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Reviews tagging 'Death'
We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian
14 reviews
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
4.5
One of the book's greatest strengths is its focus on the broader issues underlying this tragedy. Asgarian critiques a broken system that fails to provide adequate support to vulnerable families, particularly those from marginalized communities. The child welfare system, she argues, is not designed to solve the root causes of poverty and instability but is instead driven by racial bias, with a prevalent "white savior" mentality. The biological families of the children, mostly people of color, were repeatedly failed by institutions that seemed more interested in removing children from their homes than in providing the resources that could keep those families intact.
For readers unfamiliar with the U.S. child welfare system—particularly European readers—the book can feel overwhelming in its detailed analysis. However, this depth of information is essential for an American audience that needs to fully understand the systemic issues at play. Asgarian doesn’t just point to individual failures but to a larger pattern of neglect and exploitation built into the system itself.
The book is as devastating as it is informative, highlighting the human cost of a system driven by racist policies and a desire for quick, often harmful solutions. The stories of the biological families are heartbreaking and paint a clear picture of how institutional racism and economic inequality intersect to create such tragedies.
However, the book is not without its minor flaws. At times, there is noticeable repetition of certain details, which can give the impression that some chapters were originally published as standalone magazine articles. If this was the case, the book could have benefited from tighter editing to smooth these transitions and avoid redundancy. Despite this, Asgarian’s journalistic rigor and passion for the subject matter shine through, making this a crucial read.
In conclusion this book is a powerful and eye-opening investigation into a deeply flawed child welfare system. Though difficult to digest at times, it is an essential work that sheds light on the need for reform and justice for the victims and their families.
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism
paperknotbooks's review
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Abandonment
A racial slur is used in the book once.oworthyfool's review
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Cultural appropriation
sjanke2's review
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
kailey_reads's review
4.75
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Racism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use, Physical abuse, Murder, and Pregnancy
imstephtacular's review
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Lesbophobia
whit_knee's review
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, and Death of parent
careinthelibrary's review
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pandemic/Epidemic
librarymouse's review
4.0
In the epilogue of this book, Asgarian addresses her own tumultuous childhood, noting that because of her family's race and economic status, she never had to fear being removed from the support system made up of friends and relatives while she was in an abusive nuclear family. The generational impact of the removal of black children from loving, if imperfect homes, is still echoing through the families and the children who survive the startling volley of abuse hurled at them in institutions, foster homes, and group homes. Asgarian shines a light on this impact, probing readers to be aware of this world and its machinations.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality and Lesbophobia
kshertz's review
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting