Three Little Words, by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Ashley Rhodes survived 9 years and a total of 19 foster parents. “Three Little Words” describes the many cases of abuse Ashley experienced in the near decade that she spent in the foster care system.

Ashley and her brother, Luke, were removed from their mother’s custody when Ashley was just three years old. Her mother is sent to jail and rehab. Ashley was forced to live with a family overrun with children, and a foster mom that forced the children to drink hot sauce when they misbehaved and beat them with spoons until marks covered their bodies.

She witnessed cases where children who were already broken were further shattered into shells of human beings. Her half-brother, Luke, was one of these children. The odds were against her in a system that still has problems. Yet she not only survived, she flourished. She excelled in school and wrote several award winning essays about her adoption day.

Throughout her experience in the foster system she attempted to reach out to authorities about the atrocities that she and her foster siblings faced. Each time she was ignored; she was simply an unruly child seeking attention. After she was adopted, Ashley went on to become an advocate for the foster care system and her voice was finally heard.

It was uplifting to read a tale about the foster care system that actually had a happy ending. Too many times we read about kids lost in the system, or ones that are forever dealing with the issues that comes with being moved from one family to another.

One of the most powerful parts of the book is the three little words alluded to in the title. They aren’t “I Love You” as many would expect, but “I guess so” which is what Rhodes said to a judge on the day of her adoption.

“Three Little Words” is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone currently in the foster care system. There is a light at the end of the deep, dark tunnel. There is hope.

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