Internationally celebrated social work scholar Dr. Michael Ungar has authored more than 250 academic articles and book chapters, but his latest work trades peer-reviewed processes for magic realism.
Orphans in the Garden, a novel released digitally in June and in paperback on Sept. 15, follows Rachel, a social worker who decides the child welfare system isn’t working for the kids in it. She takes matters into her own hands, turning her garden shed into a sanctuary for children seeking refuge.
This release marks Dr. Ungar’s return to fiction – his first novel, The Social Worker, was published in 2011. He writes fiction to reach new audiences and mobilize critical messages.
“Most of the people who are going to read the novel are never going to read an article in Child Abuse and Neglect,” he says, referring to a leading journal in the sector.
Fiction lets him bring those readers into the conversation, and, he hopes, change how people “see and hear children” who are homeless or caught up in the child welfare system.
“I had something to say that I wasn’t able to say in other forms,” he says. “Fiction can give you license to say things that you can’t necessarily write, even in popular psychology books.”
In Orphans in the Garden, Dr. Ungar balances the serious themes of the novel with satire and magical realism – ultimately creating what he hopes is an enjoyable book for readers.
“It’s not meant to be heavy. It’s meant to be readable,” he says.
By writing about kids who had an alternative to the system, “a quiet space to escape to,” Dr. Ungar says he could represent how young people often experience child welfare.
“Kids would say, ‘I’d rather not be in the system. I’d rather be alone and on my own.’”
Sharing his craft
Dr. Anam Khan, a former PhD student of Dr. Ungar’s, says the social worker’s decision to write a novel was a deviation from his usual work, but not a surprising one.
“He wears many hats,” she says.
She recalls his storytelling side showing up while he supervised and taught.
“He often emphasized how the narrative in our work should have a strong, purposeful flow,” she says. "Applying this narrative principle to research is one of the most important lessons I learned from him.”
I had something to say that I wasn’t able to say in other forms.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Ungar runs a workshop at academic conferences along the lines of “turn your research into a bestseller.”
He recalls one time he ran it at an international conference. “I thought I’d get a dozen people if I was lucky,” he says. Instead, more than 100 people showed up.
“A lot of people were sitting on a book idea,” he says.
Highlighting social work
Dr. Ungar says his main character is drawn from the best of the profession, inspired by the psychologists, youth care workers, guidance counsellors, and others he’s met along the way.
“I think the best social workers read the novel and go, ‘I wish I had the resources to help kids in that way,’” he says.
He also says that social workers are often stereotyped and lack full characterization in stories, despite having a profound effect on many people’s lives.
“It’s not a venue that most people will ever see or know anything about, the child welfare system.”
What’s next
Dr. Ungar believes Orphans in the Garden covers the core principles he teaches in his scholarly work, but in a more playful way.
“I would love it if my book was picked up by schools of social work as a required reading,” he muses.
I would love it if my book was picked up by schools of social work as a required reading.
He says fiction also rejuvenates his academic work. “I write some fiction for a month or two, and then I feel refreshed when I go back to the academic articles,” he explains. “Inspiration sometimes gets jiggled.”
As for another novel, he says he “would never say never.”
“If another character like Rachel happens to wake me up some evening... maybe I’ll put their story down.”