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Autobiography/Memoir Feathers of the Snow Angel: Memories of a Child in Exile Lionel Pearce 2002 Lionel Pearce was orphaned at a young age and was brought to Australia under the Fairbridge scheme. He grew up in the Fairbridge Farm School in Western Australia and after working as a farm laborer and serving in the Army during the war, he returned to study, eventually becoming a medical practitioner. His mother's death, his rejection by her family and his institutionalism left him damaged and vulnerable. External Website

Children's Fiction Tales of the Weird, the Wild and the Wonderful Sophie Willan 2017 Tales of the Weird, the Wild and the Wonderful is the first of its kind: a dazzling collection of short stories, jam-packed with rambunctious characters on daring adventures written exclusively by Care Leavers for children. Discover why Franny Georgette Tinkleboom has been travelling around the world in a van that has giant mouse ears... And why Spike, the most mischievous hedgehog in Rivington Pike, keeps wandering off into the dark night... And what happens when you drink a wicked orange potion like Alicia Moonfall... Includes a foreword by Lemn Sissay External Website

Autobiography/Memoir This Boy. A Memoir of a Childhood Alan Johnson 2013 Alan Johnson's 2013 memoir, This Boy, was the 2014 Winner of the Orwell Prize and 2014 Winner of the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize. As many have pointed out, Alan's mother Lily and his sister Linda are the heroes of the story. Lily works multiple jobs to keep her family together, even though her health requires her to be in and out of hospital. Linda ensures that, at the age of 16, the state entrusts 13 year old Alan's care to her after Lily dies. Alan Johnson - after a variety of jobs - became the MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle from 1997 to 2017. External Website

Television Shows Switched at Birth 2011 Switched at Birth is a TV series starring Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, and Constance Marie. Two teenage girls' lives are turned upside down when they find out they were switched at birth. An additional CEP character is Ty or Tyler Mendosa, who grew up in kinship care with his mother. External Website

Television Shows The Last of Us 2023 The Last of Us (2023) is an American post-apocalyptic drama series based on the eponymous video game franchise. Set decades after the collapse of society, the 1st season follows Joel (Pedro) as he smuggles a 14 year old teenager, Ellie (Bella Ramsay), across the United States. Ellie is immune to the fungal infection which has devasted society. Therefore, she might be the key to creating a much needed vaccine. External Website

Autobiography/Memoir The Girl in the Purple Dress: My Adoption Story Jo Horsley 2021 Jo Horsley's story begins as a small child being rocked by her mother, as she struggles to hand Jo to the adoption agency. Through school and work, heartbreak and marriage, love and loss, Jo discovers more about herself and builds a life that embraces all definitions of the word 'family'. Her story hasn't ended, and there's so much more to come... External Website

Comics, Comic books & Graphic Novels Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter Vol. 1: Abomination (Mary Shelley Monster Hunter Tp) Vol 1-5 Adam Glass (Author), Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (Author), Mike Marts (Editor), Hayden Sherman (Artist) 2019 Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter reimagines the creation of Frankenstein by revealing that Mary Shelley didn’t just write the iconic horror story—she experienced it. Set in 1816, the story follows Mary, her fiancé Percy, her sisters, and Lord Byron as they visit the eerie Frankenstein Estate. The strange and terrifying events that unfold lead Mary to a shocking discovery about their mysterious host, which will change her life forever. Created by Adam Glass and Olivia Cuartero-Briggs, with art by Hayden Sherman, this is a thrilling blend of historical fiction and horror. There are 5 volumes in this series: External Website

Fiction featuring Care Experience Fugitive Pieces (Novel) Anne Michaels 1996 Fugitive Pieces (1996) is an award winning novel by Canadian writer, Anne Michaels (b. 1958). The novel is in 2 parts, the 1st centred on Jakob Beer, a 7 year old Jewish boy who survives the Holocaust by hiding in the forest and being taken in by an acheologist who gets the boy to safety in Greece. The 2nd part of the novel is the story of Ben, a Canadian professor born to survivors of the Holocaust. Ben becomes fascinated by Jakob's story. External Website

Performing Arts Musician, Songwriter James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (b. 1963) is an American musician and songwriter best known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist and main songwriter for the heavy metal band Metallica. One his mother died, sixteen year old James went to live with an older brother. Hetfield is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionally performs lead guitar duties and solos, both live and in the studio. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering an advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler. Metallica has won nine Grammy Awards and released ten studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays and 24 singles. In 2009, Hetfield was ranked at no. 8 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists and no. 24 by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time. In Guitar World's poll, Hetfield was placed as the 19th greatest guitarist of all time, as well as being placed second (along with Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett) in The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists poll of the same magazine. Rolling Stone placed Hetfield as the 87th greatest guitarist of all time. External Website

Poets Banjo Paterson Banjo Paterson Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson (1864 – 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales, where he spent much of his childhood. Barty went to Sydney Grammar School in 1874. While at school he lived with his grandmother, Emily May Barton, in suburban Gladesville. Emily encouraged her grandson to read and write poetry. When he was sixteen, Paterson began work as an articled clerk for a solicitor; he practiced as a lawyer until 1900, then worked as a journalist, contributing articles for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Argus during the Boer War and Boxer Rebellion. Paterson's more notable poems include "Clancy of the Overflow" (1889), "The Man from Snowy River" (1890) and "Waltzing Matilda" (1895), widely considered Australia's unofficial national anthem. External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles Almost half of children in care fear stigma Louise Hunt 2009 Almost half of children in care fear being stigmatised because of their background, according to a report published today by the children’s rights director for England. External Website

Radio & Podcast Benjamin Zephaniah (Podcast) Desert Island Discs (Zephaniah) 2024 In 1997, British poet Benjamin Zephaniah spoke to Sue Lawley on Desert Island Discs about his childhood, which included being illiterate and spending time in a youth detention centre. He also talks about his work as a performance poet, which involved working in prisons and schools. The conversation was replayed for Classic Desert Island Discs on 28 April 2024. External Website

Writers Jackie Kay (writer) 1961- Jacqueline Margaret Kay, (born 9 November 1961), is a Scottish poet, playwright, and novelist, known for her works Other Lovers (1993), Trumpet (1998) and Red Dust Road (2011). Jackie Kay was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1961, to a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father. She was adopted as a baby by a white Scottish couple, Helen and John Kay, and grew up in Bishopbriggs, a suburb of Glasgow. They adopted Jackie in 1961, having already adopted her brother, Maxwell, about two years earlier. Jackie and Maxwell also have siblings who were brought up by their biological parents. Kay has won a number of awards, including the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1998 and the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book of the Year Award in 2011. Since 2016, she has been Scots Makar, the national poet laureate of Scotland. She was appointed as chancellor of the University of Salford in 2015. External Website

Artists Madge Gill Born 19 January 1882, an illegitimate child in East Ham, Essex, (now Greater London), Madge Gill spent much of her early years in seclusion because her family could not tolerate the embarrassment. At age nine, despite her mother still being alive, she was placed in a Barnardo’s Girls’ Village Home orphanage at Barkingside, Ilford, Essex. She was sent by Barnardo's to Canada in 1896 and then worked as a domestic servant, nursemaid and nurse before she married. Following her death in 1961, thousands of Madge's drawings were found in her home and later exhibited internationally. External Website

Radio & Podcast Anton Clifford-Motopi on finding his full name Conversations (Anton Clifford-Motopi) 2024 In this podcast, Anton Clifford-Motopi recounts what it was like growing up in his large, caring, adoptive family in the seaside town of Redcliff in Queensland, Australia. While at home Anton felt as if he belonged, at school he felt out of place, different. This was because he looked different, especially as he had “weird, fuzzy hair.” As a teenager, Anton was told his father was a Torres Strait Islander. Decades later he found out his father lived 12,000km away in a small African country. Anton Clifford-Motopi has recently published his debut children’s novel “To and Fro” about a 12 year old boy, Sam, who thinks he’s weird looking. External Website

Radio & Podcast Jeanette Winterson: the storyteller's tale Jeanette Winterson 2016 In this conversation, Jeanette Winterson talks about her difficult childhood and path to becoming one of Britain's most successful writers. External Website

Films/Videos The Illustrated Mum (TV movie) 2003 The Illustrated Mum is a TV movie starring Michelle Collins, Alice Connor, and Holliday Grainger. Two sisters cope with the unpredictable behaviour of their depressed, alcoholic mother who was in care as a child. External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles A digital archive of care experienced people in fiction, on screen and in real life IMO 2021 Care experienced journalist Sophia Hall spoke to Rosie Canning and Dee Michell, Founders of Care Experience and Culture about their care experienced led project and why they do what they do. External Website

Biography of Care Experienced People Motherless Child: The Definitive Biography of Eric Clapton: Paul Scott 2016 When he was 9, Eric Clapton found out that his parents were actually his grandparents and his sister was his mother. This early trauma affected Clapton's later relationships with women. This biography explores Clapton's childhood along with his rise to fame in the 1960's and his struggles with and against alcohol and drug addiction. External Website

Biography of Care Experienced People Charles Dickens: A Life Claire Tomalin 2012 A biography of one of the world's most famous and beloved writers, Charles Dickens, by award-winning biographer Claire Tomalin. External Website