I was either heartbroken or infuriated, or both, during every moment of this book. As a former elementary teacher, I've dealt with CPS and the system. They failed in my experience. I know they are overworked, but in my worst case, they left a child in a home where she was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused. A few years later, I discovered they eventually acted and she was living with her grandmother.
I know most social workers truly care, but are overworked and also forced to work within ridiculous constraints. The system is failing them, too.
We have to do better, and I hope we will one day. I see a lot more acceptance of others in the Millennial and Gen Z generations, so as older generations retire and are replaced by younger individuals, I hope they can fix the system. Because, honestly, racism is the largest factor. Families of color are ripped apart, yet white children (or rather kids of white parents, I suppose) are left in situations they should be removed from. This book shows how the same children can fall into both categories, and it is unacceptable.

Anyway, this book is well researched and eye opening for those who are not familiar with the foster care/CPS system.

The audiobook is narrated by the author who does a great job.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

This is a really sad but important work, focusing on the many ways in which six adopted children were repeatedly failed by various systems. Asgarian provides insight not only into what happened to these children but also - as much as possible in light of the limited information - who they were (and, one leaps ahead, who they could have been) outside of their traumatic experiences and deaths.

The impetus for this piece is the murder-suicide involving these children and their adoptive mothers. Many fellow residents of the state in which this happened may recognize this story but definitely do not know the details that come through in this reporting. Asgarian digs into the adoptive family, the families of origin, former foster children, and others to understand the complex web of failures that led to the worst-case scenario.

Of course, readers come away with so much sadness around what happened to these children, but there are added details from Asgarian's personal experience, the outcomes for the families of origin, and the ongoing state of these systems that are also indelible.

This is no uplifter, and readers should expect to feel sad and angry - often - while encountering this text. That noted, Asgarian treats the subjects appropriately, shining a light on truths about our society that we must face, even when they are extremely difficult to view.