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Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Author
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAID, " At the tender age of 22, Ashley Rhodes-Courter is living a pretty fantastic life. She's attractive, well-spoken and college-educated, with doting parents and a newly published memoir that's generating national buzz. But how she got there is the real story, vividly chronicled in a book that recounts her journey from neglected, abused orphan stuck in Florida's overburdened foster care system, to articulate, respected activist who has commanded the attention of judges, members of Congress and even the president of the United States."
Ashley Rhodes-Courter was born in North Carolina on November 22, 1985 and entered foster care in 1989. Over the next nine years, she lived in 14 placements including two institutions. Several of the foster homes were horribly over-crowded and Ashley endured years of physical and emotional abuse. She was finally rescued by her court-appointed child advocate who helped find her an adoptive family when she was 12.
Somehow Ashley found the courage to succeed, and in doing so, discovered a happy home life and the power of her own voice. Her memoir, Three Little Words, began as an essay which won The New York Times Magazine writing contest for high school students. This memoire was a way to piece together the puzzle of her past and also to thank those who step-parent, foster and adopt children every day. An advocate for adoption, Ashley has been featured in Teen People, Glamour, and USA Today.
AWARDS :
- USA TODAY All-USA Academic Team
- BRICK Award: "outstanding advocacy for community change"
- GLAMOUR magazine's "Top Ten College Women"
- 2004 Youth Advocate of the Year (North American Council on Adoption)
- The Child Welfare League of America Kids "National Service" Grand Prize
- "Angels in Adoption" from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute
For more information, visit http://www.rhodes-courter.com
"Nine years in the foster care system could ruin a kid. But [Ashley] not only survived, she's thrived."
"The author's ability to form intelligent, open-minded conclusions about her traumatic childhood demonstrates her remarkable control and insight, and although there are plenty of wrenching moments, she succeeds not in attracting pity but in her stated intention, of drawing attention to the children who currently share the plight that she herself overcame."
"Nine years in the foster care system could ruin a kid. But [Ashley] not only survived, she's thrived."
"The author's ability to form intelligent, open-minded conclusions about her traumatic childhood demonstrates her remarkable control and insight, and although there are plenty of wrenching moments, she succeeds not in attracting pity but in her stated intention, of drawing attention to the children who currently share the plight that she herself overcame."
"Quiet scenes cut deepest: the author's description of her only after-school visit to a friend's home lingers heartbreakingly in one's mind. This gifted young writer's moving and eye-opening story will especially appeal to fans of Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle and David Pelzer's autobiographical books."
"Ashley Rhodes-Courter is triumphant in her quest to overcome insurmountable odds. I celebrate her courage to seek out the best in humanity in spite of its failings."
- Making a Difference: How one individual can change the course of a child’s life
- Keys to My Kingdom: School as Sanctuary; Teachers as Mentors
- Mentors Education is Forever: Fighting for a Future
