Three Little Words - Ashley Rhodes-Courter

This is Ashley Rhodes-Courter's memoir; the way she pieced together her childhood as she bounced around 14 different foster care homes in 9 years. Her mother was a teenager when she gave birth to Ashley, and always promised to come get her "soon."

This was a heartbreaking but very enlightening tale of foster care, the abuse that happens more often than we thought, and the case workers who fight vigorously for innocent children. Ashley was smart and had a way of putting aside the horror of life to excel in school. One of the homes in which she stayed for eight months was especially appalling, and Ashley and the other foster children (at times more than 10 lived there) were abused and seriously mistreated. Fearing she might endure more torture, Ashley stayed silent for years but eventually lead a fight and several lawsuits against those foster parents.

Ashley eventually was matched with an adoptive family, with whom she now gets along fabulously. It was hard in the beginning to adjust as she constantly thought her behavior would warrant her return to foster care. Ashley continued to excel in school and advocate for better foster care in the state of Florida (ironically, the state in which I now reside) and eventually earned an invitation to the White House for a reception; she was personally invited by Hillary Clinton! She had been recognized for an essay she wrote in USA Today about J.K. Rowling and how the Harry Potter series changed her life (she also met Rowling, obviously). She also won an essay contest hosted by the New York Times Magazine for the essay about her adoption day, titled "Three Little Words," which she eventually turned into this memoir.

This was a fascinating look into foster care, although I was raging when reading the abusive parts. I am really appalled that the state of Florida's foster care system was so lacking for many years - Ashley was technically considered missing for 9 months because the paperwork showed inconsistencies! I cannot imagine having lived through this nightmare, but Ashley is still thriving. She won several other prestigious awards, including a college scholarship, and a quick visit to her website shows that she is still engaging in speaking opportunities around the country, advocating on behalf of America's foster care children.