A Place to Call Home: Winston-Salem woman publishes children's book about foster care and adoption
A Winston-Salem author is releasing a new children's book focused on foster care and adoption hoping to inspire people of all ages to be accepting.
Taneisha Gist published her first children's book "Different, but just like you and me" to help children show sympathy when growing up with a disability.
Gist has been diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer and drew inspiration from her own experience of losing hair and the changes in her health to write the first book. Gist said she wanted to write a second book in her series, “Different, but just like you and me” about her experience growing up in foster care.
“Every child doesn’t get breakfast every morning, every child doesn’t get clean clothes to put on every morning, every child doesn’t get an ‘I love you, have a nice day' when they leave for school. Some kids have to wake up and get their siblings dressed, find clothes for themselves and worry how they’re going to eat breakfast when they get to school.”
She explained how her book opens eyes to the challenges that a lot of children have that people may not think about because they are comfortable in their own homes. Gist said while not everyone grows up the same way, everyone deserves the same love.
“My mom was a drug abuser, my dad lived in the same neighborhood, but he didn’t raise me. I fought hard, I’m the oldest of 12 brothers and sisters. I really think I did an awesome job coming from foster care and group home, so many people counted me out, not because of me, but because of what my parents did. Our parents may make mistakes, but we are here to break generational curses.”
Gist’s book also exposes stereotypes about race in foster care and adoption in a way for children to understand. She added, “love conquers all when you’re being taken care of it doesn’t matter if your white going into a Black family or Black going into a white family, if that love trumps all then that’s the most important thing.”
She hopes the pages of her foster care and adoption book will serve as her legacy and be a timeless reminder for all families. “I just want every kid to know that there are some children out there who are really, really loveable awesome children that will grow to be amazing people such as myself. We just need the same love and attention that parents give to their biological children.”
To continue the conversation and order Taneisha’s book series, click here.