Summer time = summer reading
By Erica Fischer-Kaslander
Summer isn’t just sunshine, swimming, and the chime of ice cream trucks, it’s also a time to recharge your advocacy soul, reflect on your purpose as a CASA volunteer, and recommit to our critical work of uplifting children and families.
Whether soaking up the sun or escaping the heat indoors, here’s a curated Child Focus Summer Reading and Listening List for everyone immersed in child advocacy. These books and podcasts will inspire, inform, and invigorate you for the rest of the year.
First, the books:
The Deepest Well by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
Foundational book on how childhood adversity shapes lifelong health. California’s first surgeon general combines science and story to explain long-term impacts of trauma, and what we can do to heal.
Grief is Love by Marisa Renee Lee
A tender, honest exploration of how grief — especially for children in the system — isn’t something to fix but something to understand. It’s an essential read for advocates working with youth experiencing loss.
What Happened to You? by Dr. Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey
A conversational book that reframes behaviors through a trauma lens. It’s an accessible, heart-centered read for those wanting to deepen and strengthen their trauma-informed approach.
A Place Called Home by David Ambroz
This memoir by a former foster youth turned national child welfare advocate is heartbreaking, hopeful, and galvanizing. It’s a must-read for all those in the trenches: CASA volunteers, social workers, and policy advocates.
The Connected Parent by Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls
This practical and heartfelt guide for parenting or advocating for children from hard places blends therapeutic strategies with real stories that resonate.
Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family by Mark Daley
This memoir is heartfelt and humorous, as a gay couple shares navigation of the foster system. It’s been praised for vivid storytelling and insight into foster parenting’s emotional complexities.
Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class by Rob Henderson
Henderson shares a personal journey from California foster homes to Yale and Cambridge universities, exploring social class, resilience, and how identity is shaped by foster care.
And now, some podcasts:
The Trauma Stewardship Institute Podcast
This newer podcast expands on Laura van Dernoot Lipsky’s work and supports professionals in managing secondary trauma and staying grounded.
In the Balance: Parenting, Pedagogy & Policy
A thoughtful podcast exploring the intersection of parenting and advocacy, featuring expert guests and powerful family stories. It’s a great option for advocates who also are parents.
CASA on the Go (by Texas CASA)
Bite-sized, field-specific insights for CASA volunteers and child welfare professionals. If you’re short on time but long on passion, check it out.
Unlocking Us with Brené Brown, selected episodes
Though not solely focused on child advocacy, Brené’s episodes on vulnerability, leadership, and boundaries are gold to be mined for child advocates and nonprofit leaders.
The Imprint Weekly Podcast
The Imprint is a leading news source on child welfare and youth justice and its podcast examines current events and policies affecting the children we serve each day.
Finally, a top pic of each, for reflection and rest
Wintering by Katherine May
For those needing permission to pause and restore, especially after a hard case or season, this reflective book reminds us that rest is not a luxury, it is essential.
On Being with Krista Tippett
This podcast delves into deep conversations about being human, leading with compassion, and navigating broken systems; perfect for long summer walks or quiet moments of reflection.
Whether you tote a memoir to your beach vacation or queue up a podcast for your commute, let’s use the summer to relax, learn, reflect, and recommit. Our kids are depending on it, and they deserve advocates who are informed, inspired, and whole. That last part? It begins with taking care of ourselves and growing in our work.
If you’ve got a favorite child advocacy book or podcast not on our list, please reach out and share it with us. I’d love to build a community bookshelf together.
Happy reading and listening!
Erica
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Erica Fischer-Kaslander is Executive Director of Child Focus. Based in Wayne, Child Focus prioritizes the needs and well-being of infants, children, and teens impacted by or at risk of abuse and neglect by amplifying their voices and working toward lasting, permanent solutions that address their unique situations and provide the support needed to thrive. This critical work is accomplished through three distinct but complementary programs: CASA of Passaic and Union Counties, NJ Safe Babies Court Team, and the Open Door Store. For information, log on to www.childfocusnj.org.