Jackie
asked
Janet Fitch:
Hi Janet, I read White Oleander as a teenager, and it made me want to become a foster parent. Now, in my 30s, my husband and I are training to welcome our first foster child. What do you hope prospective foster parents learn from your book? What is your own experience with foster care?
Janet Fitch
Hi Jackie!
so sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you! The new book has consumed me. Congratulations on choosing to become foster parents, that's awesome! I guess what I hope a prospective foster parent would learn from my book is to be aware of the life the child has already lived, how scared they are, how much their experience needs to be respected. how important it is to understand how vulnerable they are, and what they hope for in a foster home, and how they might be skeptical of people's good will--that it's never what you say, it's what you do. How you come through.
My own experience with foster care is second hand--I had two friends when I was growing up, one who went into foster care when her elderly parents died, a care taking aunt died, and her brother, who she lived with afterwards, was arrested. The other friend was a foster daughter, a girl I knew in high school. The rest was research.
Hope it's going well!
so sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you! The new book has consumed me. Congratulations on choosing to become foster parents, that's awesome! I guess what I hope a prospective foster parent would learn from my book is to be aware of the life the child has already lived, how scared they are, how much their experience needs to be respected. how important it is to understand how vulnerable they are, and what they hope for in a foster home, and how they might be skeptical of people's good will--that it's never what you say, it's what you do. How you come through.
My own experience with foster care is second hand--I had two friends when I was growing up, one who went into foster care when her elderly parents died, a care taking aunt died, and her brother, who she lived with afterwards, was arrested. The other friend was a foster daughter, a girl I knew in high school. The rest was research.
Hope it's going well!
More Answered Questions
Nicole D'Settēmi
asked
Janet Fitch:
Janet, my favorite novel is White Oleander. There are so many influences I see in it from other stories and books/writers/etc, am I correct with the following (just to name a few)...?: 1-Invisible Monsters 2-The Diaries of Anais Nin (Multiple Volumes & portraits, especially June Miller-to-Ingrid 3-Anne Sexton's story-to-Ingrid, as well 4-Audrey Hepburn/Jean Sebert-helped paint Claire's portrait
Katharine
asked
Janet Fitch:
I just read White Oleander and was moved by it as I haven't been moved by a work of fiction for a very long time. Who were some of your inspirations for the character of Ingrid? I'm a huge fan of Edna St. Vincent Millay and Ingrid reminded me of her in some ways: her magnetism, selfishness, etc. I also enjoyed your poetic style of writing! Have you published any poetry?
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