Author and foster care advocate with a powerful redemption story

Linda Summerford

Linda Summerford spent a lifetime in the legal field before her retirement in 2020, including serving on the Lexington County Foster Care Review Board at the appointment of the governor of South Carolina.

Adopted at age five with her sister, Summerford found out at age 21 the surprising truth that they also had an older sister and brother who lived on the other side of the state. From the moment the four siblings reunited, they determined they would research what happened to cause their separation. 

The Glider
By Linda Summerford

When a sister they never knew appears, they are determined to find answers to what caused their separation. Their search leads them to discover the atrocities they endured at the hands of a broken foster care and adoption system. Will they find answers or realize that it’s still happening?

“The Glider tells a story – Linda’s story – of the beauty that can come from brokenness.  While not shying away from the life-long effects trauma, foster care, a flawed child welfare system, and even adoption can have on a child, she illustrates the life-changing potential of adoption to heal and allow a child to move beyond the brokenness.  Ultimately, her story is a powerful reminder of each of our own stories of redemption – where God calls us from the sinful brokenness we were born into to a place of healing through his salvation and grace. Beautifully done. “

— Holly Pisarik
Attorney; Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Policy Counsel, South Carolina Medical Association

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