We Were Once a Family: Review

This is a nonfiction book about Jennifer and Sarah Hart, a white lesbian couple who killed themselves and their six adopted children (all Black) by driving their SUV off a cliff in Mendocino County back in 2018.

It's an excellently written book. The author has previous writing credits for covering the foster care system, which is her true focus here: as she notes early in the book, there are plenty of op-eds and podcasts asking us to empathize with Jennifer and Sarah. But there's been zero focus on the kids themselves, their birth families, and how CPS failed them. 

In sum:

( Bio family background )

I'll cover the rest in a bullet-point style to try and keep it brief:
( Details )

Well, here's some particularly insightful quotes from the book, some of which are themselves quotes from other books. I'll note that where relevant.

( Quotes )