They Cage the Animals at Night: The True Story of an Abandoned Child's Struggle for Emotional Survival (Signet)

The heartbreaking, iconic true story of an abandoned little boys horrific journey through the American foster care system.

On a misty evening in Brooklyn, Jennings Michael Burchs mother, too sick to care for him, left her eight-year-old son at an orphanage with the words, Ill be right back.She wasnt.

Shuttled through a bleak series of foster homes, orphanages, and institutions, Jennings never remained in any of them long enough to make a friend. Instead, he clung to a tattered stuffed animal named Doggie, his sole source of comfort in a frightening world.

Here, in his own words, Jennings Michael Burch reveals the abuse and neglect he experienced during his lost childhood. But while his experiences are both shocking and devastating, his story is ultimately one of hopethe triumphant tale of a forgotten child who somehow found the courage to reach out for love, and found it waiting for him.