My Other Kids - by Julie Savitch Paperback

Book Synopsis

In this intimate memoir, a child advocate chronicles her seven-year journey fighting for four siblings in America's child welfare system, offering vital insights for professionals, advocates, and anyone passionate about transforming children's lives.

From suburban empty-nester to Court Appointed Special Advocate, this powerful memoir chronicles a seven-year journey alongside four siblings trapped in America's complex child welfare system. Through unflinching observations and raw honesty, author Julie Savitch brings readers into the lives of Kenny, CJ, Zoe, and Allegra as they navigate the turbulent waters of family preservation, foster care, and the elusive search for a forever home.

The journey begins with an optimistic mission to keep a family intact, working with Dawn, a mother battling addiction and instability. When the children enter foster care, separated and scared, Julie becomes their unwavering champion--fighting to maintain their precious sibling bonds across multiple placements, advocating for their educational needs, and serving as a crucial bridge between an often-fragmented system of schools, foster homes, and courtrooms.

As Julie evolves from an idealistic volunteer to a battle-tested advocate, she confronts impossible choices and the profound responsibility of being the only consistent adult in four young lives. Grounded in research about foster care, sibling separation, and parental incarceration, this intimate account reveals the hidden realities of America's child welfare system while demonstrating the transformative power of showing up for vulnerable children.

Review Quotes

"In this extraordinarily impactful journey, Dr. Savitch captures the plight of youth in the child welfare system--the ache to be seen and the grace of someone who finally listens. My Other Kids is both a love letter to the children we fight for and a call to keep showing up. A powerful reminder that compassion can change a child's story."--Regina Calcaterra, New York Times best-selling author of Etched in Sand

"My Other Kids is a gripping story of how resilience is activated through the power of human connection. This brilliantly written work is insightful and reflective--uplifting while also being so very painful at times. It reminds us that each of us can show up and build a better corner of the world . . . one child at a time."--Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings

"Julie Savitch is one of thousands of unsung heroes showing up for kids across this country, and we are awfully lucky that in her spare time she's put down this complex story of ultimate goodness for us to internalize and be changed by."--Kelly Corrigan, New York Times best-selling author and host of Kelly Corrigan Wonders

"My Other Kids makes visible both the necessity of child advocates and the deep fractures in the systems meant to protect vulnerable children. Savitch underscores how urgently children need dedicated adults in their corners and how profoundly broken our child welfare system--and our world--remains."--Sarah Sentilles, author of Stranger Care: A Memoir of Loving What Isn't Ours

About the Author

Julie Savitch, EdD, is a passionate child advocate with a decade of experience as Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), as well as an Educational Decision Maker (EDM). She taught elementary school in New York City and was a literacy professor at West Chester University. When she isn't writing, Julie spends her time volunteering, hiking, cooking and getting muddy in a ceramics studio. Julie currently lives in Radnor, Pennsylvania, but prefers to spend her time in the mountains.