To be confused about Cathy Glass books?

[Freshbegin]

A friend has passed me her latest one, they are set as true foster stories but as someone who grew up with parents who fostered how on earth does she get away with writing so many specific details? The latest one is very very specific and includes potential criminal charges on a very serious sexual manner.

And how come she is so amazing that she turns round the most troubled of children and from what I've read and been told everyone ends up happily ever after. The foster families I grew up with where amazing but some kids didn't have an happy ending and some kids didn't profusely thank everyone on the way out just as some foster placements failed.

How does she have these complicated eloquent conversations on a level that would be beyond most kids with so many children in her care? Especially as many of the children have experienced abuse and neglect and developmental delay but answer her in the same eloquent way.

There's no way the family of the child or children from her latest book or their families wouldn't know it was them being written about and she is quite blunt about the family.

And how the hell does she remember what they did, what they had for tea and the colour of her dress ten years ago in great detail. Well clearly she doesn't so why put it in great detail about it?

I've often wondered this.
A lot of poetic license. No way could she remember word for word conversations.
I lost interest when she wrote about the real life mother of her own daughter. Meant to be a true story so how would she know the most specific details of when the daughter was born and the day to day details of that woman's life..

Interesting point. I've only read a few of her books, but always enjoyed them. But I'd never really thought about it the way you describe. Makes me a bit skeptical now of how much truth there is to it.

Even if they are truthful, I’ve never been happy with the ethics of disclosing details of and making money from the terrible experiences of those in her care.

Welll, if you were coining it out of books like "Mummy, Please Don't Chain Me To The Dog Kennel Again Tonight" I don't think you'd care too much about ethics or accuracy.

I've read her books, my foster parents were arseholes.

A lot if it will be embellishment and deviate from what actually happened.

Buy I agree with PP, I'm not comfortable with the ethics behind cashing in on the tragedies young children have gone through.

I agree entirely with OP. The conversations she has with the children that are complex in vocabulary and insight are ridiculous then the happy endings and just how marvellous she is all the time add up to a lot of bullshit. I assume the ethics are considered and the children don’t have the biographical information given in the books but are more a mishmash of different children’s experiences.

I think they are misery porn.

To be honest even if the stories are a mix of children, how many will she have cared for who will have been groomed into taking inappropriate pictures of another children and facing police arrest and court action.

It is either true or it's a novel. If it's a novel fair enough but advertise it as such and stop making other foster carers feel inadequate when they can't have complex conversations with traumatised three year olds who suddenly understand every word and click perfect behaviour into action immediately.

I have all her books (and hope they are true) I always loved how perfectly she worded things and felt a bit shitty on myself and how I maybe speak to my own children...I do think she obviously has fostered hundreds of children and probably only writes about the success stories...but in all fairness...with her placement Jodie...She didnt manage to help her as she was too damaged...So she does write that one also...And as for the language she uses...Abused children do usually have more adult understanding as theyve been exposed to things so young...I also thought all names places and details were changed to protect the children's identity?...I would like to think they are all on real stories...I wasnt aware it was legal to say it's TRUE if it's not...Could be wrong & has made me wonder sometimes as they all seem to go so perfectly for her in the end...

I image this type of “literature” is approximately 90% fiction. And that’s a generous estimate.

I personally read them to see the happy endings for abused children...How they can function as adults and how to work through the immediate emotions of abuse & come out the other side...And I hoped that was why she puts them out there...tovhelp others.Makes people who have been through it feel less alone