Steps in My Shoes by Ron Deming

MoMo’s Book Diary recommends this memoir as a motivational read.

Steps in my Shoes has been written in a memoir style aimed at reaching young people who have experienced, or are currently experiencing, foster care. Ron tells snippets of the challenges he faced growing up in the system, but gives hope that if you can persevere at aiming for the best life you can make then its within reach.

I read this book quite quickly, its not long – 76 pages – but the message stayed with me hours after finishing. I have not experienced life in the system but have a few friends that have and I have read a number of books regarding fostering and adoption and spent a few years working on the administration side of child services in the UK.

Ron’s story touched me with the way that he has written so personally about the events he chose to share in this book. These events are just a few of the days and I am sure Ron has many many more tales he could tell.

I think it is important for children who are currently in this situation that they know there is more to life than the days they are experiencing now. It is good that they can read stories like Ron’s and see that there is hope they can move on with their lives and become people that matter, people that help others, people that do good. So often we are told that children who have entered the system will never make anything of themselves in the real world… we know this is not true but do the children know that….

This was a very motivating read and one I would recommend reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fascinating piece of writing.

Synopsis

Steps in My Shoes is a true account of my journey through the foster care system and beyond. Going through four foster homes, two adoptive homes, five behavioral facilities, and battling with reactive attachment disorder (RAD), and sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) certainly taught me a lot.

The abysmal college graduation rate of less than 3% for foster youth did not prevent me from bagging a bachelor’s degree and becoming a licensed teacher. If I could go through all that and still found the courage to become a teacher and author, then I believe other foster youth can too.

Reading this book will totally educate you on what an average child in the foster care system passes through on a daily basis. This intriguing book is a must have for teachers, social workers, foster/adoptive parents, people considering being foster/adoptive parents, and current/past foster and adopted youth.

AUTHOR	Ron Deming
BOOK TITLE	Steps In My Shoes – The Life of a Foster Child
PUBLISHER	Kamahl
DATE OF PUBLICATION	7 April 2017
PRINT LENGTH	76 pages
ISBN	9780692862940
OBTAINED	NetGalley