Three Little Words: A Memoir

What a fantastic book! I read it in two settings, eager to get to the end. Then found I had a billion and one questions. I have since read her second book which answered most of them. This story is gripping, and hard (mentally) to read. Must have been a million times harder to live. I knew our Foster Care System was broken, but this sheds a spotlight on some very serious issues. I must admit that several (dozen) times when reading the book the word BRAT entered my mind. But then when I read the author was only 17 when she finished the first draft it explained it all. Don't get me wrong, I can totally feel compassion for her situation and how she handled it, but her need for everything to be ''perfect'' was a little annoying. But that is soooo a teenager! Makes perfect sense.I loved this book. It was well written, easy to read, and thoroughly captured my attention. I quickly ordered the second book and it does not disappoint either. I see others saying this first one is better, or the second one is better, but I think they are both fantastic. They are written a bit differently but Ashley has grown up, both mentally and physically, and it really shows.Kudos to her for continuing to be an advocate for children who really have no one to speak for them. The courage Ashley and her husband have shown is amazing. And a big HATS OFF to Gay & Phil Courter who had the guts, the courage, and the endless supply of love needed to take on Ashley.

Very informative. This book is an eye opener into the Foster Care System. Thank you Ashley for sharing your stories.

Yesterday, my laundry hamper was full to overflowing demanding attention as I opened this book. I had seen the author on Good Morning America, and this seemed like an interesting story.As I started to read thoughts of laundry disappeared, as I was riveted by this compelling story, of a little girl who just wanted to be loved by her mother, or a family.I could not put this book down until I finished.It was like I was there looking on as she went through these various ordeals/ adventures.If you are considering adopting or fostering a child, this book is a must. As you read, you will understand what these children have to go through. That understanding brings compassion. You will also understand what would be parents go through because both sides of the story are told effectively.If you work in childcare services, this ought to be required reading.If you are like me, this is an inspiring story about surviving and succeeding against the odds. You may notice this story has a mythical quality, reminiscent of other stories like Oliver Twist, a Roald Dahl story, or even Anne of Green Gables or Harry Potter which the author refers to, except this is for real.It is shocking to me how a system which is designed to protect children, can fail so miserably at times. How is it possible for a home that is only licensed to have two children end up with 10. How come foster children end up living in a trailer? The children do not have a voice that is heard.I particularly commend Gay Courter her adoptive mother who also persisted against the odds, where some adoptive parents would have given up. She ended up with a remarkable child who has written a remarkable book, who I feel sure will continue to be a voice for foster children, and orphans.Hope this was useful.

A good book about turning a negative beginning into a positive outcome Praying for the same for Luke and the other children in this book

Three Little Words is a memoir about a woman named Ashley Rhodes-Courter. She experienced what life is like as a foster child. She was born to a 17 year-old girl that couldn’t take care of her in the proper way. Ashley was taken from her mother because her mother was on drugs. She barely remembers having a baby brother before she was taken away. His name was Thomas, and he apparently died in his sleep. Ashley’s mom put him in a box and buried him without telling anybody. She also had a little brother named Luke. One day the police came, arrested Ashley’s mom, and took Luke and Ashley away. They were put in different foster homes. Ashley loved her mom, and her mom loved her in a strange way. Her mom later got out of jail, but her visits to Ashley were rare. She always promised to get her back though. She was always thinking that her mom would take her back in an instant, but she never did. Ashley discovered many foster homes. Her favorite was at her grandfather’s house, not because of him, but because of his girlfriend, Adele. She was there with Luke, and they enjoyed it very much. Adele loved them with all her heart, and did what a good mother would do. She got her 2 dolls, which Ashley never wanted to let go. Eventually, she wasn’t allowed to stay at her grandfather and Adele’s house anymore. Her grandfather had been shot and couldn’t take care of the children, and Adele didn’t have the legal right to care for the children in the first place. After a few more regular foster homes that Ashley didn’t mind, she was sent to the Moss’s house. There were lots of foster kids in that house. There, she was abused. She was forced to run in the heat in Florida without water, yanked out of bed by her hair, had her face pushed into her own throw up, and not fed meals as a punishment. Her brother had hot sauce forced down his throat too. Her dolls were put in a shed, and never seen again. Whenever people would come visit, Mrs. Moss would put on an act that made everyone think she was a great foster mom. When Ashley complained to her caseworker, a man that was supposed to make sure that she was O.K., he didn’t believe her. During all of this time, her mom kept promising that Ashely would be able to live with her again. Ashley wanted to live with her so bad. But her mom wouldn’t do what the courts said that she needed to do to get her children back. She wouldn’t take the parenting classes and she kept getting arrested for drugs. She loved her children, but not enough to change. After being in foster care for 7 years in thirteen homes, Ashley moved to the Children’s Home of Tampa. There were counselors there that really cared about her. She also got a new caseworker that did what was best for Ashley. She made it so Ashely’s mom did not have any rights to her or her brother anymore. Ashley was sad, but this made it so that she could one day be adopted, and not be in foster care anymore. A couple, Phil and Gay Courter, who worked with the Children’s Home of Tampa, had been keeping an eye on Ashley for months. They considered adopting her. They gradually spent more and more time with her, and then they finally asked to adopt her. She agreed and moved in with them. They were good parents and loved her very much. Ashley wouldn’t love them back though. She was secretly afraid that they would want to return her, and she didn’t want her feelings hurt. She was extra mean to her new mom. Even though Ashley misbehaved, they loved her anyway. She finally realized that she was going to be their daughter forever. Ashely shared all of the bad things that had been done to her at the Moss’s house, and how her old caseworker didn’t ever do anything to help her. Ashley, with the help of her new parents, sued the state of Florida for not keeping her safe, and sued the Mosses for abuse. She tried to get the other foster children to sue them also, but she couldn’t ever find them. Unfortunately, Mrs. Moss put on her “super foster mom” act and Ashley lost. Ashley had always been a good student, and a great writer. Her great writing ability made it so that she could meet J.K. Rowling after winning a Harry Potter essay contest. She also gave public speeches about the problems with foster care. While she was in college, she wrote this book, Three Little Words. This book made me realize how difficult some kids’ lives are. I’ve heard of children being in foster care, but I didn’t really know what it was like. It made me sad that a child’s own mom wouldn’t take care of her. Then she’s taken from her mother, but not really taken care of, then, either. It also makes me thankful for having a family that loves and takes care of me.

This is an amazing book! I think that Ashley really helped us to understand just a little bit the experiences that she lived. I read this book in a very short while as I couldn’t put it down. It makes me realize how important foster parents can make a positive or negative impact on a child’s life.

Great read, once you start it is hard to leave it down. Hard to believe these things happened but as a true story it makes you think , very sad also

Good book,very disturbing to think of the many children lost to foster care and a very broken system!

I could not put this book down. Although Ashley had a sad and hard life. She is intelligent and brave. Thank you for sharing your life. I wish you well for the future

As someone who knows what it is like going through the system. This is definitely a good step into seeing into the foster care world. Though this is one of the happier kinds of stories, know that in real life things are not always happy endings for people like this. Overall easy read and well done.