About book I Speak For This Child: True Stories Of A Child Advocate (2001)
This is the only book (!) I could find written by a guardian ad litem about her experiences speaking for children in state custody. Surely there are others -- I just haven't found them yet. :) As someone serving as a GAL, Gay Courter's experiences are helpful and encouraging. I found her writing style compelling -- except for the very last chapter, which dragged and dragged. I confess I skipped to the end. I also found her writer's voice to be a bit arrogant and know-it-all for my taste. I tended to read her accounts at arm's length, reminding myself not to model her attitude. I also had to remind myself that she picked these stories/events to write about, perhaps because they had endings and most were positive. Real life is unfortunately much more messy. I am still energized and encouraged, though, by her energy, her drive, her desire to serve children. Even with its faults, this book is so important for child advocates to read.
This book tells about the author's experiences working as a Guardian ad Litem, a volunteer court-appointed advocate for children (the equivalent of a CASA in many states), in Florida. The author recounts several of the cases that she worked on, mostly with teenagers, and in doing so, she touches on many of the problems and difficulties inherent to the child welfare system in our country. Not exactly an uplifting book when you look at the big picture, but on a small scale, it makes you realize that there are some really committed people out there doing great things for children. The writing was a bit too dramatic for me; the author is a novelist, and it shows.
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