No Easy Answers.

Lexie Doucette is a child protection and family services officer in western Canada. She has to deal with a variety of situations taken from real-life cases—a single mother giving up her children so she can attends chemotherapy, a child court ordered to return to her family against Lexie, and the child’s wishes and others. Through a series of 17 inter-related short stories we follow Lexie’s journey from childhood, taking a backseat to her disabled sibling to her maturity as a an adult with a strong sense of compassion and a self-protective awareness of the parameters of her work .It paints an accurate description of the emotional ups and downs involved in dealing with people in crisis as evidenced by Lexie’s anorexia. It reflects the apathy that sets in as one continually receives threats until Lexie’s co-worker is hospitalized. It touches on the difficulties in dealing with abusive situations, where the victim protects the abuser out of fear of losing the only source of “love” in their lives. The book ends with Lexie submitting her letter of resignation thanking her clients “for enriching and enlightening her, for touching and tearing her heart, challenging her attitudes…and teaching her a point of view that is now forever shaded grey.”

The author, Deanna Lueder, draws on her own experiences of over 30 years as a child protection officer. It accurately portrays the “little things” the public generally does not know are also part of social work. The safety training, sitting in the seat nearest the door for an easy exit when in a client’s home and no interviews in kitchens due to the proximity of knives when conducting interviews. The frustration that comes with the limitations on how much one can help within the confines of a government bureaucracy.

This book is highly recommended for all, particularly those thinking of a career in the social work field.