First published 2002
In 1973, a young ACLU attorney launches a class-action lawsuit against New York City's foster care system. The case centers on Shirley Wilder, an abused runaway who experienced the system's failures firsthand. The legal battle spans twenty-five years, exposing how race, religion, and politics shape America's child welfare apparatus. Bernstein follows the courtroom drama while tracking Shirley's personal journey and that of her son Lamont, born when she was fourteen and surrendered to the same system her case challenges. The author reveals the bureaucratic machinery behind foster care decisions and legislative reforms. She documents how good intentions collide with institutional problems, creating cycles that trap vulnerable children. Through Shirley and Lamont's experiences, the book shows what happens when the safety net designed to protect children becomes another source of trauma. Bernstein combines investigative reporting with intimate portraits, showing how one lawsuit became a decades-long fight over who decides the fate of America's most vulnerable children.
Genres: american-fiction, abuse, 20th-century, biography-memoir, 21st-century, adoption, activism, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: courtroom-drama, decades-long-fight, personal-journey
Setting: New York City
Period: 1973, 25 years
496 pages · Paperback · Vintage
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse