We’re here as Certified Professional Enthusiasts to kick off the series with some ~super~ recommendations on movies, articles, and everything else in recent memory that pertains to our advocacy at CASA.
So sit back with some chips and queso, it’s gonna be a doozy.
If you’re trying to get lost in a good flick or show, check out
The Hate U Give, premieres October 19
“Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.” via IMDB
Our Diversity Recruitment Specialist Ola Collins Jobe and our Director of Communications Callie Langford both highly recommend the book as well, if you want to get a head start! Ola says the book is "reflective of our current times and unfortunately of what we see way too often. It offers deeper insights into both sides of the story and is a thought-provoking and well-written book on racial tensions."
Beautiful Boy, premieres October 12
Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.” via IMDB
This is Us, new season begins September 25
In more predictable TV dramas, adopting a child might have worked for the weekly swell of tears the show is known to produce. But for This Is Us, a show unafraid to explore all kinds of family dynamics and situations, the show went a totally different route: the foster system. via Romper
If you’re looking to dive into some good writing, read up on
Fidget spinners, weighted blankets, and the rise of anxiety consumerism
"Though they’d been around for decades, weighted blankets were, until then, generally used to treat children with autism or adults with PTSD, among other disorders. Futurism’s prototype, called the Gravity Blanket, was different: Like the Fidget Cube, it took a previously niche clinical tool and adopted the aesthetics of a slick startup to market it to a mainstream audience with the promise that it could relieve stress and anxiety.”
Dear case worker
“I choose to believe that our hearts are headed in the same direction. We both stepped into the wreckage of child welfare because we wanted to advocate for all of the abandoned, abused and neglected innocence of our community. We both want kids safe, needs met, feeling loved.”
Riders of the Orphan Train Preserves the Unforgettable Stories of Unwanted Children
"In the late 1800s and early 1900s, New York City had a problem – tens of thousands of homeless children... So began the “orphan train.”... It’s a shocking story and one that’s remained largely untold. But Texans Alison Moore and Phil Lancaster have been doing their best over the past several years to change that."
Family Separations Happen Within Our Borders, Too
"'Hi, I’m Sara,' she said. 'Last year I reunified with my son, Aaron, who spent his first two years in foster care.' Parents like Sara Werner are not part of the public image of the foster care system. Neither are children like Aaron, even though more than half of children in foster care return home to their parents. Media coverage focuses almost entirely on horrific cases and adoptions. Yet within child welfare, a different narrative is increasingly understood: Protecting children requires partnering with their parents."
If you want to re-live the fun from the CASA Superhero Run, check out
Some fabulous photos (here and here) from the event and our super video re-cap!
That’s it for now! Be sure stay up to date on all our CASA musings by following us on Facebook and Instagram at @casatravis and tag us on social media if you have any recommendations of your own!
CASA Recommends 2018 September
