Another Place at the Table, Kathy Harrison

Foster Family:

Kathy (author) and Bruce Harrison

Biological sons:  Bruce Jr., Nathan, Benjamin

Adopted daughters:  Neddy, Angie, Karen

Foster Children:

Karen:   mother Bonnie, brother Ryan

Lucy:  mother Ellen

Sara:  mother Sharon

Therapist:  Sandra Martin

Sara was sexually abused by almost every adult in her life

Danny:  mother Pearl

Danny had no conscience.  Karen was sure that someday he would hurt someone.

For discussion:

NOTE:  All page numbers refer to the paperback edition.

1.            After reading the book, has your view of the child welfare system and foster homes changed?
        

2.            At one point Kathy was working to adopt Karen and find a permanent home for Lucy. 

·         How do you think Lucy (and the others) felt about not being chosen for adoption also?

3.            On page 49 she described the incident where a foster mother left one child in the car and she wrote, “In an instant, with one faulty decision, her life is irrevocably altered.  She will never be the same again.” 

·         Relate this to the incident at the Pittsburgh, PA Zoo where a mother stood her 2-year-old son on a railing to get a better view of the African Painted Dogs and the child fell in and died. (November 2012)

·         Have you ever made an instantaneous decision that could have been disastrous?

4.            Consider the training to become a foster parent.  Kathy said the training she received was useless.  What training do you think would be beneficial?  How can we screen and then support foster families?

5.            On page 36 she wrote, “There are lots of ways to take care of children, and they aren’t all going to be the way I would do it.”    What are your thoughts about this statement?

6.            How can we help natural parents be better parents?

7.            What can we do to help some of these severely damaged children who cannot function in society?

8.            Discuss the Harrison family as a whole.  What were your feelings about Kathy and Bruce’s role as natural and as foster parents?  Is taking in so many foster children fair to the natural children?

9.            One aspect of reading is that we gain insights into other people and their lives, thoughts and feelings.  Do you feel that you now have a better understanding of the background of people you know who are in difficult family situations or who you have read about in the news or in other novels?