Jackie
asked
Janet Fitch:
Hi Janet, I read White Oleander as a teenager, and it made me want to become a foster parent. Now, in my 30s, my husband and I are training to welcome our first foster child. What do you hope prospective foster parents learn from your book? What is your own experience with foster care?
Janet Fitch
Hi Jackie!
so sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you! The new book has consumed me. Congratulations on choosing to become foster parents, that's awesome! I guess what I hope a prospective foster parent would learn from my book is to be aware of the life the child has already lived, how scared they are, how much their experience needs to be respected. how important it is to understand how vulnerable they are, and what they hope for in a foster home, and how they might be skeptical of people's good will--that it's never what you say, it's what you do. How you come through.
My own experience with foster care is second hand--I had two friends when I was growing up, one who went into foster care when her elderly parents died, a care taking aunt died, and her brother, who she lived with afterwards, was arrested. The other friend was a foster daughter, a girl I knew in high school. The rest was research.
Hope it's going well!
so sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you! The new book has consumed me. Congratulations on choosing to become foster parents, that's awesome! I guess what I hope a prospective foster parent would learn from my book is to be aware of the life the child has already lived, how scared they are, how much their experience needs to be respected. how important it is to understand how vulnerable they are, and what they hope for in a foster home, and how they might be skeptical of people's good will--that it's never what you say, it's what you do. How you come through.
My own experience with foster care is second hand--I had two friends when I was growing up, one who went into foster care when her elderly parents died, a care taking aunt died, and her brother, who she lived with afterwards, was arrested. The other friend was a foster daughter, a girl I knew in high school. The rest was research.
Hope it's going well!
More Answered Questions
Liesl Lee
asked
Janet Fitch:
Huge fan of White Oleander, have read it at least 5 times. I really like Starr, what a character. I know nothing compares to White Oleander but are there any novels that are similar in story line or genre that you could recommend? Or any good romantic stories that aren't cliche?
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