Aging Out

by Alton Carter, Tim Jessell (Illustrator)

While still a little boy, Alton Carter walked away from his violent, drug- and alcohol-riddled childhood home believing the worst life had to offer was behind him. He was sorely mistaken. After surviving a troubled foster care system and becoming the first in his family to graduate from high school -- with a college scholarship in hand no less, he found himself at age eighteen, as so many young people do on the cusp of scared, lonely, and all on his own. This is the story of how he aged out of the foster care system only to have his college dreams shattered, and how he found the courage to face his past and dare to take the steps to the life and family he always dreamed he would one day have.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir

207 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2016

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent follow-up to Carter’s first book about growing up in foster care. This book covers the years after he turned 18 and “aged out” of the system, thrust headfirst into the real world with no real security or community. Against all odds, he builds a successful marriage, becomes a great father, and completes college. His story of pain and struggle is both unique and universal, which is why it’s such an inspiration to so many.

“Like every other person on this planet, I will spend every day for the rest of my life healing and trying my best to become my best self, but I know now that I don’t have to do it by myself.”

[Keisha Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story. A true story that will have you going to the website just to read more about the author. The story is written from the a true account. It is a well written story and it also gives vivid details of the life and what happens when a student ages out of a state system. This a a sequel, the first book addressed the main characters life and the trials and triumphs. This book focuses on how the main character graduates high school and a system that was designed to continue to keep him oppressed, in jail or dead.
Although; this is a true account the story line is predictable in the victory. The natural job or career was to work with children based on his struggles as a child.
It is a well written story that pulls at your heart strings and as a reader you are wanting to see him succeed it's especially wonderful if you have went to the website before reading the book. Each punishment that is mentioned in book 1 is detailed in book 2 and it displays the impact that each punishment played a role in the main character's determination to survive and succeed.
I would recommend to mature middle schoolers and high schoolers although in my opinion the vocabulary is not that difficult the nature of the storyline can be complex for smaller students. Pairing the website and short video of the author also brings the book into much more perspective.
A great read for those who want nonfiction that is relatable to real life challenges.

[Jan Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aging Out tells the true story of a child caught in the foster system. When he reached 18, Alton Carter "aged out" of the system and was on his own. With no skills in navigating an adult world, he didn't know how to open a bank account, navigate higher education (he won a scholarship), have spending money-the list goes on. Although he did win a scholarship, he had an undiagnosed learning disability that caused him to struggle in school. He had no spending money so when his friends went out to eat, he became an expert at "borrowing money," sharing their plate, or pretending he wasn't hungry. Too embarrassed to ask for help and not sure where to turn, Carter quickly dropped out of school although he desperately wanted an education and to live a "normal" life.
Aging Out tells the story of Alton Carter, foster child, from the time he was 18 until he is 40 and how he worked to overcome abuse and neglect, both from his own family and the foster care system. He now touches thousands of lives with his hard won self understanding and works with teens at First United Methodist Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma and through special programs for at risk children. I highly recommend this book.

[Christy Shores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another eye opening inspiration to what it's like to be a young person in the Foster care system.

[Kristin Flor · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the first book was more about all that he went through, the second was more about healing and what he wished he would have known. Still glad I read them.

[Dorothy Minor · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Boy Who Carried Bricks by Alton Carter, I wanted to read another of his books. I chose Aging Out, the second book chronicling Carter’s journey after aging out of the foster care system. In the first book, Carter tells with detail about the abuse suffered in his home and his grandparents’ home until he himself sought help. The foster care system is not always kind to children either. Carter found help many times, but he also encountered pain and suffering, especially at the Oklahoma Lions Boys Ranch in Perkins. Thankfully, the Oklahoma Boys Ranch has undergone many changes for the better since Carter’s stay there.

In Aging Out, Carter still pulls no punches about his own mistakes. He started and dropped out of college twice before he finished. Learning that he has dyslexia helped Carter find ways to learn effectively. His dyslexia “flips letters so that a b looks like a d, and it can be more problematic if a word contains a letter that repeats as in the word remember. When I see remember, I see remmemmeber, not remember.”

Carter describes the many jobs he worked to make ends meet, especially after he and Kristin married and began having children. Once again as in in childhood days, Carter encounters people who help him, often surprising him with their kindness. Through his own perseverance, his wife’s love and faith in him, and help from others, Carter succeeded in completing college and finding fulfilling work. In addition to his job, Carter often speaks to groups about his experiences to inspire them.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the ARC of this, but it's so good - sad, but good. I've also met the author, and he's such a kind man, so reading his story had a more personal element to it than most books. It's a difficult but inspiring about his life at the end of high school and beyond, talking about dysfunctional families, foster care, and the complications those both cause in relationships, family, and work. A short read, but a good look into the life of someone who's had a tough go of it, but still manages to find hope.

[Meghan Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books gets a five for the message, but a three for the simplicity of language and large number of typos. At one point I even had to check the cover to make sure my copy wasn't an ARC by mistake. The message is fabulous and gave me a new appreciation for what others who are less privileged go through. It also made me again think about possibly fostering in the future. A very quick and moving read.

[Pippen Rothingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in a day. The narrative style feels a little thin, but it's real. I really, really wanted to know what it was like to be a foster kid. What he was needing during that time. It's also heart-breaking to hear about his birth family and fun to hear his love story.

[Brianna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aging out tells the story of a kid that ages out of the foster care system and the trials that come along with that. It also talks about Alton's childhood and the lessons he had to overcome to be the person he is today.

[Leslea Abshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing !!!!!! A great insight into the world of foster care and the struggles as children that we tend to believe about ourselves even when they're not true

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turning 18 years old in Foster Care is life changing. Alton shares his own story of his life after leaving the foster care system.

[Tsewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turning 18 years old in Foster Care is life changing. Alton shares his own story of his life after leaving the foster care system.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m very glad to have met Mr. Carter, and for the gift of his book. It was eye opening to read about the other side of the foster care system and the influences it leaves with people.