AIBU to assume that Cathy Glass books are fiction?

[Weetabixelly]

They purport to be true, but how can they be? Surely no Foster Carer would be allowed to get away with publishing the stories of children they have fostered as it would be such a massive breach of confidentiality.

Even, if the children in her books agreed (as adults) to her publishing their life stories , it still seems so exploitative?

I often thought that too when I used to read them. I really enjoyed them at 1st but then felt they got very repetitive as though she was explaining why she did absolutely everything and after a few books I lost interest.

I used to enjoy her books but the last few where crap
The whole book was a brag about how her son was getting married and that her mum died
The boy was just the cover for that news

I often wonder the same thing to be honest-surely the children would have to consent

I think they're full of rubbish. I could not imagine any LA allowing that data out even if foster dc agreed it. The LA 'own' that data, the information governance policies would surely stop that being released if it was true.

Although I did use to read books from child psychologist in America, I think her name was Trudy and it's just clicked that she's probably not real either.

I used to enjoy her books. I always just assumed that they were loosely based on actual events but not close enough to be linked to any particular child or even foster carer

@StarryNight468

I think they're full of rubbish. I could not imagine any LA allowing that data out even if foster dc agreed it. The LA 'own' that data, the information governance policies would surely stop that being released if it was true.

Although I did use to read books from child psychologist in America, I think her name was Trudy and it's just clicked that she's probably not real either.

Torey Hayden?

There are a lot of similar authors now. The last one I read she was promoting lots of her other books including a recipe book throughout the story!!

I quite like them but I've always assumed that they were very loosely based on her experiences, sort of 3 or 4 stories rolled into one.
Cathy Glass' books are far too tidy and always have a neat, happy ending which can't possibly be realistic.

I read one and it was utterly dull. I kept reading just to see if it got any better. It didn't.

It wasn't a story, it was a description. Of every single detail of being a Foster mum and why she did everything she did. Of how amazing her own children were.

So boring.

I’ve only read one, ages ago, but I always presumed it was sort of based on her experiences rather than an actual true story. Otherwise surely the children could object to their lives being published? I’m not sure though.

Casey Watson is another of similar ilk and yes it’s Torey Hayden
I always assumed they were composite characters and enough details changed to be more fiction based on fact ‘stories’
I’ve worked in child protection and would never be able to share most of the ‘stories’ I come across they are mostly tragic and would not translate well into this sort of genre

I read a lot of this genre and always thought the same about her books. I do think that as someone said upthread, it's actually based on a few experiences she's had with a few children then made into a story to make it look as though it's just about the one if that makes sense.
There are loads of this type now. Her, Casey Watson, Maggie Hartley and Torey Hayden to name a few.

I found her holier than thou attitude and her mistrust of other foster parents very annoying. She sees herself as the greatest foster mother to have ever existed.

Much of her work is white noise. How many times does a school run and bath time and bedtime routine need to be described in the same book.

I have read all her books (to my shame really) and I agree. Really identifiable details, so there must be some real fiction going on there.

All of them have such perfectly unrealistic happy endings, for a start.
Read the updates on her website- most of the foster kids are leading really successful lives now, which just is not realistic or statistically likely.

Theres a new one on the scene, though who doesn't write under a pen name- her name is Louise Allen, and she has a website and everything. Surely, surely there can be no element of truth there- the children would be so easily identified by her family and neighbours, for a start!

It leaves a really bad taste in my mouth whether its true or not. If it is true enough and she's made money from their stories, because they aren't hers to tell, she's obviously not a good Foster parent.

It's misery porn. Real people who work with our most abused and neglected children shouldn't want to exploit them.

I did contrary to my own beliefs enjoy the Torey Hayden ones many years ago. Now I work in that field I have no desire to read anything that slightly resembles my case load outside of it!

I think that crouchend,always,talks about baths and bedtime and always seemed to cook casseroles.

@Belledan1

I think that crouchend,always,talks about baths and bedtime and always seemed to cook casseroles.

@Belledan1 What do you mean "Crouchend"?

I'm the same as the others I always assumed it was loosely based on truth but enough details altered to make it unrecognisable

I expect they are composite characters, based on several real people, to give a "poetic" truth rather than a face-value one.

I can't see how it could be unrecognisable. One was a story about a boy who reunited with his African dad and went back to Nigeria with him. Ok it could have been a different African country but it's still an African country and someone would recognise that unusual story.

I also don't recognise the way she dresses them in charity shop clothes and non branded trainers. Most FC would be torn to shreds by a SW for not providing new clothes and toys and marking fc as different. She does it in a way of - oh my values aren't branded trainers, they have to save for those or have them as a present - fuck right off with that. Buy the kid a normal pair of trainers, they've already gone through so much and feel so different then their classmates the least you can do with the money provided to you to clothe them is actually clothe them appropriately!

Also the casseroles. Most neglected dc don't say yummy a casserole for tea! They may have lived on freezer food and ready meals, even if their parents cooked, everyone's home cooking is different. Most FC start with freezer food with extra veg on the side, maybe a spag bol but you should buy them what they're used to and gradually introduce new food.

I also hate the smugness of her! Argh! Can you tell I was in foster care and now work in social care! It really does get my goat the way she talks!

@Belledan1
What do you mean "Crouchend"?

I'm not Belledan, but Crouchend is another person posting on this thread.

I got the impression that her first book (Damaged) was probably based on a real story and had enough detail to flesh out a whole book.

The trouble was, it did so well that the publishers wanted more and more books when she didn't have enough real life material to make into a whole new book. Hence padding it out with bath times and casseroles.

She's got a few fiction books now, which suggests to me that everyone knows she's run out of new material. She should quit while she's ahead.

It did always surprise me that she was allowed to publish such details. If you read the updates section of her website it's clear that she hasn't had any contact with many of the subjects of the books since they left her care, sometimes many years previously, so I don't see how she can possibly have gained consent.

She always seems a bit too smug to me - her children were written as being absolutely perfect, Adrian especially - which just wouldn’t be the case in reality; absolute nonsense . That and the dialogue from small children ... I also suspect Damaged might be based in reality but the rest, I think is largely BS peppered with some experience . She writes crime novels under the name Lisa Stone funnily enough.

I don't know but either way they're exploitative rubbish.

I’m ashamed to say that I quite enjoy a ‘Saint Cathy’ audiobook despite them being utter shite 😂

I didn't realise her real identity (Lisa Stone) was in the public domain. That only serves to make the children in her books even more identifiable