{"product_id":"wards-of-the-state-the-long-shadow-of-american-foster-care-hardcover","title":"Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eClaudia Rowe\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA compelling exploration of the broken American foster care system, told through the stories of six former foster youth. This powerful narrative nonfiction book delves into the systemic failures that lead many foster children into the criminal justice system, highlighting the urgent need for reform.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e ​This book is a must-read for anyone interested in child welfare, social justice, and the transformative power of the best narrative nonfiction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe brings her extensive experience and investigative prowess to this eye-opening work. With a career spanning over 25 years, Rowe has written for publications such as \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMother Jones\u003c\/i\u003e, and her reporting has influenced policy changes in Washington State. Her previous book, \u003ci\u003eThe Spider and the Fly, \u003c\/i\u003e was a gripping true-crime memoir that showcased her ability to blend personal narrative with broader social issues. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eWards of the State\u003c\/i\u003e, Rowe's storytelling is both vivid and unflinching, offering readers a deep understanding of the foster care-to-prison pipeline. Through interviews with psychologists, advocates, judges, and the former foster children themselves, Rowe paints a heartbreaking picture of the lives shaped by this broken system. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e By the time Maryanne was 16 years old, she had been arrested for murder. In and out of foster and adoptive homes since age 10, she'd run away, been trafficked and assaulted, and finally pointed a gun at the latest man to take her into his car. She pulled the trigger and fled. But with no family to turn to and few reliable friends, it didn't take long for the police to catch up with her. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In court, the defense blamed neither traffickers, nor Maryanne, but Washington state itself--or rather, its foster care system, which parents thousands of children every year. The courts didn't listen to that argument, but award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe did. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Washington state isn't alone. Each year, hundreds of thousands of children grow up in America's $30 billion foster care system, only to leave and enter its prisons, where a quarter of all inmates are former foster youth. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Weaving Maryanne's story with those of five other foster kids across the country--including an 18-year-old sleeping on the New York City subways; a gangbanger turned graduate student; and a foster child who is now a policy advisor to the White House--Rowe paints a visceral survival narrative showing exactly where, when, and how the system channels children into locked cells.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eClaudia Rowe\u003c\/b\u003e has been writing about the hallways where kids and government clash for 25 years. Her reporting on racially skewed school discipline for \u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e helped to change education laws in Washington State, and her coverage of Latino youth gangs was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Claudia has also written for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMother Jones\u003c\/i\u003e. She was recently hired as a columnist focused on foster care, juvenile justice, and public education at the online news site Crosscut, where her work is seen by nearly 1 million viewers a month. She received the Washington State Book Award for her true crime memoir \u003ci\u003eThe Spider and the Fly, \u003c\/i\u003e and published the successful Amazon Original Story \u003ci\u003eTime Out\u003c\/i\u003e in 2018.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 256\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 9.21 x 6.39 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 20, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53337009586541,"sku":"9781419763151","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1001\/0823\/9213\/files\/Ue9eVpESeV9781419763151.webp?v=1778922856","url":"https:\/\/cleanfreaklab.myshopify.com\/products\/wards-of-the-state-the-long-shadow-of-american-foster-care-hardcover","provider":"Clean Freak Lab","version":"1.0","type":"link"}