Foster Parent Book Club

In 2021, in the midst of COVID isolation and uncertainty, we started a foster parent book club with one simple goal: to stay connected. While the world felt distant, we wanted our foster parents to feel supported, encouraged, and reminded that they were not walking this journey alone. What began as a virtual gathering has grown into a meaningful space for conversation, learning, and shared hope.

Some books we’ve read in past years include:
Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
The Connected Child by Karyn B. Purvis
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison
Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
More to Me by Saty Cornelius

This year marks the 6th year of our book club, and we chose Love Does Not Conquer All by Peter Mutabazi. Peter is a former street child from Uganda who endured years of hardship before being sponsored to come to the United States. Today, he is a devoted foster and adoptive father, speaker, and advocate who has cared for dozens of children—especially teens who are often overlooked in the system. His story is one of resilience, faith, and unwavering commitment to loving children from hard places.

In this book, Peter shares lessons he has learned during his parenting adventures. With chapters titles such as “No Matter How Prepared You Think You Are, You Will Quickly Reach a Point Where You Question Your Decision to Become a Parent” and “You Won’t Always Like Your Kids,” this book is a perfect mix of humor and practical advice.

One line in the book has especially resonated with our group: “Love did not conquer me. Instead it built a bridge that eventually I was ready to cross.”

What a powerful picture of foster parenting.

As foster parents, we don’t erase trauma. We don’t rewrite a child’s history. We can’t force healing. Love alone does not magically conquer fear, loss, or grief. But what love does—patient, consistent, steady love—is build bridges. Bridges of trust. Bridges of safety. Bridges of belonging.

Every bedtime story, every ride to therapy, every calm response to a hard moment is another plank in that bridge. And one day, when a child is ready, they may choose to cross it.

That is fostering hope.

While it’s true that love does not conquer all, it is not our job as foster parents to heal kids from their trauma or erase what they’ve been through. Our role is simply to show up and to build those bridges of safety, trust, and hope so that one day they may be ready to cross that bridge. Because even though love doesn’t conquer everything, it does create a space where change can begin and hope can blossom.