If you can't explain your adopted child's behavior, it's probably RAD!

The most relevant book on adoption plus trauma I've ever read!! I appreciate your honesty and relatable style of writing! I could identify with so much of what you and your family experienced. Our daughter is now attending a therapeutic boarding school in Jamaica that specializes in RAD! It's an absolutely blessing to have found them!

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Validation

Reading this book felt like she was writing about my son, right down to the issues with the shoes.
This sheds light on our very very broken mental health system.

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Brave and Courageous!

If you really want to understand the mass violence incidents that are happening in the world today, please read Keri’s story which reads like fiction but it is a real testament to what is happening today because there are truly no mental health resources to help those who have been traumatized/victimized at an early age. The system is broken. We need to understand that these horrific incidents are a societal issue that needs attention and action NOW.

Please read and share and you will understand how real this struggle is. We, as a society, will continue to reap the consequences of taking no action to fix a broken system and, instead, we will continue to blame poor parenting, police inaction, weapons, etc. instead of addressing the real issue of having inadequate resources to treat those suffering from mental illnesses.

(Spoiler alert, there is a haunting reference to the MSD tragedy in this book as Keri’s son was born on Feb 14th and turned 16 on the very same day of this horrific tragedy. This really hit it home for me as victims of that tragedy live in my neighborhood. To this day the MSD tragedy has effected everyone in our community and continues to have a ripple effect on the mental health of those that live in the community.)

I’m an thankful to the author for sharing her story to make others aware, as I know it must have been very painful to share and re-live all the intimate details of her life! Vivid and graphic storytelling and, at times, had me gasping!

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Honest and helpful

Keri Williams does a phenomenal job sharing her story. I was instantly engaged and remained glued to the story. Her message is so important and I’m glad she was brave enough to shed light on this challenging diagnosis.

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A very accurate account of raising a child with RAD.

We adopted our son from foster care. I thought I was going crazy with the behaviors I was experiencing and could see happening that no one else seemed to. I have been blamed as not parenting well and everyone sees my son as charming, polite, and well behaved. It is validating to hear I am not crazy and not alone.

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A must read for anyone who knows someone with a RAD child.

If you are raising a child with RAD, I suspect this story will sound like an echo of your life. I believe this book is a beacon for Rad families in another way….to provide a window to all of those who have no idea what it’s like. The more Rad is brought forward and a light is shown on the trauma, isolation, and judgment that these families experience will hopefully lead to help and a better understanding of this complex disorder.

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Thank You!

I am a 4.5 yr foster momma and we adopted in 2021. I appreciate your first-hand knowledge. So many families are struggling and suffering in silence. Our adoption was a blessing, but I have friends who are living the nightmare you described in your book. My heart aches for them tenfold after reading your book. God bless you and your children for sharing your trials with all of us.

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She puts into words what most can't say.

I have read a lot of books on trauma, raising kids from hard places, and early childhood trauma. This is the first book I have read where I felt the author actually understood what I'm living through.

her raw honesty is something we need more of. She shows an accurate picture of how kids with RAD manipulate, triangulate, and even self harm in order to get what they want. Leaving their primary care givers to suffer.

Above all else, I think she makes you feel the false hope. You cling to the hope that the next treatment, medication, parenting style, facility, diagnosis, etc. will be the thing that finally makes the difference. Instead, you are left with more hurt and disappointment. Even to the very end of the book you find yourself clinging to hope.

So many times through this book I listened to the words, knowing I have had that same conversation, I've lived through that experience, or I've been that furious that no one would believe me. She captures what so many parents of kids with RAD have experienced.

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Spot on

Excellent book. Glad this book was written. It makes my life with a borderline personality child seem easy. Makes me feel less alone.

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So many similarities to our own story

I put off reading this book because I knew it would hit close to home; and it did. The struggles our families have faced are so incredibly similar… the expectations vs reality of trying to find our child help is so heartbreakingly accurate. I am grateful someone was able to put it into words; in a story that engages the reader and also brings awareness to developmental trauma. If anything, it gives perspective and rare insight into the lives of parents raising children who were once severely neglected and suffering from attachment disorders.
As a mom who’s been there- I am glad I listened to the notes after the story. Throughout the book the mom struggles with “if only we had known sooner and been able to get help earlier” which is something we all struggle with- but my child was diagnosed at 3 and has been in attachment based therapy ever since. Forrest Lien was her counselor at 10 and at 14 she’s still struggling and prefers not living in the family home. We were once told (by a neuropsychologist) that if we get her to 18 without police involvement then we’ve been successful parents. Talk about setting the bar low. She was 8 at the time. The only thing that could have prevented or helped our daughter would be going back to her birth mother’s story and helping her not repeat the cycle of drug use & neglect.

The neighbors, extended family, and countless others don’t understand how we could “send her away” but I will now recommend this book to anyone willing to gain perspective on what raising a child with reactive attachment disorder looks like.
Great narration in the audible too!
Worth the read/listen!!

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