We Were Once a Family

It's very rare I physically read non-fiction but I couldn't find this on audio anywhere and was so interested in the case I just had to buy it.

The murder-suicide case of the two white mothers and their 6 adopted Black and bi-racial children is obviously the big pull of this book, it's unfathomable as a parent that people would actually go through the process of adopting children and then kill them and themselves.

That said, the case takes up less than half of the book with the rest being focused on the failings of the US CPS and foster system for these children and others.

This is very readable and, whilst I can't really comment on a legal system I don't have any experience of, it was still an interesting read overall.

I see there are reviews from people much more familiar with the CPS and foster system so worth checking their reviews out.

This book should be mandatory reading for anyone involved in child protection - lawyers, judges and social workers. I was floored by what was allowed in this situation. We have a flawed system of child protection in this country that is tightly tied to the systemic racism that exists in our nation.

My heart breaks for the children and their birth families. We need to have a system that learns how to support families. I don't know if that is possible but we, as a nation, need to do a better job of trying to make it happen.