Rosenbluth focuses her memoir on her early years in the foster care system and on her later experience in Kenya during a yearlong teaching stint. The author, who was born in New York in the mid-1950s, lost her mother at a young age to cancer; her father neglected her and her sister, often leaving them alone to fend for themselves. As a result, the young Rosenbluth often took on a parental role with her sibling, and they both later ended up in foster care, rather than live with other relatives, at her father’s insistence. Despite numerous obstacles on the path to independence, Rosenbluth found a way to attend Friends World College, an international school that promised travel and the multicultural experience that she’d always wanted. Readers follow the teenage Rosenbluth to Songa—a village in rural northern Kenya—eager to teach and help, yet nervous about the prospect of acceptance by the locals, aware of her relative privilege. She was always open to conversation and participation in unfamiliar situations, and soon, she’s forming strong bonds with the Songa community, resulting in enthusiastic interactions in which she and the locals teach one another new things. But old fears continue to haunt Rosenbluth as disagreements regarding religion and the role of women in Kenya threaten her hard-earned friendships and sense of belonging; readers effectively follow both her triumphs and her struggles to keep her place. Overall, Rosenbluth relates vivid memories of Kenya in an engaging prose style (“The road’s red dust drifts up from the ground as we drive, leaving a mushroom-like cloud in the air, shading my vision and filling my nostrils”), and she gets across the vibrant character of many of the people she met. She deftly merges the two parts of her life story—her early life and her Kenyan travels—with maturity and levelheaded reflection and urges readers to both sympathize with others and to pay attention to their own emotional needs. An eye-opening and thorough remembrance, related with clarity and care."  — Verdict GET IT Kirkus Review

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"Rosenbluth shares her compelling journey of resilience and triumph with such heartbreaking and inspiring honesty that it leaves you on the edge of your seat! She will have you laughing, shaking your head in disbelief, and crying from chapter to chapter, all while holding on to hope that she will prevail against all odds." — Ta’Nika Gibson, actress and advisory board member for You Gotta Believe, a national foster care and adoption advocacy group

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A thoughtful memoir about chosen belonging formed through village work in Africa after a childhood of uncertain homes in America. The prose is accessible, and because the writing style feels similar to fiction, it is just so easy to read. — Readers' Favorite Five-Star Book Review

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"Living with Strangers is a beautifully written exploration of connection and belonging. The way she navigates cultural differences while seeking acceptance resonated with me. I found myself invested in her journey, feeling her joys and sorrows as if they were my own. This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or has experienced the American foster care system." — Angela Quijada-Banks, author of The Black Foster Youth Handbook

 

"In this memoir, Robin shares her journey as a foster teen navigating life in strangers’ homes. With the support of caring adults, she finds her way to college. What truly sets her story apart is her year in Kenya at nineteen, living with semi-nomadic tribes and teaching school. Her courage to embrace a new culture while searching for belonging is both surprising and inspiring." — David Ambroz, Author of A Place Called Home

 

"Robin’s compelling memoir, Living with Strangers, captures her experiences with and appreciation for the people of the Samburu and Rendille tribes in Northern Kenya. She arrived in Kenya with typical teenage anxiety — after struggling to find acceptance from her foster family — and learned to embrace local traditions and culture, as she searched for a place to belong." — Bill Ulfelder, Executive Director of the New York Nature Conservancy

 

"Weaving her stories as a survivor of the United States’ broken child welfare system and her year in Kenya at nineteen, Robin’s book is a deeply impactful illustration of how leaning into one’s vulnerability can lead to enlightenment and belonging." — Jennifer Pinder, Executive Director of You Gotta Believe