Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Ashley Rhodes-Courter has met the President of the United States, spoken in front of groups of hundreds of people around the country, been published in newspapers and magazines, and appeared on television.  But her start in life was far from auspicious.  After being taken from her drug-addicted mother at the age of three, Ashley spent the next nine years in a series of foster and group homes, some acceptable, a few kind, one run by an abusive, cruel, and manipulative woman.  As Ashley clung to her mother’s promises and her younger brother, the foster care system failed her again and again.  In this memoir, Ashley details her journey in painstaking detail, offering an important glimpse into the many ways that emotional trauma impacts a child’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior.  Three Little Words may be a great match for sophisticated readers interested in personal stories of foster and state care.  Those looking for stories of survivors of abuse may like to know that Rhodes-Courter's account is markedly less sensational than Pelzer's series.  Backmatter includes a helpful guide for reading groups.-- Regan Schwartz

Rhodes-Courter, Ashley.  Three Little Words.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009. Print.

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