Customer Reviews

Lost in the System

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This book shows how one woman overcame a tragic past to make good and become a role model for others of similar background. It is amazing she has been able to do this, as Ken Grant wrote a similar work called "The Wanderer" but was blackballed because of it. There are many questions that come out of a book such as this: - are kids denied spiritual or religious exposure while in state care? - what are the demographics of kids in state care? - Does the Us govt view abandoned kids as a business and so have a vested interest in assuring that a steady flow of abandoned kids perpetuates?

Ken Grant of Methuen Mass. wrote a book in 1993 called "The Wanderer",about his experiences as a state ward and handicapped child survivor of the cancer epidemic in Woburn,Mass. He wrote of how state officials blocked his access to state records at every turn. But where he was blackballed and harassed by the state and federal governments, Lopez succeeded in getting her message out.

This is not great literature, but it is a great accomplishment!

When i read this, i was angry, sympathetic, and resentful. Several years before Charlotte wrote her book, i had written a book about my experiences in 2 decades of state care without ever being adopted. I did not have the opportunity that the pageant brought to Charlotte in terms of national exposure and the deals that can result from that. I was angry because in reading the story in the context of my own life of abuse,neglect and bouncing around 5-600% more than Charlotte, her woes as a foster child seemed pretty lightweight to me. I was sympathetic because many of the observations she made were right on, only more amplified with greater instability or degree. And i was resentful that she had found some caring people such as the Scheps and the Wensley families. The Scheps sound like the kind of people i dreamed about and cried myself to sleep many a night until one day there were no more tears. All my grief was gone and i was numb.

But then i thought of the good Charlotte has done in using her exposure as a platform to heighten awareness of the issues of foster children. Writing a book such as Lost in the System is generally not a big profit taker, but anyone who walks away and gets something out of it in terms of understanding throwaway kids is one more ally in this forgotten corner of American society. It was painful for me to read some of the passages in this book , for it dredged long -forgotten feelings and this shows a shared quality of experience.

I have known persons such as Janet Henry and the enormous patience she must have. One must wonder how her life must be both gratifying and sad; gratified to help kids no one else will, and sad to bond with kids only to see them leave. The Wensleys impressed me a great deal for it must have been no small feat for them to show the humility needed to change their approach from strict Fundamentalist Protestantism to a more compassionate tone as evidenced by Charlotte's visits following their separation. I also understand fully the financial considerations the Wensleys faced, as while i was growing up foster parents had no reservations about making me feel unworthy of even food or clothes. Fortunately, Charlotte was spared this.

And when i read about the Scheps, i felt enormous gratitude to them for helping Charlotte realize her dream. I did not get that dream and i know the pain i have felt my whole life. Because the Scheps have more caring than the two of them can hold, they have truly changed Charlotte's life forever. I have seen many peers die, become drug addicts/dealers, prostitutes, absentee parents, prisoners and each time i saw it i saw some of me in them. In Charlotte i see the past i never had but by her sharing her story i got a glimpse into a life i wish i could have had and for a few hours i forgot. Knowing that there are people like the Scheps, the Wensleys, Janet Henry and Charlotte Lopez not forgetting to thank them reassures me there are still good people in the world.

This stunning book chronicles the coming of age of one of America's most beloved beauty queens. Charlotte Lopez won the Miss Teen USA title in 1993 after telling her moving story of growing up in several foster homes throughout her home state of Vermont, and how her life had adjusted without ever having any true parents she could call her own. Her frank and touching narrative transports us into her life of growing up with a mentally unbalanced mother, a talented sister, and several completely different foster parents. We encounter her stories of life, first loves, and winning the most prestigious teenage pageant the world in a $37 evening gown. A delightful and personal book, who's clever author never leaves us with a dull moment, and makes us question both the role of parenting and the placement of foster children in our country and society. Wonderfully witty, deeply moving, and always energetic, this book is an amazing read for anyone of any age who has wondered what life is without any true family unit, or has dreamed about becoming a beauty queen

I actually bought this book because I liked the author,Charlotte Lopez (now Charlotte Ayanna). I was suprised and impressedat what a good job she did. It gave alot of insight on Foster Care, and ever since I've read it I have been interested in the whole system of it. It also better helped me to understand it all. She also gave alot of informative insight on the world of beauty pagents. The thing I also really liked about this book was that she neither presented the good or the bad side of the Foster care system, but she picked no sides at all. I remember that when I read the book, I felt frustration, and I was able to sympathize with what she was going through, being a teenager and trying to grow up in a strict inviroment. I think it's great that she took adavntage of her title of Miss Teen USA, and wrote a book to help people better understand what it's like growing up in a foster home. This is a very inspiring story of a strong and determined young women, and I would recemend it to anyone.

In Lost in the System, Charlotte Lopez recounts her childhood spent in foster care, with all its struggles, and ending in her eventual triumph. The story is told from a VERY rare point-of-view . . . that of the voiceless, often ignored, and frequently disbelieved foster child.

Though not as earth-shattering as some other recent literature, I believe it was Charlotte's book and her much-publicized story which inspired the Clinton-era reforms in foster care and adoption. As my wife and I prepare to become foster parents ourselves, I feel I am much better prepared for our looming task, having read this book. A must-read for every foster and/or adoptive parent.

This is Charlotte Lopez' (The best Miss Teen USA that has ever been represented!!!)autobiography telling about her life growing up "Lost in the System" of foster care and emerging triumphant as a beauty queen.

I remember watching the Miss Teen USA pageant in 1993 and watching Charlotte as she caught the hearts of the audience in her $37.00 evening gown. There was no way anyone else could have won that title. Charlotte doesn't reveal any pageant dirt in this book. What this book is about is her life in foster care and how she overcame the obstacles put before her to no longer be just another statistic "lost in the system". She succeeds brilliantly on all counts.

Charlotte, alas, is now a struggling actress with a few B pictures to her credit. One wishes that after such a triumphant success with promoting her advocacy on "foster care" that this would have been her mission in life instead of relegating herself to playing inconseqential parts in movies that don't make a mark. But Charlotte has already made her mark in this world. For those of us who remember, she will always be the beautiful young lady from Vermont who was crowned Miss Teen USA of 1993! Hopefully, one day, Charlotte will return to her advocacy in foster care! This book is superb!