Foster Me

Ariana reflects on her parents, every one of them, as people who are imperfect. For her, life has never been a bright thread of happy memories drifting past. Instead, it is a rope she grips that tightens into a noose once she becomes a foster child. The book explains that a secure home is not promised to every child, and that some children suffer tragedies that sever them from their families. It traces how Ariana herself came to be placed in foster care.

The story is written as a letter to her mother, who has died. In it, Ariana recounts her journey, describing the fears she must face as a foster child and the further heartbreaks that follow. She also shows how the guidance of her foster families helped her loosen her grip on the rope and reshape it into something gentler.