Book cover of We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America

Book description

“A riveting indictment of the child welfare system . . . [A] bracing gut punch of a book.” ―Robert Kolker, The Washington Post

“[A] moving and superbly reported book.” ―Jessica Winter, The New Yorker

“A harrowing account . . . [and] a powerful critique of [the] foster care system .…

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Why read it?

1 author picked We Were Once a Family as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I vaguely remember hearing about the tragedy of the Hart children–six Black and mixed-race children who were adopted out of foster care and killed by their two white adoptive mothers. I wasn’t aware of all of the intricate details of their case or the foster care system that allowed this to happen.

I am in awe of Roxanna’s investigative journalism and the nuance and empathy in which she tells this story. While it is the Hart story that’s at the center of this book, I learned so much more about the child welfare system overall and how it’s set up…

From SunAh's list on family belonging.

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German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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