Another Place at the Table

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but too general
Review: Another reviewer said this was "fast-paced." I found it too much so. I never felt I got to know the children Ms. Harrison writes about, although the book does give a good overview of the foster care system. If shorter, it would have made a good essay on the system; if longer, it could have focused on the children and their stories. Without more detail, the book is rather flat and the children remain mere examples of the results of abusive and neglectful parents -- instead of the multi-dimensional people that the Harrisons obviously know and love.

Rating:
Summary: Good - and Tough
Review: As an adoption worker/counselor, I work hard at learning studying about foster care and the issues that face "my" kids and parents. I'd heard good things about this book, and thought I'd give it a try. I had to stop halfway through. I spend all day dealing with the horrible things of foster care - the terrible abuse, the ridiculous beauracracy, the burnt-out workers, and Kathy did a fantastic job of capturing this world. So realistic a job I could hardly call it after-hours reading.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn and know more about foster care.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: One of the best books I've read in a long time. Kathy Harrison details her life as a foster parent including her shortcomings and mistakes. Strongly recommend this book for any one curious about the foster care system or intersted in becoming a foster parent.

Rating:
Summary: The Family Table
Review: This account of providing a home for children who were in dire need is heartwarming and encouraging. Many of the children who had a place at this table had parents who were in jail or were deemed legally unable to care for them. Each child came equipped with major emotional baggage.

The love and acceptance and diligent, dogged efforts on behalf of each child in this home have indeed raised the bar. Instead of being a stark and grim account akin to Dickens, this work instead is uplifting and hopeful. One can only feel that each child who found a place at this table was very fortunate indeed.

This is a book that belongs on our collective bookshelves; in our collective hearts and libraries. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: The Family Table
Review: This account of providing a home for children who were in dire need is heartwarming and encouraging. Many of the children who had a place at this table had parents who were in jail or were deemed legally unable to care for them. Each child came equipped with major emotional baggage.

The love and acceptance and diligent, dogged efforts on behalf of each child in this home have indeed raised the bar. Instead of being a stark and grim account akin to Dickens, this work instead is uplifting and hopeful. One can only feel that each child who found a place at this table was very fortunate indeed.

This is a book that belongs on our collective bookshelves; in our collective hearts and libraries. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for All Prospective Foster Parents
Review: This book is an excellent book on what the foster care system in this country is really like. It is written by someone who was been a foster parent and has seen the ins and outs first hand. She is very straightforward and honest about the foster care system and does not sugar-coat anything. She talks about the shortcomings of being a foster parent, such as the stigma attached to foster parents, the low pay, being on-call 24-7, kids getting sent back to abusive families, getting attached to a child, only to have to say goodbye, having to protect your family from the more dangerous foster kids, etc.

I really liked how she talked about the different foster kids and the descriptions of their backgrounds that brought them to foster care in the first place.

Some parts of the book were difficult to read because of some of the difficult and painful situations that some of the kids were in. But I would highly recommend this book to someone who is considering being a foster parent.

Rating:
Summary: A good description of the foster care system
Review: This book is an excellent book on what the foster care system in this country is really like. It is written by someone who was been a foster parent and has seen the ins and outs first hand. She is very straightforward and honest about the foster care system and does not sugar-coat anything. She talks about the shortcomings of being a foster parent, such as the stigma attached to foster parents, the low pay, being on-call 24-7, kids getting sent back to abusive families, getting attached to a child, only to have to say goodbye, having to protect your family from the more dangerous foster kids, etc.

I really liked how she talked about the different foster kids and the descriptions of their backgrounds that brought them to foster care in the first place.

Some parts of the book were difficult to read because of some of the difficult and painful situations that some of the kids were in. But I would highly recommend this book to someone who is considering being a foster parent.

Rating:
Summary: Eye-opening
Review: This book is well written and flows between factual information on forgotten kids and the foster care system and anectdotal information. A perfect way to get your point across and have it hit home. I am not in postion to be a foster parent but now I am more aware of what happens to neglect and abused children and hope I can be supportive in the future. Kathy Harrison and her husband should be held in awe.