Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 28, 2006

American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler inspires teens in foster/kinship care by using her powerful voice. She speaks openly and without shame about a difficult family life. National expert and author Beth O’Malley helps teens in foster & kinship care with latest version of teen lifebook “For When I’m Famous.”

“I’m amazed by her voice, not just her ability to sing but to speak without shame about her life and losses,” says foster care social worker, adoptee, national expert and author of teen lifebooks Beth O’Malley.

“Kellie Pickler is a role model for teens in foster/kinship care. It’s her voice which will determine whether or not she wins or loses, not her difficult life,” says O’Malley. “If she can do it, having a father in prison, a mother who abandoned her as a toddler, and losing the grandmother who helped raise her, she brings hope to others with early trauma and loss.”

O’Malley knows about teenagers in foster/kinship care. She has worked with them for the past twenty-two years and has just released a newly edited version of For When I’m Famous: A Teen Foster Lifebook. Coincidentally, the books opening page says, “You never know if you might be famous (like a singer or basketball star) someday. You can read these pages and be able to remember what your life was like.”

The book was written for teens in foster/kinship care. It helps them record their losses, digest complex feelings and identify hopes and dreams. Created by a social worker but reviewed by teenagers, the tone is open and honest and real. O’Malley, adopted herself, is passionate about helping children and young adults find the right words to tell their story.

“Teens in particular are helped and healed by reviewing their history, but it can be such a painful process,” says O’Malley. “Contestants such as Kellie Pickler on American Idol give teens all over the country a reason to dream.”

O’Malley is delighted that a young adult with a life like Pickers’ is now famous. She hopes that her story will inspire more media coverage of teens in foster and kinship care especially during Foster Care Month in May.

“Pickler is an example of someone who has lived a difficult life but hasn’t been defined by it,” says O’Malley. “It’s not only her success on the show but her existence which proves she’s a winner.”

For more information about Beth O’Malley, her titles, especially For When I’m Famous: A Teen Foster Lifebook, go to: http://adoptionlifebooks.com/fostercare_lifebooks.htm.

Contact Cissy White to obtain a review copy or arrange an interview. 781-331-4679

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