This memoir does a wonderful job of immersing the reader into the horrors of the foster care system. Rhodes-Courter is one of those unfortunate kids who was totally failed by the youth and family system of her state. As a result, she was shuffled between 14 different homes and orphanages over the course of 7 years.

Her troubles started when she and her half-brother Luke were taken away from her mother. They were all orginally from the Carolinas, but the actions took place in Floride. As a result, it was that state that took responsibility for trying to place her into a healthier home environment. While some of the homes were those run by loving adults, more often then not, Ashley was confronted with troublesome placements ranging from poor parenting skills to outright abuse.

What is most incredible is that Ashley is able to take the problems that really wreaked havoc with her life and prevented her from really having any chance at a healthy childhood and used that to become a crusader to try and reform the system with the help of the loving family that finally adopts her by suing the worst abusers and the Florida child care system for endangerment. She really is a hero, and a wonderful role-model for teens. She was actually a senior in college when she wrote the book.

Rhodes-Courter does a wonderful job of introducing the details of the horrors that she face with a frankness that usually leaves the reader to judge (and usually be totally horrified). I almost felt that I was sitting down with her so she could tell me her story. It wasn't like I was reading. It is clear that her troubled youth and newly supportive family have helped her gain a maturity that allows her to look back on her experiences with deep thought and allows her to try and judge people fairly.

The title is one filled with irony, since the three little words on the ones that you would expect. She does a great job of exlaining the title and the process she completed when putting the book together at the end.

My only complaint is with the writing. The publisher did a horrific job with proofreading the work, which is filled with typographical errors.