Fall or Fly: The Strangely Hopeful Story of Foster Care and Adoption in Appalachia

by Wendy Welch

Overview

Chaos. Frustration. Compassion. Desperation. Hope. These are the five words that author Wendy Welch says best summarize the state of foster care in the coalfields of Appalachia. Her assessment is based on interviews with more than sixty social workers, parents, and children who have gone through “the system.” The riveting stories in Fall or Fly tell what foster care is like, from the inside out.

In depictions of foster care and adoption, stories tend to cluster at the dark or light ends of the spectrum, rather than telling the day-to-day successes and failures of families working to create themselves. Who raises other people’s children? Why? What’s money got to do with it when the love on offer feels so real? And how does the particular setting of Appalachia—itself so frequently oversimplified or stereotyped—influence the way these questions play out?

In Fall or Fly, Welch invites people bound by a code of silence to open up and to share their experiences. Less inspiration than a call to caring awareness, this pioneering work of storytelling journalism explores how love, compassion, money, and fear intermingle in what can only be described as a marketplace for our nation’s greatest asset.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780821423011
Publisher:	Ohio University Press
Publication date:	01/08/2018
Edition description:	1
Pages:	198
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Wendy Welch is the executive director of the Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium and the author, coauthor, or editor of six books, including Fall or Fly: The Strangely Hopeful Story of Foster Care and Adoption in Appalachia (also from Ohio University Press). She advocates for social justice in health care and other critical areas of development across Appalachia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction Welcome to Coalton 1

1 Looking for Love-and Babies 12

2 A Different Kind of Love Than I Wanted 21

3 Through the Eyes of a Child 30

4 Two Reboot Camps 47

5 Doing Good, Well 59

6 For Love or Money 70

7 What's Love Got to Do with It? 88

8 Love, Understanding, and Fecal Matter 98

9 Aging Out 115

10 Cursed Be the Ties That Bind 131

11 The Day Barbie Became a Social Worker 139

12 The Day Beth Stopped Being a Social Worker 148

13 Why People Don't Foster, and Why They Do 156

14 Look for the Sunshine, not the Rain Clouds 166

15 Finale 171

Notes 179

Additional Resources 183

Editorial Reviews

“Fall or Fly is a compelling, unvarnished glimpse into the complex world of foster care and adoption in modern-day Appalachia. Dr. Welch provides readers with a multifaceted view of the system through the eyes of children, foster parents, and caseworkers. It will surely become a treasured resource, not only for those interested in becoming foster or adoptive parents but for those who desire a more complete understanding of the foster care system.”—Senator Bill Carrico, Virginia State Legislature


“Fall or Fly offers a broad view of foster care in Appalachia…. Providing multiple perspectives alongside one another preserves tensions and contradictions that are necessary for (Welch’s) thorough exploration of foster care and adoption…. Welch provides … multiple stories and personal observations that have sometimes been missing from mainstream debate.”—Appalachian Journal


“This book zeroes in on the foster care and adoption system in the Appalachian coalfields. It tells the story with an adept combination of close looks at the experiences of the three parties involved—the kids, the social workers, and the courts.”—Appalachian Mountain Books

From the Publisher