Sunshine Girl, the memoir
Sunshine Girl on A Rainy Day is a memoir about growing up as a female in the foster care system. The story arc follows many universal teenage experiences such as entering puberty, coping with cliques and venturing into the realms of physical intimacy.
What is specific about my personal experiences is that they occurred within the context of a group foster home.
My mother died when I was ten years old. My father remarried the following year. When his new wife asked my father to choose between the two of us, his choice was to abandon me.
From ages twelve to sixteen, I grew up in a series of temporary placements, including an all-girls group home, a coed group home and an emergency shelter.
Adolescence is typically a time of emotional upheaval. Coming of age, losing virginity and experiencing first love are experiences with which many teen and adult readers can identify. However, the identity crises that all teens face are compounded by the stigma of being in institutional care.
From the moment that I entered foster care placement, I crossed the threshold into a dark, new world. I was no longer my father's child; I had taken on a new identity. I was a “group home girl,” and group home girls were reportedly “easy.”
Sunshine Girl on a Rainy Day is an account of abandonment and its aftermath. It documents the challenges that I experienced in a series of temporary placements and how unprepared I was to enter the adult world.
