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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