Other People's Kids - by Kim Culbertson (Paperback)

About the Book

Other People's Kids follows three educators at different stages of their careers as they navigate second chances, personal crossroads, and the risks of starting over.

Book Synopsis

SOMETIMES, LIFE DOESN'T FOLLOW A LESSON PLAN...

After being attacked by a disgruntled parent in the parking lot of the private San Francisco Bay Area high school where she has taught English for the past twelve years, traumatized Chelsea Garden flees to her hometown of Imperial Flats in the Northern California foothills. When Chelsea meets beleaguered principal of Imperial Flats High School, Nora Delgado, the two realize they might have found each other at an essential crossroads. To complicate matters, her former classmate and messy first love, Evan Dawkins, has also recently joined the faculty at IFHS to teach music. And he wasn't expecting Chelsea to walk back into his life. Other People's Kids follows three educators: one at the beginning of his career, one in the middle of hers, and one on her way out.

A story about teaching, hometowns, and risking change in midlife.

Review Quotes

"A gripping, cozy drama about the careers and lives of teachers. Written by a career educator, this story offers a rare glimpse into the complex lives of teachers, engaging readers in a middle-aged coming-home narrative and inviting them to reflect on the struggles faced by contemporary teachers nationwide. Culbertson's prose is enthralling without being melodramatic and witty without being overly lighthearted. Every character is lovingly constructed with empathy and imbued with complexity, making them relatable and likable. Readers will get lost in the story and come away having learned a few of the hard lessons that our teachers were trying to impart all along." -Kirkus Reviews

"In Other People's Kids Kim Culbertson writes with empathy and humor, complexity and insight, about a cast of characters impossible not to fall for. But the greatest magic of this novel is the glow that growing to know them will cast over your own life, making you view those around you--and maybe even yourself-- with a bit more generosity. This big-hearted, sweet-souled, tenderly funny book is just the balm we've all been wishing for." --Josh Weil, California Book Award-winning author of The Age of Perpetual Light

"At a time when teachers are finally getting some overdue recognition as our culture's unsung heroes, Kim Culbertson gives us an intimate view of a profession and its practitioners so often taken for granted. With precise detail, subtle drama, and surprising humor, she creates complex characters we want to spend time with and learn from, both in and out of the classroom; they may not want their students to know it, but her educators are fully alive and frustratingly, stubbornly, lovably human. Other People's Kids is a warm, vital, intricately structured, and beautifully written novel about a small community in the midst of change and the people most likely to hold it together." --Scott Nadelson, Oregon Book Award-winning author of Between You and Me

"As a daughter of educators and longtime fan of Kim Culbertson's YA, it was a joy to journey into her first adult novel. She has such a knack for creating characters we know and sympathize with, who make us tear up and laugh out loud. Everyone should pick up a copy!" --Brittany Blake, Library (Goddess) Tech and former Independent Bookseller

"The characters in Kim Culbertson's novels always feel truthful and grounded, and Other People's Kids is no exception. Instead of cynicism, she offers a genuine and honest look at humans and all our messiness, writing adult characters that feel wonderfully familiar. So familiar, in fact, that I wanted to curl up with this book and a glass of wine and read about their lives, just like I would catch up with a good friend over a meal. Kim understands our desire for connection, and that sometimes real connection comes from the people who knew us first, before we grew up and moved to far-flung cities and studied at fancy schools and chased the dream job, only to become disillusioned and jaded. Because the people who "knew us when" can restore our core self and not care that we screwed up along the way. They know there's hope for us yet. And I think that's something we could all use reminding of." --Loretta Ramos, Television Producer, American Gods

"In Other People's Kids, Kim Culbertson deftly weaves the stories of three educators, each at a crossroads in their lives. Faced with tense family dynamics, broken romantic relationships, not to mention troublemaking students and their exasperating parents, Culbertson's characters come to life on the page, their flaws and complexities written with compassion and humor. In a time of so much uncertainty, Other People's Kids offer