(Reviewed by Jay Gendron)
Mark Daley takes us through a courageous, heartbreaking journey in Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family. This book serves as an indictment of the foster care system in California. Mark, a foster parent himself, covers the obstacles created, and sheer incompetence exhibited, by people (and judges) who should be looking out for the welfare of our most vulnerable children and the emotional toll it takes on foster parents and children alike. It leaves foster parents distraught and foster children in peril. One would hope this book could serve as a template on how to begin to correct the system.
In addition, it is beautifully written. Daley clearly has a great capacity for empathy and love. You must read this book. It’s a compelling, emotional read, and good for the soul.
