# Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class - Hardcover

by **Rob Henderson** (Author)

**In this raw coming-of-age memoir, in the vein of _The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace_, _The Other Wes Moore_, and _Someone Has Led This Child to Believe_, Rob Henderson vividly recounts growing up in foster care, enlisting in the US Air Force, attending elite universities, and pioneering the concept of "luxury beliefs"--ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class while inflicting costs on the less fortunate.**

Rob Henderson was born to a drug-addicted mother and a father he never met, ultimately shuttling between ten different foster homes in California. When he was adopted into a loving family, he hoped that life would finally be stable and safe. Divorce, tragedy, poverty, and violence marked his adolescent and teen years, propelling Henderson to join the military upon completing high school.

An unflinching portrait of shattered families, desperation, and determination, _Troubled_ recounts Henderson's expectation-defying young life and juxtaposes his story with those of his friends who wound up incarcerated or killed. He retreads the steps and missteps he took to escape the drama and disorder of his youth. As he navigates the peaks and valleys of social class, Henderson finds that he remains on the outside looking in. His greatest achievements--a military career, an undergraduate education from Yale, a PhD from Cambridge--feel like hollow measures of success. He argues that stability at home is more important than external accomplishments, and he illustrates the ways the most privileged among us benefit from a set of social standards that actively harm the most vulnerable.

### Author Biography

Rob Henderson grew up in foster homes in Los Angeles and the rural town of Red Bluff, California. He joined the US Air Force at the age of seventeen. Once described as "self-made" by _The_ _New York Times_, Rob subsequently received a BS from Yale University and a PhD in psychology from St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. His writing has appeared in _The_ _New York Times_, _The_ _Wall Street Journal_, _The_ _Boston Globe_, and more. His weekly newsletter is sent to more than forty thousand subscribers. Learn more at RobKHenderson.com.

**Number of Pages:** 336

**Dimensions:** 1.6 x 9 x 6.3 IN

**Publication Date:** February 20, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 28.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class - Hardcover

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