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Foster girl's memoir, 'Three Little Words,' avoids cliche
Finding a "forever family" isn't simple for child or parents.
By Angie Drobnic Holan, Times staff writer
Published March 9, 2008
Three Little Words: A Memoir
By Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Atheneum, 320 pages, $17.99
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Three Little Words could easily have been a saccharine - and boring - true-life tale of redemption: A young girl ends up in the foster care system, where she suffers neglect and sometimes abuse before being adopted by a loving family. That captures the outline of this memoir aimed at young adults, but it doesn't do justice to an engrossing book that's sharply observed, funny, sarcastic and sad. The three little words are not "I love you," but "I guess so" - the words Ashley Rhodes-Courter said in 1998 when a judge asked her if she wanted her adoption finalized with her new parents, Phil and Gay Courter of Crystal River. Rhodes-Courter graduated from Eckerd College in December with a double major in theater and communications. An activist for children in foster care since she was 14, she was named one of Glamour magazine's Top 10 College Women in 2007. An essay she wrote about her experiences, also called Three Little Words, won a New York Times essay contest and led to her book contract. Besides recounting Rhodes-Courter's personal story, the book is also a fascinating look into Florida's foster care system. The older Ashley is able to explain what was happening to the small child in ways that illuminate the system's strengths and drawbacks. She also realistically shows the complicated process that adoptive families go through in learning to live with and love each other. As Rhodes-Courter achieves success, she reminds us that not every child is able to overcome such harsh circumstances. In this case, her younger brother is the counterpoint to her success. He suffers for reasons far beyond his control, and as he grows older, his story doesn't seem to match Ashley's happy ending. It's a healthy dose of reality for readers tempted to draw too rosy a conclusion from Ashley's story. Angie Drobnic Holan is a Times news researcher.
[Last modified March 5, 2008, 18:26:05]
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