To the End of June

The Intimate Life of American Foster Care

By: Cris Beam

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Who are the children of foster care? What, as a country, do we owe them? Cris Beam, a foster mother herself, spent five years immersed in the world of foster care looking into these questions and tracing firsthand stories.

The result is To the End of June, an unforgettable portrait that takes us deep inside the lives of foster children in their search for a stable, loving family. Beam shows us the intricacies of growing up in the system - the back-and-forth with agencies, the rootless shuffling between homes, the emotionally charged tug between foster and birth parents, the terrifying push out of foster care and into adulthood.

Humanizing and challenging a broken system, To the End of June offers a tribute to resiliency and hope for real change.

©2013 Cris Beam (P)2018 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A very moving, powerful look at a system charged with caring for nearly half a million children across the US." (Booklist, Starred Review)

Ok- a good read if you’re not familiar with the foster care system

Kind of boring at times. I wish there would have been a Greater emphasis on following the kids and families she discussed. Maybe more interesting if the reader lives in the Northeast.

Educational and intriguing

Inspires you to want to get involved. Incredible listening to the author following up on each kid.

Well worth the time

I commend the author for her dedication to telling this story and providing the level of background information and detail it contains. I want to come back and listen to this one again. I really enjoyed and valued the way the actual viewpoints of many foster children themselves were included and at the center of the work throughout the narrative. Great listen for anyone involved in the system.

Very informative!

I didn’t know much about the foster care system and this book is a great starting point! It gives a lot of insight into the system, it’s history, theories behind it and follow a few foster families and kids through their foster journey. It was very informative and I really enjoyed it!

Insightful and unbiased.

The book is very well done and inclusive of all sides within the system. The reader does a good job as well.