Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care

Finalist for the 2025National Book AwardforNonfiction “An immersive, devastating look at foster children’s lives.”(Seattle Times) A 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. ?This book is a must-read for anyone interested in child welfare, social justice, and the transformative power of the best narrative nonfiction. In Wards of the State, award-winning journalist Claudia 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.