Ward of the State

A Memoir of Foster Care

By: Karlos Dillard

Narrated by: Karlos Dillard

Ward of the State: A Memoir of Foster Care tells what happened to a little Black boy from the inner city of Detroit. This is the story of Karlos Dillard, who was severely neglected by his mother, who often left him and his siblings at home alone for weeks to fend for themselves. Enduring severe neglect and abuse, the boy was removed by the State of Michigan and put into foster care. Karlos was removed from his mother's care just to end up in foster homes that treated him worse.

The book is an emotional roller coaster. Every time Karlos describes the pain he is feeling, you will feel the same pain, whether it be hunger, anger, or being sexually violated. Karlos' use of words makes sure that you aren't just hearing the book; you are actually engaged. What is most enticing are the small victories experienced in the story, because they give you a break from the horrors of some of the foster homes. Karlos was told he was not loved, he was not wanted, and he was nothing but a ward of the state. Karlos had nothing left to look forward to, and that almost ended his life, but his hope to find a family that loved him kept him alive.

©2020 Karlos Dillard (P)2021 Karlos Dillard

I am angry

I am so angry about what happened to you. It is an awful place we live in. I’m so glad you rose above it all and is continuing to soar. Be blessed. It is a very good read. I enjoyed it tremendously.

A difficult and necessary read.

Karlos does an amazing job retelling his experiences in foster care. I recommend readers go slow and process, but DO read it.

Our children are abused by a broken system

After listening to this book I’m so broken down with emotions. I cried multiple times and at times my heart felt like it was coming out of my chest over the trauma and the turn a blind eye to what is truly happening with foster care and facilities that house children. When do we start holding people and our government accountable to protect our children! This is a mountain and not a little bump in the road kinda thing, this is everywhere and no one is held to a standard before or after. We are destroying every generation going through the system. This book will have you wondering the why, what and when we will get to right to protect our children.

Must listen

This is definitely a hard book to get through. Not in the matter of how the story is told. But the realness and the rawness of this story is hard to hear. But it is incredibly important to hear! It is very well told and not sugar coated at all. I believe anyone who is thinking about fostering or anything of that nature should absolutely read or listen to this.

Foster care voice that deserves to be heard

Karlos does a phenomenal job. His story isn’t rare and foster voices are commonly dismissed. I couldn’t stop listening. If you are thinking about fostering, adopting, or you were in the system yourself, listen to this book.