Adoption interests of the child?

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You can’t judge a book by its cover.  That is what A Fool for You, Melanie Schuster’s novel taught me.  I bought it knowing very well that there would be a happy ending.  What I didn’t know was that it was going to teach me about social services, adoption and homelessness.

The romance between John and Nina is the foundation, a unique foundation at that.  Nina is the ghost writer.  John is the brilliant psychoanalyst who has just discovered his biological father.  John, an African American, was brought up by his adoptive parents in Mexico who left him a fortune.

The novel is basically about John’s rare disease and how his half-brother saves his life through organ donation.  It is also about John’s new-found family  in the U.S. who are as rich as the Johnson family that started publications such as Ebony.

Throughout all this romance and wealth, lies a story about social services, foster homes and adoption.  How does social services determine what is in the best interest of the child?  Does social services follow up to see if the child is well-taken care of in the foster home?

The novel reminded me how lucky I was to have parents, aunts, uncles and two sets of grandparents.

Nonqaba waka Msimang is the author of Sweetness the novel.

www.dorrancebookstore.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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