Although I was a foster child, I have not toiled in the foster care system like so many selfless social workers and foster parents. Accordingly I'm not a critic of the system; rather I'm one of its beneficiaries. Nevertheless, I've given a lifetime of thought to questions regarding my foster care experience, including: "What could I have done to make the job of my social workers and foster parents easier?" and "What could they have done to help me prepare for a successful adulthood?" I answer these questions and many more in The Original Foster Care Survival Guide.

As a teenager, I began my search for a foster care survival guide--a book to guide me through my hardships and prepare me for a successful adulthood--like the military survival manuals that teach soldiers how to prevail over an enemy. I desperately sought but never found that guide. So in the years that followed I had to become my own guide, the scared leading the blind, struggling long and hard to find my place in the world. Eventually, like some of the hundreds of thousands of foster kids before me, I learned how to overcome my harsh beginning. Since then I have graduated from college and law school, the pain of my early hardship is far behind me, and I thoroughly enjoy my life.

Despite my successful adulthood, I remember my early desire and need for that foster care survival guide. Because I perceive this particular need still exists, I wrote The Original Foster Care Survival Guide with as few words as possible, for both the foster teen and foster care professional, as a guide to the minimum, specific wisdom and knowledge the average foster teen needs in order to make a successful transition into an equally successful adulthood. Initially only the Introduction and Chapter One will be available through this website. Whether you are a foster teen, former foster kid, mentor, or foster care professional please read the Introduction. The Introduction orients you to the story and unusual format, as well as explains how to use and learn from The Original Foster Care Survival Guide. I will post each chapter until the entire book is available online.

I believe that by providing access to the minimum, specific wisdom and knowledge you need to make a successful transition into adulthood, you will help yourself realize your dreams of a successful adulthood. In addition, I am confident this book will prove to be a powerful tool in helping the average teen make a successful transition to an equally successful adulthood. Why am I so confident? Because in making my own transition from foster care to successful adult, I have personally tested and validated every concept presented here by Sage and her friends. If you eventually agree with me, I ask that you tell other foster teens and professionals where to find The Original Foster Care Survival Guide.

Best Regards,
Paul Enrique Knowlton
Decatur, GA