In A Place Called Home, Ambroz details his life growing up homeless with his older brother and sister and his mentally ill mother. For anyone who has a hard time reading about children suffering (probably everyone), it's a difficult read. I had to keep reminding myself that I knew that Ambroz made it through because he eventually ended up in college--sharing an apartment with my friend. But Ambroz is a young child who is often hungry, cold, and abused. With heroic effort, Ambroz is finally able to get away from his abusive mother and into foster care, but a number of his foster situations are even worse in some ways.
One thing that shocked me was how often people knew or saw Ambroz being abused, and they didn't take action. At a family shelter for abused women, Ambroz's mother was kicked out because of her abuse but nothing was done to protect the children. Twice, social workers came to investigate, and both times they asked him if he was abused in front of his mother! What do you expect him to do in that situation?
One thing that struck me about Ambroz was his focus on action. Throughout his childhood, he was focused on making a better life for himself. He wrote this book to show people what growing up poor and living in the foster system was like. He wants to make the system better. When he hears people complain, he non-judgmentally asks what we can do to make it better. It's very motivating. I was also moved by how he was able to forgive his mother and care for her now. Grasping how mental illness affects someone is difficult--especially when that person has hurt you multiple times.
I was very impressed by Ambroz's writing and his willingness to dredge through his painful past in order to help others. Recommended.
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