Wards of the State

The Long Shadow of American Foster Care

Told through the stories of six former foster youth, a jolting exploration of a broken system from an award-winning journalist

By the time Maryanne was 16 years old, she had been arrested for murder. In and out of foster and adoptive homes since age 10, she’d run away, been trafficked and assaulted, and finally pointed a gun at the latest man to take her into his car. She pulled the trigger and fled. But with no family to turn to and few reliable friends, it didn’t take long for the police to catch up with her.

In court, the defense blamed neither traffickers, nor Maryanne, but Washington state itself—or rather, its foster care system, which parents thousands of children every year. The courts didn’t listen to that argument, but award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe did. Washington state isn’t alone, of course. Each year, hundreds of thousands of children grow up in America’s $30 billion foster care system, only to leave and enter its prisons, where a quarter of all inmates are former foster youth.

Weaving Maryanne’s story with those of five other foster kids across the country—including an 18-year-old sleeping on the New York City subways; a gangbanger-turned graduate student; and a foster child who is now a policy advisor to the White House—Rowe paints a visceral survival narrative showing exactly where, when, and how the system channels children into locked cells. Balanced with accounts from psychologists, advocates, judges, and foster parents, Wards of the State paves a road to reform by pulling back the curtain on our country’s longstanding foster care-to-prison pipeline and the searing realities faced by kids who may be sitting in classrooms next to your own children.

“An eloquent and compelling call for change."—Booklist

©2025 Claudia Rowe (P)2025 Recorded Books

Outstanding journalism

A harrowing portrait of the American foster care system. Rowe’s writing is gripping and honest. Stories will stay with you and hopefully command an overhaul to this system and the way the government provides aid to families and courts view impoverished families.

eye opening

Great research, interviews, and well written. A topic I knew nothing about, and am forever grateful to have learned. This is a must read, especially if you want to make a difference in a young person's life.

Great stories

Great format and stories summarize the negative impact foster care has on children. A very informative book that inspires me to advocate for change.

Everyone needs to read this book!

Just what I said-everyone needs to read this book-it’s a start to understanding the long term impact of trauma on children’s brains. It doesn’t excuse behavior but it explains it. Systems change is needed!

Understanding the broken system

The clear description of chain of events of the foster system was fascinating. The historical context of how the child protection system started was also very helpful.
Heart breaking stories.