Three Little Words

So I thought I would share with you all some interesting information. See, I looovee to read, but ever since the hours and hours and hours of reading I had to endure during college and grad school, reading just didn't seem so much fun anymore. Now that I am done with school and am no longer REQUIRED to read anything, I have decided to up my book game. It is funny, because I chose to research books within my field...specifically memoirs of individuals who suffered from abuse, drug addiction, domestic violence, etc. and where are they now. It's funny, I don't have to read books for school anymore, yet I am choosing to read professional books regarding my field...hmmm..I guess that reading thing was engrained in me during college after all.

Anyway, one of my foster moms told me she was reading a book entitled, "Three Little Words". She also told me she watched a movie called, "An American Crime"..I went out and saw it and I think everyone that works with children or in SW should go out and watch it. It was pretty darn good. Anywho, so I go to amazon.com and get a few books, including the above mentioned one. I got it because I was told it was about a young girl who tells her story of growing up in Fl, specifically Hillsborough county, and her experience in the foster care system and being abused by her foster parents. Interestingly, she was removed from her mom because her mom wasn't financially stable enough to care for her or her brother, yet she was placed in several foster homes, one that was abusive, and these people were paid to care for her...instead of providing her mother with the funds to care for her...that's how jacked up the system is. I have heard this scenario plenty of times. So I'm reading the story and all of the details sound errily familiar. I mean, some details were different like names and locations, but I just knew I had heard the story before...and I realized, I know this story...because a previous co-worker of mine lived it. She works in the system and she had told me about how she was adopted into a home and they abused her and she ended up suing, there was big drama with the attorney, and basically she walked away with pennies, while her attorney walked away with the majority of the settlement.

So I'm reading the story and something inside of me is like...nooo waaaayyy...this is the saaammme family that my co-worker was adopted by. I emailed her and asked her if her adoptive parents were named Charles and Margorie Moss...and sure enough...it was! I told her all about the book and asked if she knew the chick that wrote it. She said yes, but they had bad blood because apparently the jacked up attorney that "helped" aka robbed her and her siblings is related to this chick's adoptive mom. So while my girl was in the home for 8 something years (and was adopted) was being abused and walked away with chump change, the girl that wrote the book that was in the home for maybe 2 years (in foster care) is 'set for life' and making a buck off her (aka my co-workers) life story. I feel really bad about buying this chicks book...I owe my co-worker the $12 or so I spent on the book, because realllly she deserves it. I was really disappointed to hear that her and her siblings got screwed over so badly. I will say that I am so proud of her for getting to the point she is at now. She has a steady job, is extremeeeellllyyy supportive of her family (that are quite crazy, by the way), does hair and makeup on the side, and spends a lot of time inspiring/empowering youth. I remember so many days when our kids would tell her..."YOU grew up in foster care? You don't look like you grew up in care." She just smiles and reminds them of what they can achieve if they try hard enough.

Anyway...I guess this goes to show that there really are two sides to every story. This girl was recently in the local paper, on the Montell show, and doing other public events....all while my co-worker goes to her faithful job everyday, inspires youth, and remains humble to her experience.