Fostered: One Woman’s Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family through Foster Care

Fostered by Tori Hope Petersen is more than a memoir — it’s a miracle in motion. This book is a deeply moving, faith-filled journey that chronicles the life of a young woman who should have become another statistic, but instead became a stunning testament to God’s redeeming power. Tori’s story is raw, riveting, and redemptive. Born into chaos, shuffled through 12 foster homes, and carrying the wounds of rejection, identity struggles, and trauma, her life paints a portrait of brokenness that many foster children know all too well. Yet, what sets this book apart is not just her survival — it’s her surrender. Time and again, Tori points not to her own strength, but to the unfailing hand of Christ who lifted her from despair to destiny. Her writing is unflinchingly honest but filled with hope. It doesn’t gloss over the pain or the injustice of the foster care system, but neither does it drown in bitterness. Instead, it offers healing — for the fostered, the foster parents, the forgotten, and even the faithful who wonder whether God still moves in impossible places. This is a must-read for those in ministry, social work, parenting, or anyone wrestling with their place in the world. Through Tori’s eyes, you will see the Father’s heart for the orphan, the marginalized, and the broken. And through her voice, you’ll be reminded that no story is too messy, no past too painful, and no person too far gone for God to redeem. By the final page, Fostered will do more than move you — it will call you to believe again in the God who makes all things new.

I have represented children in foster care as an attorney ad litem for years. I’ve also fostered and adopted through the foster-care system. Over the years, I have tried to find people who were in foster care and lived through adverse childhood experience who, perhaps now as adults, can tell me what we need to do to help more and what we need to change. Tori’s story is brave. She is open not only about the trauma she lived through, but the direct effects that trauma had on her childhood, development, and life now as an adult. She CLEARLY tells us what needs to change in our foster-care system. (And I hope we listen.) But she does something more — she offers compassion to the natural parents caught up in the system. They’re humans in search of help, love, and acceptance as well. And when you dig deeper into their stories, you’ll learn the traumatic and adverse circumstances of their life stories. But for the grace of God… Toward the end of the book, she offers two provoking thoughts that have stayed with me and demand more attention: (1) If you are pro-life, when a woman tells you she’s pregnant, regardless of your opinion regarding the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy, “how is it possible that when she chooses life — when she chooses what the pro-life movement always wants people to choose — her child is not celebrated as a soul made in God’s image? A soul that mattered?” And (2) With regard to the mother who has had her children taken away and put in foster care: “Few people are brave enough to care for her children, and even fewer are brave enough to take care of her…. I see that there are loving families for children, but there aren’t loving communities ready to wrap around parents who lose their children.” I encourage you to read this book and honestly think how we can all do something.

This book is a must read! Whether you are religious or not, this book is bound to inspire you. Despite the trauma the narrator deftly narrates, this story contagiously brims with hope! The story instructs on how to keep a higher vision regardless of adversity, a narrative arc that can be widely adopted by readers into their own lives. The generosity of spirit Tori Hope Petersen demonstrates is also instructive about forgiveness. You'll feel so engaged throughout. This books makes for a worthy companion. Many kudos to the author (and her faith, and her higher power) for transcendence and worthwhile writerly gifts. A bonus is that this book also instructs about the American foster care system, which will equip you to be a better citizen or perhaps, depending about your profession, a better professional (policy makers, social workers, physicians, mental health therapists, teachers, school administrators, etc. etc.). This book deserves awards and accolades. What a gift. Specifically, this book makes for a good gift to adult survivors of dysfunctional homes/families (whether a part of the foster care system or not), who may from these pages glean the possibility of forgiveness and the ability to move forward into their own lives and their own hopes and dreams at an accelerated pace. Fostered should sit beside Michelle Obama's Becoming at the bookstores, since both books capably and knowledgeably lift readers into a realm of possibility and hope. Enjoy!

I recommend this book if you are looking for a glimpse into the life of a former foster youth that has broken the cycle and gone on to do amazing things. It is a short read and being the first revision it has some editing mistakes, but none the less powerful and inspiring. She is a strong, bold woman of God and I thank her for being brave enough to share her life with us.

I bought this book because it looked like a reading that I would enjoy. I’m a Christian. Licensed therapist. Social Worker by education and work as an adjunct for the Social Work department I graduated from as well. My book arrived Monday and despite having a lot going on with sick kids, I finished it 4 days later! But I wanted to add- that while my intention had been to read something that connected a population I care about, with my faith, I have also gleaned so much more. In the past few years I have been able to follow birth parents (first parents), many former foster youth, advocates, and a variety of foster parents through social media and research. As I was reading, I found highlights that would make so much sense to share with my students. When we talk about “getting the stakeholders to be involved in policy and systemic change” we mean the kids/ clients/ patients/ etc. I am excited to be able to share with them Tori’s ideas about systemic change. Her delivery of the problems in the systems they are involved in, is so direct AND tactful. One of the pushbacks I have heard from other social workers when I ask “what about bringing in a former youth to…” is that they have tried and it is unsuccessful because “they end up being unpredictable” and there is implication that the providers are uncomfortable with sharing messages that aren’t positive. BUT- it is our job (providers/ social workers) to sit with that discomfort. To check it out. To see what we can do with it. Not to hide it away. And I feel, I can use what I am reading to really highlight these needs- from a “stakeholder’s perspective” - in a way that they can be HEARD. And the bonus is Tori is offering some of the potential solutions! Which is amazing. What an impact this could make. Also- if you’re a Christian (new or long-standing) this is for you. There are such important reminders about how we don’t change magically overnight when we come to know God. There are reminders about how to actually love people the way Christ calls us to. It’s just a great read. So regardless of who you are, this book really is for you. And I invite you to read it (with a pen or highlighter) and when you find parts that can build you up- mark it! And when you find parts that challenge you- sit with it. Be willing to explore it more. If you’re a Christian then ask God to open you up to what He wants you to do with it.

I could barely lay this book down and finished it in a couple hours! It's written in story form, with some of the author's thoughts, as well as factual information, about what was going on in the story-- the why behind her behaviors. Tori's day-to-day true life vignettes helped me to better understand trauma and the way it presents itself. Her story was easy to follow--creating an understanding of how pain, trauma, and, then, acting out, all mix together, helping caregivers realize what's going on in the mind of a child with trauma in their past. My mom ran away from an abusive home at the age of 13 and was lovingly taken in by young parents with 3 little boys. She was fostered there till the age of 18 when she aged out, and got married within 10 days of each other. I'm proud of my mom and my grandparents--they all have big, courageous hearts, and resilience in fostering and being fostered. My grandpa and grandma made my mom their family--and we're still close today. Knowing my mom's story especially helped me resonate with Tori's. The church that my husband and I pastor has its share of trauma stories--and it can get emotionally draining at times. Tori's story rekindled hope within my heart that God is still redeeming and will keep pursuing through tough trauma, and even mistakes that I and other caregivers may make.

I stumbled on this book while searching for foster-care related resources. Fostered isn’t your typical autobiography. The style in which Tori narrates her life story is somewhere between linear and stream of consciousness. She highlights stories of her childhood, while occasionally fast-forwarding to connect particular incidents with her struggles and growth as an adult. Tori is raw and open about her faith and her struggles— she shares how even after coming to Christ, she made wrong choices and continually experienced God’s grace. As a Christian who recently became a GAL/CASA (volunteer advocate for foster youth), I truly felt my eyes were opened, and my heart broken, for children in the foster care system. Simultaneously, Tori’s story inspired me to be gospel-driven and grace-filled— to advocate with hope and love, rather than fear. This book is so needed because most Christian books on foster care speak from a parent’s perspective. If you’re a Christian foster parent, potential foster parent, CASA, or social worker— read this book! It’s a quick read and very much worth your time.

Tori had me hooked in the dedication which ends with “To God, who has gifted me this messy and stunning life to draw me closer to You. I am your daughter.” She writes so eloquently about the pain and abuse she suffered through her life but with a stunning forgiveness (especially to her mother) and joy in knowing Christ. Early in the book (page 20), she writes about not belonging “But at the same time, I don’t really mind not belonging. I find comfort in my identity being the daughter of the King”. This book is a must read for all of us claiming to be a Christian — to better understand the heart wrenching cycle of abuse/trauma and the power of unconditional love to conquer. “We have power to transform trauma, to minimize it, deepen it, or be a part of its healing….To contradict trauma, we must act in ways that are opposite of the ways the wounds were inflicted…we can be vessels of mercy and warmth. We can contradict the ways of trauma with the ways of Christ—the Man I’d soon come to know.”

I love this book so much! So inspirational! Many will be blessed by the author's story!

Thankyou Tori for sharing your moving story.

It was a decent book but it’s not a Christian book. It’s all about foster parenting…

I enjoyed the authors transparency and honesty. Read with a grain of salt and know that there are always many sides Of a story. It didn’t enhance my knowledge or understanding of fostering.