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Shattered
Shattered, Inspired By True Events by Jenell M. Jones, M.ED., is a powerful memoir that delves into the author’s personal journey of accepting the unchangeable and learning to tolerate the harsh realities of life. Jones’s raw and honest account of her experiences resonates deeply with readers, making this more than just one woman’s struggle—it’s a source of inspiration for anyone facing life’s challenges. Through her story, Jones invites readers to reflect on their own paths toward peace and healing, sharing how her decision to adopt a young girl, with the hope of transforming both their lives for the better, led to an unexpected and challenging journey.
The central theme of survival and endurance is poignantly portrayed in Shattered. Jones vividly illustrates the unexpected anguish that life can bring and demonstrates remarkable strength and resilience in the face of trauma. Her journey toward healing and self-discovery is both encouraging and uplifting, leaving readers with a powerful message: if she can overcome these obstacles, so can they. The book’s emphasis on perseverance and courage makes a lasting impact, reminding us all of the importance of endurance in our own lives. Jones’s storytelling is graphic and emotionally resonant, pulling readers into her world and making them feel the weight of her struggles. She skillfully conveys the unwanted efforts and sacrifices she made in her pursuit of inner peace, creating a narrative that is both relatable and deeply moving. The systemic critique woven throughout the book is another notable element. Jones’ experiences highlight the often-ignored flaws in the child welfare system, particularly how it handles children with traumatic backgrounds. Jones’ frustration with the system is palpable, and she effectively uses her personal story to advocate for better practices and more compassionate policies. This book serves as both a memoir and a critical commentary on a system that is in desperate need of reform.
Shattered, Inspired By True Events is a gripping and authentic memoir that will resonate with anyone who has faced life’s unexpected challenges. Jones’s courage in sharing her regrets and her raw emotions is a testament to the human experience, reminding us of our shared vulnerabilities. I highly recommend this book to everyone, as we all, at some point, must navigate the unforeseen changes life throws our way.
Pages: 210 | ASIN : B0C5CPY345
Shattered
Jenell M. Jones’ Shattered is a deeply moving and eye-opening account that delves into the complexities of the foster care system through the poignant story of a young girl named Mercy. Jenell, an experienced educator with a profound love for children, is no stranger to the adoption process. When asked to take in Little Nikki, she didn’t hesitate, despite concerns about the child’s troubled past. Renaming her Mercy, Jenell and her husband embarked on a challenging journey to provide the eight-year-old with a stable and loving home. As the narrative unfolds, readers learn that Mercy was separated from her twin brother and other siblings, having cycled through as many as 20 foster homes. This tumultuous background began to manifest in her behavior, with Mercy exhibiting stubbornness, rudeness, and other troubling traits. These signs raised concerns about potential past abuse, which were later confirmed when Mercy was diagnosed with dissociative personality disorder and hospitalized.
Shattered evoked a powerful emotional response in me. The pain of watching a child you love struggle despite your best efforts is heart-wrenching. The book underscores the critical importance of a child’s foundational years and how early instability can have long-lasting, detrimental effects. Mercy’s story is a stark reminder of the failures within our society to protect its most vulnerable members. Jenell and her husband Kyle’s unwavering patience and dedication to Mercy, despite the immense challenges, highlight their remarkable resilience as parents. Mercy’s experiences reflect a broader systemic issue, where children in the foster care system are often neglected and left without the necessary support to thrive.
I sincerely hope that Mercy finds peace and healing in her future. Shattered serves as a crucial call to action, urging us to improve the foster care system to better protect and support children like Mercy. I highly recommend this book to every adult, particularly those considering adoption, as it provides valuable insights into the profound challenges and rewards of caring for a child in need.
Pages: 210 | ASIN : B0C5CPY345
Is It Time To Shift The Narrative?
The Black Foster Youth Handbook is written to help youth and young adults that have aged out of the system heal and thrive afterward. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I was called both while awake and in my sleep through dreams to create a guide for young people in foster care back in 2016. The pandemic in March of 2020 made the call louder and it was revealed to me that I could not put it off any longer- that youth were aging out of foster care not only in stereotypical outcomes such as homelessness, sex trafficking, prison and suicide but to add to that— a whole world wide pandemic. The world is calling for us collectively to heal and youth and families touched by the child welfare system need support through the lens of holistic wellness not just coping skills and survival mechanisms. I need youth to know that they can create a joyous life in spite of their trauma and so I was willing to be vulnerable in sharing my story in order for others to feel empowered and uncover the purpose within their pain as I have. I created the R.E.A.L success model that takes youth and supportive adults through the 4 phases (Root, Envision, Ascension & Liberation) so that the reader can have a practical framework to self reflect, engage in self-exploration alone and with community as well as achieve a sense of inner freedom out of the bondage of one’s trauma.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
Honestly, the whole book haha..
My first draft was very angry. I carried a lot of pain and writing, picking up running while I wrote and processing this information was extremely healing. After sending the draft off to my editor, I had a very clear and vivid dream on how the book was going to be formatted and the clarity of the R.E.A.L success model. I am grateful for my husband, divine connection to my ancestors, my book launch team, friends, and a few family members who helped me process this. I knew it would be rough but that it was necessary for such a resource to exist. It was time.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life?
To cherish the people in your life while they are still here and alive. You know, give them their flowers while they are still living and don’t wait until they have passed to show your appreciation, love and admiration for them. This is something I do daily and each chance I get to speak up and tell people how they are positively making a difference in my life, in others or the world.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story
The trauma you experienced is not something anyone should have to go through and yet you are here still living. And that says something profound, that you have a divine purpose that you may choose to fulfill in this life. You are not your trauma. You are whoever and whatever the hell you wish to be. You are powerful beyond what you give yourself credit for and in order to fully step into your gifts- You will need to challenge many aspects of yourself and circumstances that you grasped on to in order to survive. It was never your fault but now it is your responsibility to create a life worth living. Powerful soul, it is time to heal. It is time to be free. It is time to discover the real you-outside of the version of you created to endure the trauma. You do not have to do this alone. You are loved. And after everything, you matter to so many. Greatness is in your hands but it all starts with choices.
Do you choose to be what you have seen doesn’t work? Or is it time to shift the narrative?
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook OrginialSoulFlower | Facebook soulfulliberation | Website soulfulliberation | Website originalsoulflower
Less than 5% of young people with the experience of foster care graduate post-secondary education. There are many youth who become prey to sex-trafficking or suseptable to suicide due to homelessness, mental health challenges and no support system. Now, couple the child welfare system with the element of racial injustices and the history of white supremacy and the topic may even become taboo.
Ángela Quijada-Banks, a woman of African and Indigeneous descent has taken the liberty of giving back to these communities for a half a decade through advocacy, advisory and organizational training. Through her travels across the nation, speaking to congressional members, federal stakeholders and constituents of the foster care system she decided some sort of manual was needed to combat the shocking low success rates of young people with the background of foster care. This handbook is written to be supplemental to young people in foster care’s navigation through foster care and healing beyond it.
Supportive adults such as foster/resource parents, case managers, GALs, therapists and social workers will also find this to be helpful in their roles in young people’s lives. Success is possible regardless of where you come from, you just have to know where to look, who to trust and believe in the one person that can get you to the other side of pain and trauma, you.
The Black Foster Youth Handbook
The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said that youth is wasted on the young. Unfortunately, the meaning behind this world-famous quote becomes all the more tragic because most of us only realize what it truly means when it’s too late. Luckily, we have author Ángela Quijada-Banks to give the youth a wake-up call and a helping hand. Her book The Black Foster Youth Handbook can be categorized under Self-Help, and it embodies the best qualities of the genre. It’s a valuable collection of over 50 lessons sprinkled with a healthy dose of personal anecdotes, making it a surprisingly entertaining and fulfilling read.
Written in a conversational and often-times humorous tone, it can be read and enjoyed by anyone from any background. Sure, its primary target audience is young people of color who have gone through foster care, but those who haven’t can still pick up lessons that could be beneficial. It also features brief poetic pieces by Quijada-Banks. Her unique style is undeniably charming and has a calming quality to them.
This book tackles heavy topics like suicide, sex trafficking, and other traumas. But because it handles those topics with so much hope and understanding, the darkness of it all becomes easier to take on. With no judgment whatsoever, the pages become a safe space for anyone who has ever experienced any of the situations mentioned.
If you’re going to read this book, the best way to do it is through a physical copy. After all, it is a handbook, so it includes questions and activities for readers to engage with. Write notes in the margins and highlight your favorite lines and pieces of advice. It’s clear that Quijada-Banks poured her soul into this book, and it’s only appropriate for you to do the same.
Whether you’ve been through the foster care system or not, chances are you won’t be entirely healed by the end of this book. Self-healing takes plenty of time and work, something you have to do mainly on your own. But don’t let that intimidate you. With a roadmap like The Black Foster Youth Handbook and a guide like Ángela Quijada-Banks, you’re getting a good head start for a brighter future.
The Black Foster Youth Handbook: 50+ Lessons I learned to successfully Age-Out of Foster Care and Holistically Heal is a memoir, self-help book, and handbook all wrapped into one. Written for those in and aged out of foster care, this book is also helpful for supportive adults such as foster and resource parents, case managers, Guardians ad litem, therapists, and social workers.
Pages: 396 | ASIN : B08CJB8CM9
Behind the Emotions
Joanne Clairmont Author Interview
Away from Home is a real and heartbreaking look into the troubled thoughts and feelings many teens experience when part of the foster care system. It seems that your foster children are an obvious inspiration, but what made you put pen to paper (so to speak)?
I am by no means an experienced writer but I wanted to capture the thoughts and feelings of some of the young people that I look after. This was important to me to gain an understanding of how young people may be feeling when they come into my care. Young people coming into the care system may not verbalise how they feel but may show how they feel through actions.
I liked ‘Don’t know if I am coming or going’ because it was a simple and realistic take on how a newly placed teen may feel upon arriving in a new place. What was your favorite poem from the collection and why?
My favourite poem was ‘wonderful you have come back to see me’. It is my favourite poem because it shows with, attention, care and firm boundaries young people can succeed. They do not have to leave care the same way they came in.
What do you think is a common misconception about foster children that people have today?
Teenagers are portrayed by the media for being ‘out of control’ and dangerous. Young people come into care for all different reasons and it is up to responsible adults to guide them through life.
I felt that Away from Home allowed me to understand the ups and downs of the foster care system. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
I am hoping that my book can be used as a training tool for new carers thinking of fostering teenagers. They will learn about some of the emotions that young people display when coming into care and foster carers training will help them find ways to deal with the behaviour. The end result in some cases is worth not giving up.
Also people with teenagers can relate to some of the emotions that are displayed in book and the reasons behind it. Behind the emotions, there are possible reasons for the behaviour.
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Away from Home is a collection of short poems inspired by the writer’s experience of fostering teenage girls over a ten year period.
The poems are from real life situations of teenagers in my care. Fostering teenagers can be challenging but it is also very rewarding.
Away From Home
Away from Home by Joanne Clairmont is a very real and heartbreaking look into the troubled thoughts and insecure feelings many children and teens experience when part of the foster care system. As an experienced foster mom, Clairmont has dealt with a number of heart-breaking cases of fostered teens feeling lonely, isolated, and abandoned upon entering her home. She writes vividly about the struggles and emotions those in her care have faced, and the unseen turmoil brewing within them as they are placed into yet another new environment. Oftentimes sorrowful, Away from Home is an important read in understanding the ups and downs of the foster care system by those directly experiencing it.
A short book broken up into six sections, Away from Home shares Clairmont’s foster care experiences in poem form. Each section contains several poems related to a specific type of foster child, such as The Unsettled Teenager and The Challenging Teenager. Most of the six sections share the pain and loss of security many fostered teenagers can relate to when thrust into a foster situation. The last section, titled The Independent Teenager, completes the journey of emotional growth of the foster care teenager and consists of more uplifting and positive poems.
I appreciated that the author could interpret the actions of her fostered teenagers from the first night they arrived at her house until they had grown and moved on with their lives. I found the poems in The Unaccompanied Minor and The Unsettled Teenager especially easy to connect with due to their complete realization and understanding of how a teenager would feel upon entering a new foster placement. They presented a personal psychology into the effects of the instability and adaption foster children must cope with through no fault of their own.
I especially liked how the author construed the emotions of a new placement in “Don’t know if I am coming or going.” It was a simple and realistic take on how a newly placed teenager may feel upon arriving in a new place after enduring several former placements. It captures the frustration and identifies the protective wall that has been built up to shield the fostered teenager from experiencing any more emotional loss.
While there were many poems that hit the mark in eliciting a feeling or emotion when read, there were also a few that didn’t do it for me. “It is not cool” and “No school today” seemed like unfinished thoughts or small snippets that could have been better fleshed out. I think the book would greatly benefit from some additional structuring and the addition of more personalized images. The images in the book are generic and vary in artistic design. More simplified, original artwork would do wonders to visually present the ideas and feelings of the poems.
Overall I thought Away From Home really presented the emotional psychology and depth of the foster care system and those who live it. It created a descriptive and realistic picture for those who may not be familiar with the tragedy and distress many teens experience while in foster care. Aside from the few issues I had in reading, this book was an intense, creatively written study of an important subject.
Pages: 52 | ASIN: B077QLBKSC
LITERARY TITAN 