Rose’s Story

It is easy to forget that beneath the abstractions of academia, the impersonal “clients” for whom programs, practice models, policies, and theories are developed, lies the individual human being whose story, though implied, is seldom fully told. In Rose’s Story, stark reality fleshes out the abstractions found in textbooks. Rose (Wanda Bibb) reveals breaches of social justice, personal rights, and ethical responsibility, as well as self-serving policies, protocols, and rules that serve the system but not the needs of the client. She also tells of experiences with professionals who listened, cared, and made a difference in her life. This touching yet stark autobiography offers a firsthand look at adaptation and survival in an environment full of contradictions and imperfections. Rose speaks on behalf of many clients who fall through the cracks in our social welfare systems.