We all have a need to be seen. There are significant differences in developmental outcomes between children who are seen and those who are unseen. Statistics paint an ugly picture for the fate of foster children: about 40-50 percent of "aged-out" children become homeless within 18 months; almost 50 percent of prison inmates have been in foster homes; and foster children suffer six times the rate of PTSD found in the general population. Author Roger Saillant was a product of the foster care system in the 1950s. In this poignant memoir, he describes his journey with no shortage of emotional baggage, constantly doubting himself and wondering why he is being moved from place to place. Why doesn't anybody want him? Did he do something wrong? What's the matter with him? He lives life on a farm where the only thing that matters to his foster father is whether his work gets done - with no regard for the typical nurturing and experiences of a growing child. In The Power of Being Seen, Roger Saillant describes acutely his feelings of abandonment, helplessness, anger, resentment, and hopelessness to the point of contemplating suicide, but the values instilled by many caring adults make this a story of optimism, vision, creativity, courage, sensitivity, and, most of all, inspiration.
