Podcast appearances and mentions of roxanna asgarian

In 2018, Jennifer and Sarah Hart drove off a cliff in California, killing themselves and their six adopted children. While much of the media attention focused on the two women, reporter Roxanna Asgarian set off to investigate what had happened to the children's birth families, and why they'd been removed from their care. In today's episode, Asgarian speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about her book, We Were Once a Family, and the ways the foster care and child welfare system in the United States pushed the Hart siblings into an abusive and ultimately fatal situation. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On Tuesday's show: We talk with Jennifer Hadayia from Air Alliance Houston about a number of developments in environmental news, from highway projects and emissions to new federal standards and lawsuits from the state Also this hour: Reporter Roxanna Asgarian shares what her book We Were Once a Family reveals about inequities in the child welfare system. Then, allergist Dr. Dat Tran joins us to answer questions about getting allergy relief. And we go behind the scenes of a new concert series at the University of Houston-Downtown.

Notes and Links to Roxanna Asgarian's Work        For Episode 219, Pete welcomes Roxanna Asgarian, and the two discuss, among other topics, her history in working with varied journalistic pursuits, the ways in which she has viewed power and racism and privilege in the child welfare system, and the hideous ways in which the system worked against the adopted children in the infamous Hart family murders.    Roxanna Asgarian is a Texas-based journalist who writes about courts and the law for The Texas Tribune. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, New York Magazine, and Texas Monthly, among other publications. She received the 2022 J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award for We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America. Buy We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America   Roxanna on Twitter   Review on Book from Jennifer Szalai for The New York Times At about 1:00, Roxanna discusses early reading   At about 2:30, Roxanna discusses her early writing inspirations and the writing lives' vagaries   At about 4:15, Roxanna responds to Pete's questions about how student journalism work informed her later writing    At about 7:00, Roxanne discusses contemporary writers and writing that challenge and thrill her    At about 10:10, Roxanna talks about seeds for the book, and what in her personal professional life drew her to the story   At about 14:10, Roxanna gives out contact information and social media info and shouts out Las Vegas' Writers Block as one of many great places to buy her books   At about 15:25, Roxanna provides some background on the horrific Hart murders and how power came into play in the events surrounding the murders, and how the child welfare system functioned and functions   At about 19:10, Roxanna discusses the rare inquest that took place after the murders   At about 21:15, Roxanna fills in listeners on the “inhumane” way that local detectives called the murders a “Thelma and Louise” situation and ways in which race played in to the stories told by law enforcement and media   At about 23:20, Roxanna explains the power and significance of the “Hug Shared around the World” with Devonte Davis and how it was understood and misunderstood   At about 27:30, The two discuss Dontay Davis' and the ways in which he was done wrong by The System   At about 30:00, Roxanna explains ASFA (1997 Adoption and Safe Families' Act), particularly with respect to Sherry Davis' situations    At about 32:55, Pete refers to Judge Shelton and other paragons of prejudice and racism who were in control in some many family law cases   At about 35:40, Pete mentions adoption incentives and the ways in which those in TX never followed up once the Davis' kids went to MN, and Roxanna tells the story of how “Bree” was an early foster case that showed the Harts' unfitness as parents   At about 38:45, Roxanna gives background on gaps and prejudices in the child welfare system and in society that have led to “colorblind” adoptions that have been highly problematic    At about 42:30, The two discuss more about Dontay's life in recent years, especially after he found out about his siblings' death    At about 44:25, Roxanna recounts the intense scene in which she helped make the transference of cremains and memories from the children   At about 47:35, Roxanna gives background on the selfless surrogate father, Nathaniel   At about 50:00, Roxanna discusses upcoming projects    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.    Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl     Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.    Please tune in for Episode 220 with Neef Ekpoudom, a writer and journalist from south London who documents the people, voices and communities of modern Britain. He has written for publications including the Guardian, GQ, Vogue, and VICE. In 2022, he was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in Media & Marketing. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and his newest book, Where We Come From: Rap, Home & Hope in Modern Britain, has today, Jan 18, as its Pub Day.     

Notes and Links to Melissa Rivero's Work          For Episode 218, Pete welcomes Melissa Rivero, and the two discuss, among other topics, her language and writing life growing up in a bilingual household, writing creatively after writing more practically for her legal career, the startup cultures that informed Flores and Miss Paula, and salient themes from the book like loss, cycles in life, grieving, and la tercera edad.    Melissa Rivero is the author of The Affairs of the Falcóns, winner of the 2019 New American Voices Award and a 2020 International Latino Book Award. The book was also longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize, and the Aspen Words Literary Prize. Her most recent novel, Flores and Miss Paula, was published in December 2023. Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Brooklyn, she is a graduate of NYU and Brooklyn Law School, where she was an editor of the Brooklyn Law Review. Melissa still lives in Brooklyn with her family. Buy Flores and Miss Paula   Melissa's Website   Interview for Bomb Magazine with Ivelisse Rodriguez At about 1:40, The two discuss an interesting title of a book of hers   At about 2:25, Melissa traces the month or so that Flores and Miss Paula has been out in the world, and feedback she has received   At about 4:35, Melissa shares information on an exciting novel project of hers   At about 6:40, Pete shouts out an extremely clever phrase in the book   At about 7:15, Melissa gives background on her bilingual childhood and reading and writing interests and origins    At about 9:20, Miss Nelson is Missing shout out!   At about 11:45, Melissa shouts out some favorite Peruvian writers, past and present, including Claudia Salazar Jiménez    At about 15:00, Melissa responds to Pete's question about how translation and bilingualism affect her writer's voice and style   At about 17:35, Melissa puts “Write what you know” into her personal context with regard to her latest novel and gives some seeds for the book   At about 21:30, Melissa talks about her writing rhythms during the Covid lockdown   At about 23:35, Pete asks Melissa about the nomenclature of Flores and Miss Paula and she speaks to the significance of the phrasing   At about 25:50, Melissa responds to Pete's questions about the book's four seasons' structure   At about 28:00, Pete is highly complimentary of the ways in which Melissa depicts grieving and grief   At about 28:35, Melissa reads the book's opening paragraph, and she and Pete discuss the power of the dynamic beginning   At about 29:35, The two discuss the book's exposition, including descriptions of the mother's and daughter's workplaces and the intriguing coworker of Yoli's (Flores'), Max   At about 32:00, Melissa discusses the company's boss, Eric, and how her time in the startup world informed her writing about that culture   At about 34:00, Melissa responds to Pete's wondering about how Flores' work habits connect to her emotions, especially with the loss of her father   At about 35:50, Melissa gives background on Paula's friendship with Vicente and their shared history   At about 38:40, Melissa and Pete talk about the ways in which Flores exercises her creative muscles   At about 39:40, Melissa compares the writing she did in her law career and the more creative work she does these days   At about 41:45, Pete asks Melissa about the themes of identity and assimilation come into play with Flores    At about 44:25, The two discuss the “seasons of grieving” in the book    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl     Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    NEW MERCH! You can browse and buy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChillsatWillPodcast    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.    Please tune in for Episode 219 with Roxanna Asgarian a Texas-based journalist who writes about courts and the law for The Texas Tribune. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, New York magazine, and Texas Monthly, among other publications. She received the 2022 J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award for We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America.    The episode will air on January 11.

Roxanna Asgarian is the author of We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America. “Every once in a while, I'll have someone just freak out at me. And it keeps you honest, in a way, because they don't owe you anything. People don't owe you anything as a journalist. ... But everyone reacts to trauma differently and some people really do want to talk about it. And I think the families in this book really wanted to talk about it and it felt like no one was even paying attention to them.” Show notes: @strawburriez Asgarian's Texas Tribune archive We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America (Farrar, Straus and Giroux • 2023) 12:00 "Child in viral Portland police hug photo missing, 5 family members dead after California cliff crash" (Shane Dixon Kavanaugh • The Oregonian • Mar 2018) 12:00 "Devonte Hart family crash: Sarah Hart sent alarming 3 a.m. text to friend ... then silence" (Shane Dixon Kavanaugh • The Oregonian • Apr 2018) 13:00 "Devonte Hart family crash: 'It's just devastating,' says aunt who fought for custody" (Roxanna Asgarian and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh • The Oregonian • Apr 2018) 34:00 "Devonte Hart's biological mom: They gave my kids 'to monsters'" (The Oregonian • Apr 2018) 45:00 "Before Children's Grisly Deaths, A Family Fought for Them and Lost" (The Appeal • Jul 2018) 45:00 "A Mother Grapples with an Adoption that Led to Deaths" (The Appeal • Feb 2019) 45:00 "His siblings were killed by their adoptive mother. He was left in foster care to suffer a more common fate." (Washington Post • Dec 2019) 46:00 Broken Harts (Glamour and HowStuffWorks • 2018) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode 158, we wrap up the year with our Best Books of 2023 Genre Awards with Susie (@NovelVisits). We reveal our Overall Best Books (Fiction and Nonfiction), and we have a full breakdown by genre, including: Best Literary Fiction, Best Romance, Best Brain Candy, Best Genre Mash-Up, and more! Plus, we're sharing the winners for these same genres as chosen by the Sarah's Bookshelves Live Patreon community! This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Announcements My 2024 Reading Tracker is out! Once again, the Tracker is ONLY available to $7/month Superstars patrons (i.e., no longer available as a separate purchase for $14.99 here on my website). Become a Superstars Patron here! Highlights Podcast reflections from 2023 — including top episodes based on download stats. Overview of Susie's and Sarah's 2023 year in reading — including trends and stats. Favorite books of the year: overall and by genre, including the SBL Patreon Community's picks. 2023 Genre Awards [19:14] Susie The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff | Amazon | Bookshop.org [19:19] Tom Lake by Ann Patchett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:41] No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:00] The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:22] In Memoriam by Alice Winn | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:16] The Art Thief by Michael Finkel | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:24] You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:32] The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:02] The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:39] Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes | Amazon | Bookshop.org [54:59] Go As a River by Shelley Read | Amazon | Bookshop.org [57:30] Shark Heart by Emily Habeck | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:58]   Sarah Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:51] Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler | Amazon | Bookshop.org [25:27] Spare by Prince Harry | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:00] All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay | Amazon | Bookshop.org[34:08] Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:06] Generations by Jean M. Twenge PhD | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:04] The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin | Amazon | Bookshop.org[45:43] Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:21] My Murder by Katie Williams | Amazon | Bookshop.org [51:53] Yellowface by R. F. Kuang | Amazon | Bookshop.org [56:05] Happiness Falls by Angie Kim | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:30] Talking at Night by Claire Daverley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:00:38] Patrons Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:45] Tom Lake by Ann Patchett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:00] Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:14] All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay | Amazon | Bookshop.org[35:58] All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:29] In Memoriam by Alice Winn | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:41] We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian | Amazon | Bookshop.org[44:09] The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin | Amazon | Bookshop.org[46:13] Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:50] Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah | Amazon | Bookshop.org[52:49] Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros | Amazon | Bookshop.org [53:45] Starling House by Alix E. Harrow | Amazon | Bookshop.org [54:30] Congratulations, the Best Is Over! by R. Eric Thomas | Amazon | Bookshop.org[57:18] I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai | Amazon | Bookshop.org[58:59] Shark Heart by Emily Habeck | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:02] Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:31] Other Books Mentioned Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce [4:19] Atomic Family by Ciera Horton McElroy [13:57] The Caretaker by Ron Rash [14:02] All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher [14:03] One Woman Show by Christine Coulson [14:18] Big Swiss by Jen Beagin [14:19]  Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano [21:00] The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne [21:26] The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue [22:16] Wellness by Nathan Hill [22:19] The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese [22:22] Ghost by Dolly Alderton [26:27] Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering [26:29] Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutano [31:00] Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum [31:30] The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand [31:33] The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel [31:39] Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane [36:44] Drowning by T. J. Newman [36:48] Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [37:00] Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash [39:54] The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland [40:05] The Postcard by Anne Berest [40:09] The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel [41:38] In Light of All Darkness by Kim Cross [42:18] A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan [43:49] Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond [44:00] The Woman in Me by Britney Spears [46:22] All My Knotted Up Life by Beth Moore [46:29] How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key [46:38] Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane [47:28] Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin [49:06] Happy Place by Emily Henry [49:45] Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez [50:00] The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins [52:43] Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling [52:45] The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton [53:06] Starter Villain by John Scalzi [53:21] Holly by Stephen King [54:20] Lone Women by Victor LaValle [54:48] How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix [54:52] Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley [59:34] Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross [59:44] Normal People by Sally Rooney [1:00:56] Maame by Jessica George [1:01:39] Top Podcast Episodes for 2023 [8:42] Ep. 129: Best Books of 2022 Genre Awards with Susie (@NovelVisits) Ep. 150: Fall 2023 Book Preview with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) Ep. 140: 2023 Summer Reading Special with Susie (@NovelVisits) Ep. 131: The Best Backlist Books We Read in 2022 with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) Ep. 128: Best Books of 2022 Superlatives with Susie (@NovelVisits) Ep. 151: Angie Kim (Author of Happiness Falls) Ep. 133: Speculative Fiction / Fantasy 101 with Sarah Landis (Literary Agent) Ep. 143: Behind the Scenes of Book Coaching with Abigail K. Perry (of Lit Match Podcast) Ep. 138: Rebecca Makkai (Author of I Have Some Questions for You) Ep. 132: Katie Gutierrez (Author of More Than You'll Ever Know) Ep. 156: 2023 State of the Industry with Sarah Landis (Literary Agent) Ep. 147: Lara Love Hardin (Author of The Many Lives of Mama Love) Ep. 144: John Marrs (Author of The One, The Passengers, and The Marriage Act) Ep. 152: Liz Nugent (Author of Strange Sally Diamond)

We're gearing up to close out our year of reading with today's podcast episode, featuring the Best Books of 2023 Superlatives with Susie (@NovelVisits). Our wrap-up is split into two episodes: today's Superlatives and next week's Genre Awards. Today, we're diving into more than 25 Superlative categories, including Most Deserving of the Hype, Biggest Surprise, the Darkest Book of the Year, and many others! This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Announcements My 2024 Reading Tracker is out! Once again, the Tracker will ONLY be available to $7/month Superstars patrons (i.e., no longer available as a separate purchase for $14.99 here on my website). Become a Superstars Patron here! Highlights Our best books of the year from over 25 categories, including: Most Deserving of the Hype FOMO-Worthy Book Third Time's the Charm Darkest Book of the Year Top Underrated Gem Biggest Surprise The Book You Flew Through Most Polarizing Favorite Most Heartbreaking 2023 Superlatives [6:52] Susie Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano | Amazon | Bookshop.org [7:03] & [24:25] I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai | Amazon | Bookshop.org[11:37] Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:07] Juno Loves Legs by Karl Geary | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:17] Western Lane by Chetna Maroo | Amazon | Bookshop.org [25:14] The Future by Naomi Alderman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:44] Pete and Alice in Maine by Caitlin Shetterly | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:46] The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:31] Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah | Amazon | Bookshop.org[40:22] One Woman Show by Christine Coulson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:40] Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:41] Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:20] The Postcard by Anne Berest | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:19] Happiness Falls by Angie Kim | Amazon | Bookshop.org [58:01] Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:03:40] Sarah The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue | Amazon | Bookshop.org [8:42] The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:10] Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [15:03] All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby | Amazon | Bookshop.org [18:43] Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:56] All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay | Amazon | Bookshop.org[26:55] Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:21] I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai | Amazon | Bookshop.org[32:26] I Could Live Here Forever by Hannah Halperin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:53] How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:44] Drowning by T. J. Newman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:11] Shark Heart by Emily Habeck | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:09] Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:01] Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:40] The Longest Race by Kara Goucher | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:56] Tom Lake by Ann Patchett | Amazon | Bookshop.org [54:53] Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:01:01] We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian | Amazon | Bookshop.org[1:05:08] Other Books Mentioned Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano [7:23] Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby [19:27] Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby [19:30] Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent [23:28] Talking at Night by Claire Daverley [24:30] Maame by Jessica George [24:32] The Power by Naomi Alderman [30:11] Wellness by Nathan Hill [31:30] Day by Michael Cunningham [31:32] Yellowface by R. F. Kuang [31:35] The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai [32:47] The Whispers by Ashley Audrain [37:03] The Push by Ashley Audrain [37:20] Our Town by Thornton Wilder [56:12]

Episode Notes November is National Adoption Month, which adoptees have reclaimed as National Adoptee Awareness Month (NAAM). In honor of NAAM, this month on Let's Grab Coffee, I'm featuring conversations with authors of books that center adoptee voices. Child welfare services, including adoption and foster care, are often framed around the “best interests of the child,” but who gets to decide what's best and who's best for the child? What happens in cases of adoptive parent and foster parent abuse, neglect, and murder? On this episode, I sit down with Roxanna Asgarian, author of We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America. Through her investigative journalism, she challenges some of the assumptions around child welfare and adoption, centers the birth families whose children were murdered by their adoptive parents in a highly-publicized 2018 murder-suicide, and exposes the harms baked into the child welfare system. Roxanna Asgarian was the law and courts reporter for the Texas Tribune. Previously, she covered the child welfare and criminal justice systems as an independent reporter in Houston. Roxanna received her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and her master's degree from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

Roxanna Asgarian and Garrett Therolf, moderated by David Barstow Roxanna Asgarian is joined by Garrett Therolf of the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism to discuss, among other factors, the racial biases and corruption that placed children in positions of profound peril. Their conversation will be moderated by David Barstow, the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Chair in Investigative Journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Buy the books here 

Most of you have probably heard the story of the Hart family, the couple that drove a car off a cliff with all of their adopted children inside. Our guest Roxanna Asgarian unfolds the story with details that we've never heard before, including an investigation into the child welfare system. Buy my books: katewinklerdawson.com      If you have suggestions for historical crimes that could use some attention, email me: info@tenfoldmorewicked.com      Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Facebook and Instagram)     2023 All Rights ReservedSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode Notes Child welfare services, including adoption and foster care, are often framed around the “best interests of the child,” but who gets to decide what's best and who's best for the child? What happens in cases of adoptive parent and foster parent abuse, neglect, and murder? On this episode, I sit down with Roxanna Asgarian, author of _We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America. _Through her investigative journalism, she challenges some of the assumptions around child welfare and adoption, centers the birth families whose children were murdered by their adoptive parents in a highly-publicized 2018 murder-suicide, and exposes the harms baked into the child welfare system.   Roxanna Asgarian was the law and courts reporter for the Texas Tribune. Previously, she covered the child welfare and criminal justice systems as an independent reporter in Houston. Roxanna received her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and her master's degree from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

Journalist and author Roxanna Asgarian joins The Stacks to talk about her new nonfiction book, We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America. We find out how Roxanna pushed back against true crime culture in writing about the 2018 Hart family tragedy. We also discuss how birth families are treated versus adoptive parents, how race and class factor into American child welfare and the financial implications of the system.The Stacks Book Club selection for May is This Boy We Made by Taylor Harris. We will discuss the book on May 31st with Nicole Chung.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/05/24/ep-268-roxanna-asgarianEpisode TranscriptConnect with Roxanna: Instagram | Twitter Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo support The Stacks and find out more from this week's sponsors, click here.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two white women, Jennifer and Sarah Hart, adopted six Black children. Later, they murdered the children by driving the entire family off a cliff. A new book explores not just the Hart family, but the conditions that allowed for their adoptions to go through despite allegations of abuse. It also tells the stories of the birth families of these children, and how they lost custody despite all efforts to keep their kids. Journalist and author Roxanna Asgarian joins us to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America.

April 14, 2023--Host Joy LaClaire speaks with Texas journalist, Roxanna Asgarian, to discuss her years of research and her book, WE WERE ONCE A FAMILY: A STORY OF LOVE, DEATH, AND CHILD REMOVAL IN AMERICA. Listen in to this exposé of the foster care and adoption systems that continue to fail America's most vulnerable children.

In 2018, six children — Ciera, Abigail, Jeremiah, Devonte, Hannah and Markis — were murdered by their adoptive parents, Jennifer and Sarah Hart, who also committed suicide when they drove their family off of a cliff in Mendocino. The Harts were white; their adopted children were Black and mixed race. Much of the news coverage focused on the Harts, their motivations and history. But a new book by journalist Roxanna Asgarian traces the murdered children's stories through the perspectives of their birth families. We'll hear those stories along with the failures of the foster and adoptive systems they expose from Asgarian, whose book is titled “We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America.” Guests: Roxanna Asgarian, law and courts reporter, The Texas Tribune; author, “We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America”

This week, Shannon, Melissa, Brooke, and Amber are delving into some true crime. Titles mentioned include: Abigail Pesta, The Girls: An All-American Town, a Predatory Doctor, and the Untold Story of the Gymnasts Who Brought Him Down Vincent Bugliosi & William Stadien, Lullaby and Good Night Elon Green, Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder In Queer New York John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker, When a Killer Calls (Cases of the FBI's Original Mindhunter #2) Roxanna Asgarian, We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal In America Don W. Weber & Charles Bosworth Jr., Silent Witness: The Karla Brown Murder Case T. Christian Miller & Ken Armstrong, A False Report: A True Story of Rape In America Patti McCracken, The Angel Makers: Arsenic, a Midwife, and Modern History's Most Astonishing Murder Ring Kathleen Hale, Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls Ann Rule, Last Dance, Last Chance Patrick Radden Keefe, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty John Boessenecker, Gentleman Bandit: The True Story of Black Bart, The Old West's Most Infamous Stagecoach Robber You can always contact the Book Bistro team by searching @BookBistroPodcast on facebook, or visiting: https://www.facebook.com/BookBistroPodcast/ You can also send an email to: TheBookBistroPodcast@gmail.com For more information on the podcast and the team behind it, please visit: http://anchor.fm/book-bistro

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Texas Tribune reporter Roxanna Asgarian to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death and Child Removal in America and its findings on the foster care system. The book covers the tragic Hart family murders in 2018 where two mothers drove their six adopted children off a cliff.  In Slate Plus: How Roxanna navigated writing about a tragic family story in a pandemic while being a first-time mom.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Texas Tribune reporter Roxanna Asgarian to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death and Child Removal in America and its findings on the foster care system. The book covers the tragic Hart family murders in 2018 where two mothers drove their six adopted children off a cliff.  In Slate Plus: How Roxanna navigated writing about a tragic family story in a pandemic while being a first-time mom.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Texas Tribune reporter Roxanna Asgarian to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death and Child Removal in America and its findings on the foster care system. The book covers the tragic Hart family murders in 2018 where two mothers drove their six adopted children off a cliff.  In Slate Plus: How Roxanna navigated writing about a tragic family story in a pandemic while being a first-time mom.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Texas Tribune reporter Roxanna Asgarian to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death and Child Removal in America and its findings on the foster care system. The book covers the tragic Hart family murders in 2018 where two mothers drove their six adopted children off a cliff.  In Slate Plus: How Roxanna navigated writing about a tragic family story in a pandemic while being a first-time mom.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Texas Tribune reporter Roxanna Asgarian to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death and Child Removal in America and its findings on the foster care system. The book covers the tragic Hart family murders in 2018 where two mothers drove their six adopted children off a cliff.  In Slate Plus: How Roxanna navigated writing about a tragic family story in a pandemic while being a first-time mom.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mariquita and Steph sit down to discuss Szilvia Molnar's debut novel, The Nursery, which examines one woman's struggles with overwhelming postpartum fear and disconnection. They reflect on how the book mirrored their own experiences and the disservice we do by not discussing the daunting reality of new parenthood.   Books mentioned: The Nursery by Szilvia Molnar Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian   Also mentioned: What We Still Don't Understand About Postpartum Psychosis- https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-medicine/what-we-still-dont-understand-about-postpartum-psychosis Support our hosts & guests:   Follow Mariquita: Instagram  Follow Steph: Instagram // Website Beyond the Box: Our weekly round-up of blog and podcast content delivered directly to your inbox every Friday   Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited by Niba and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by @iam.onyxrose   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Texas Tribune reporter Roxanna Asgarian to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death and Child Removal in America and its findings on the foster care system. The book covers the tragic Hart family murders in 2018 where two mothers drove their six adopted children off a cliff.  In Slate Plus: How Roxanna navigated writing about a tragic family story in a pandemic while being a first-time mom.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Texas Tribune reporter Roxanna Asgarian to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death and Child Removal in America and its findings on the foster care system. The book covers the tragic Hart family murders in 2018 where two mothers drove their six adopted children off a cliff.  In Slate Plus: How Roxanna navigated writing about a tragic family story in a pandemic while being a first-time mom.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roxanna Asgarian is the law and courts reporter for the Texas Tribune. Her new book is We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America. “Every once in a while, I'll have someone just freak out at me. And it keeps you honest, in a way, because they don't owe you anything. People don't owe you anything as a journalist.… But everyone reacts to trauma differently and some people really do want to talk about it. And I think the families in this book really wanted to talk about it and it felt like no one was even paying attention to them.” Show notes: @strawburriez Asgarian's Texas Tribune archive We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America (Farrar, Straus and Giroux • 2023) 12:00 "Child in viral Portland police hug photo missing, 5 family members dead after California cliff crash" (Shane Dixon Kavanaugh • The Oregonian • Mar 2018) 12:00 "Devonte Hart family crash: Sarah Hart sent alarming 3 a.m. text to friend ... then silence" (Shane Dixon Kavanaugh • The Oregonian • Apr 2018) 13:00 "Devonte Hart family crash: 'It's just devastating,' says aunt who fought for custody" (Roxanna Asgarian and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh • The Oregonian • Apr 2018) 34:00 "Devonte Hart's biological mom: They gave my kids 'to monsters'" (The Oregonian • Apr 2018) 45:00 "Before Children's Grisly Deaths, A Family Fought for Them and Lost" (The Appeal • Jul 2018) 45:00 "A Mother Grapples with an Adoption that Led to Deaths" (The Appeal • Feb 2019) 45:00 "His siblings were killed by their adoptive mother. He was left in foster care to suffer a more common fate." (Washington Post • Dec 2019) 46:00 Broken Harts (Glamour and HowStuffWorks • 2018) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's podcast we discuss some updates on the Indian Child Welfare Act front, Minnesota becomes a trans youth refuge, and the blind spot in America's knowledge of youth justice. Imprint alum Roxanna Asgarian joins to discuss her new book, “We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America,” which traces the lives and families of six children killed by their adoptive parents in March of 2018. Reading RoomIndian Child Welfare Act Think Tank to Strategize Legal Protections for Tribal Sovereigntyhttp://bit.ly/3YHTpeTWith Supporters from Indian Country Looking on, Minnesota Lawmakers Vote to Protect Indigenous Familieshttp://bit.ly/40jn7Z9Governor Signs Law that Codifies Indian Child Welfare Act Provisions into State Statutehttp://bit.ly/3YWsP21Calling for ‘Love' not ‘Hate,' Minnesota Governor Declares His State a Refuge for Trans Youthhttps://bit.ly/3L82c6MOn Point, March 9: Journalist Hannah Barnes on The Inside Story of The Collapse of Tavistock's Gender Identity Clinichttps://www.npr.org/podcasts/510053/on-pointWe're Building a New Path to Prioritize Kinhttps://bit.ly/3mriEERNew Mexico Has Lost Track of Juveniles Locked Up for Life. We Found Nearly Two Dozen.http://bit.ly/3yuTurIFederal Study on Transfers of Juveniles Delayed, Againhttp://bit.ly/3FhI91WWe Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in Americahttp://bit.ly/3FkaUuVRead Roxanna Asgarian's coverage of child welfare for The Imprinthttps://imprintnews.org/author/roxanna-asgarian

Dan and Ellen talk with Adam Gaffin, founder of the Universal Hub and inventor of the French Toast Alert System). Dan wrote a profile of Adam for CommonWealth Magazine in 2008. Adam has been a local connector since the earliest days of digital self-publishing — well before blogging, putting he put together a directory of websites called New England Online in the early '90s and then morphing that into Boston Online. Ellen has a Quick Take on a young journalist who lost her job at West Virginia Public Broadcasting after she reported on alleged government abuses in the state's foster care and psychiatric system. The journalist, Amelia Ferrell Knisely, alleges that there was political interference with the station, WVPB, which receives state funding.  Dan examines an important First Amendment case involving a citizen journalist in Texas. Roxanna Asgarian of The Texas Tribune broke the story. Many of the local news projects that we're interested in here at What Works are just a few steps beyond citizen journalism, and we are firmly of the belief that the First Amendment protections enjoyed by large news outlets should be applied to small outlets and citizen journalists as well. It remains to be seen whether a federal appeals court in Texas agrees.

It was the summer of 2004, and Charlie and Teri Brandt needed to get someplace safe. With Hurricane Ivan headed for their home in Big Pine Key, the couple went to Orlando to stay with their niece, Michelle Jones. Michelle was thrilled to have them, but toward what should have been the end of their visit, she stopped returning phone calls. So did Teri and Charlie. Finally, one of Michelle's friends went to the house to check on everyone. She was horrified by what she discovered. Then Kristin tells us about the evening of February 17, 2007. Melissa Lucio was in a panic. Her two-year-old daughter Mariah had fallen asleep, but wasn't waking up. Paramedics arrived at Lucio's apartment, and attempted to revive the little girl. But she remained unresponsive. As moments ticked by, the paramedics grew more and more concerned. The girl's body was covered in bruises. It looked like she'd been badly beaten. Melissa's other children told the EMT's that Mariah had recently fallen down the stairs, but medical personnel feared something much more sinister had occurred.  And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: The documentary, “State of Texas vs. Melissa” Wrongful Conviction podcast episode, “Melissa Lucio” “Divided Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Texas Mother of Child Who May Have Died in Accidental Fall,” Death Penalty Information Center “Did Melissa Lucio, the First Hispanic Woman on Death Row in Texas, Kill Her Daughter? An Uneven New Documentary Raises More Questions Than Answers.” by Roxanna Asgarian for Texas Monthly “Doctor testifies abuse was ‘worst' he's seen,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star “Mother found guilty of murder,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star “Detective testifies in Lucio trial,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Deadly Obsession” episode 48 Hours “Charlie Brandt Killed His Mom At 13 — Then Walked Free To Butcher His Wife As An Adult” by William DeLong, allthatsinteresting.com “Deadly rage brewed in ‘quiet kid'” by Robert Perez and Melissa Harris, The Orlando Sentinel “Killer tied to '89 death—wife suspected him all along” by Gary Taylor, The Orlando Sentinel YOU'RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We'd offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you'll get 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90's style chat room!  

On this week's podcast we talk with reporter Roxanna Asgarian about her investigation into the culture of silence around abuse at Texas' residential treatment centers. We also cover Florida's dangerous struggles with foster care capacity, a reversal on Trump's food stamps limits, and the latest child welfare lawsuit settlement. Our guest this week is ProPublica reporter Jodi Cohen, whose story about a Michigan teen detained for skipping virtual school prompted protests and the girl's eventual release. Reading RoomThe Forgotten Children of Texashttps://bit.ly/3ouvOh2Florida Took Thousands of Kids from Families, Then Failed to Keep Them Safe.https://bit.ly/31IEiqRIn Texas, Trepidation as Child Welfare Privatization Moves Forwardhttps://bit.ly/34tWk1QFederal Judge Rejects Trump Food Stamp Rulehttps://bit.ly/2G0rbdbArizona Tentatively Settles Major Federal Foster Care Lawsuithttps://bit.ly/3kAhOQo

You can find links to each of Sean's analysis pieces here. This article covers the week beginning May 17.

In recent years, the number of police in American schools has skyrocketed as social services have been cut. As of 2016, 1.7 million students are in schools with police officers but no counselors, 3 million students are in schools with officers but no nurses, and 10 million students are in schools with police but no social workers. This invariably has led to abuse and undue arrests of children, some as young as 6 years old. Today we are joined by Appeal contributor Roxanna Asgarian to discuss one case in Pittsburgh that saw a 7-year-old with development issues detained, pinned down and left with PTSD. 

State child protective courts are an under-reported element of our criminal legal system, but their impact on communities of color and the poor is felt as much, if not more, than other aspects of it. One case, that of the Hart family, caught national attention after a seemingly "normal" white couple adopted African-American children taken from the mother by a corrupt and likely racist judge in Texas––only to end in a grisly murder-suicide. Our guest, Appeal contributor Roxanna Asgarian, joins us to talk about this case and the broader social and racial aspects of the state taking children away from their parents.