is a caring and often gut wrenching protrayal of what too many of our children face in the foster care system. With no sugar coating of what poverty, drug abuse and neglect can do to a child, this true story will make you think about what YOU can do to protect our most important resource - our children. This is also a great book for parents and teachers to share with more mature teens who are trying to understand the impact of poverty and drugs on their generation and society. Kudos to Dr. Hardaway for having the courage to live and tell this story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "self-discovery" in the title also refers to yourself..., April 29, 2004

By 

Rick Thompson (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foster Mom: A Journey of Self-Discovery (Paperback)

Whether you are a parent or someone's child, you will see yourself in it - perhaps more clearly than if the book had been directly about you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the author, November 4, 2006

By 

Francine Hardaway "It's not what happens to y... (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foster Mom: A Journey of Self-Discovery (Paperback)

I wrote this book because when I became a foster parent, I had no guidance about what to expect. Without knowing or expecting it, I entered into what will be a lifelong relationship with a troubled family, from which I derived both great joy and great heartbreak. This is an easy read, and a fascinating story of what's wrong with the foster care system.