Official Review: Kids Kids Kids by Marlene L Burns

[psychopathycathy]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Kids Kids Kids" by Marlene L Burns.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Kids Kids Kids by Marlene Burns is essentially a memoir that follows her journey as a foster parent of over a hundred children in the span of thirty years. It is a book about love, life, and security, and she describes her story through short chapters, tidbits of her life that begin with the arrival of her first foster child and end with her last five. Several chapters cover nostalgic memories that she has with her children, and the book is scattered with photos, documents, and notes from her children that bring the story even more to life.

I very much enjoyed the formatting of the book; although the chapters were short, I felt like I could really understand the characters' personalities through the scenes and pictures that the author shows us. It was touching to see how open and kind the author was and how she connected with all her children. Kids Kids Kids also illustrated the different background that each child had, and we were able to watch them grow within the span of a few paragraphs. The book had a lot of ups and downs; there were fun, playful chapters, but also ones that were heartbreaking and serious, allowing for a great balance.

One part of this book that really stood out to me was the letters from Burns' children that were scattered throughout the book. It was refreshing and intriguing to view the story from a different point of view. I also thought they helped enhance the reader's understanding of the long-lasting connection between the children and parents.

A negative criticism I have is regarding the writing style. The writing was a little awkward and overly simple, and I thought there was too much "tell", not enough "show". Because of this, it sometimes felt like the author was simply listing out physical occurrences, and there was a lot of potential depth that I felt was not explored. I would have liked to see the author extend her writings further into the psychological realm or into the emotional connections she created, which would have helped give the story even more life. Due to these reasons, I rated this book 3 out of 4 stars.

Personally, I've never known what to exactly think of becoming a foster parent. It does sound like something I'd like to do, but at the same time it seems scarily temporary and so fleeting. This book really allowed me to understand the depth of the word "family", and it showed that the memories were permanent. The relationships and connections you make really do last a lifetime. I would recommend this for people who enjoy reading memoirs, or simply for anyone who was interested in the topic; it was a very insightful and thought-provoking read.

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Kids Kids Kids
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Like psychopathycathy's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Asifjamali83]

Hope it will be gone viral

[greenstripedgiraffe]

wow - this is a fascinating topic. sounds like a good glimpse into foster care, the joys and sorrows, the good and the bad. I've always wanted to do this, but am not in a situation that could. Thank you for your review!

[kandscreeley]

I can only imagine the stories she has to tell, the ups and downs. Sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for the review.

[MarisaRose]

Great job on the review! This sounds like a fascinating read just based on the topic. I'm glad the author decided to share her experiences through this book. Too bad the writing seemed a little simple at times - that could definitely be bothersome. Great job on the review

[Oanaread]

It sounds like a delicate subject to deal with. I'm interested in fostering myself so it seems like a good book to read. Thank you for reviewing it.

[Shreyoshi Sen]

Very nice review. But I don't really read such stories. Thanks for the review anyways.

[Elaine5]

I love be reading non fiction, but I have had similar experiences to what you describe here. Authors sometimes describe events very well but they miss the emotions and self examination that we are looking for when we read such memoirs. Thanks for your review.

[shazia ahmed hussain]

wow - this is a fascinating topic.Sounds like an interesting book.thanks

[Ceciltrixiedom]

I will surely love this book.Through your review, i love it already.It seems i am already on the pages of the book not realizing i am just reading a review of it! Well, i love kids, i have 4 children in my first husband and a year old daughter in my recent one. In short, i really love kids! But becoming a foster one is a difficult one. I just read story about foster parents, even watch movie about them and i felt the difficulty ..the burden in the parent's part.
"I very much enjoyed the formatting of the book; although the chapters were short, I felt like I could really understand the characters' personalities through the scenes and pictures that the author shows us."
(I love how you reiterate this in your review. It arouses my interest then.)

[mistysnow]

This sounds like a really good book. To be a foster parent to that many children is truly an accomplishment. It takes a special person to step into these shoes. There are so many children in the system today, so many need people like this woman. Awesome review. Thank you, I am going to add this to my bookshelf as one that I want to read.

[katiesquilts]

When I was in high school, I went through a phase where I researched everything I could about fostering kids, the requirements for being a foster family, etc. However, after reading a few memoirs by foster moms, I realized that fostering is so much different than raising your own kids. Now that I'm older, I'd be interested in reading more of the same genre to see if my opinion or way of thinking has changed over the years.

[Ceciltrixiedom]

Having children is fun and a sign of womanhood.It measures your expertise in rearing children. Fostering children is more difficult than having an own ones. So that, i salute foster parents. Mistysnow is correct."It takes a special person to step into these shoes."

[gali]

It sounds like an insightful and thought-provoking read. It is good the book shed some light on the subject of fostering. Too bad about the style of writing, though. Thank you for the review!

[GCamer]

Thanks for the honest review. Though you mentioned that the writing seemed simple, I guess the author's experience is already interesting that I would like to check the book out.