By: Andrew Bridge Publisher: Hyperion Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Hyperion Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 320 Publication Date: February 05, 2008 Release Date: February 05, 2008
Product Description: From the moment he was born, Andrew Bridge and his mother Hope shared a love so deep that it felt like nothing else mattered. Trapped in desperate poverty and confronted with unthinkable tragedies, all Andrew ever wanted was to be with his mom. But as her mental health steadily declined, and with no one else left to care for him, authorities arrived and tore Andrew from his screaming mother's arms. In that moment, the life he knew came crashing down around him. He was only seven years old.
Hope was institutionalized, and Andrew was placed in what would be his devastating reality for the next eleven years--foster care. After surviving one of our country's most notorious children's facilities, Andrew was thrust into a savagely loveless foster family that refused to accept him as one of their own. Deprived of the nurturing he needed, Andrew clung to academics and the kindness of teachers. All the while, he refused to surrender the love he held for his mother in his heart. Ultimately, Andrew earned a scholarship to Wesleyan, went on to Harvard Law School, and became a Fulbright Scholar.
Andrew has dedicated his life's work to helping children living in poverty and in the foster care system. He defied the staggering odds set against him, and here in this heartwrenching, brutally honest, and inspirational memoir, he reveals who Hope's boy really is.
A BOOK THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE Read this book and the way you think of young mothers and children will never be the same. The way you think of struggling families will never be the same. Your response to the latest newpaper headlines or television exposes on foster will change. Hope's Boy is a clear and couragous account of how much better we can do as a country to support and care for our fellow citizens. Modest and free of the self-promotion and self-pity that plagues so many books of struggle and triumph, Hope's Boy is a reminder of how much better we can and need to do as human beings -- a reminder that we live in a society and ought to have obligations to one another. READ THIS BOOK.
Resilency Hope's Boy by Andrew Bridge is a remarkable and inspirational story of one child/ man's resilency in surviving ( and thriving) under America's foster care bureacracy. Andrew Bridge was that boy and he has gone on to not only achieve but never to forget his own childhood nightmares by advocating for children today.
Stunning and Beautiful...Tender and Heartbreaking Hope's Boy is the most courageous and beautifully written book that I have read in a very, very long time. The story challenges us all to do better for those around us and reminds us of the possibility for change and of a better world. Hope's Boy is a simply written story of never giving up, never forgetting the hope that we have in all of us.
EVERYONE OUGHT TO READ THIS BOOK.
An Amazing Story I am a fan of PBS, particularly Tavis Smiley. It was on Tavis' show that I listened to Andrew Bridge talk about his story and his book. His comments were so genuine, so heartfelt, I couldn't get him out of my mind. Although I don't normally read memoirs, I knew I wanted to read his book.
I don't know much about foster care, but I do know about being adopted back when records were sealed and information was hidden. I suspected there may be some shared experiences and feelings between the two, and I was right. As I read Bridge's account, I was moved to tears many times when he said that he never forgot his mother and he never stopped loving her. He writes with such depth and feeling, but also with such simplicity and honesty about growing up in a foster family that may have shared space, but never shared love.
His story is one of triumph, over his circumstances, and over an uncaring system. He is now an advocate for children and for change, and I believe is a remarkable writer and human being. I could not recommend this book any higher, it is a masterpiece.
Terrific book that is hard to put down! A wonderfully written book. I could hardly put it down. I enjoyed the book from the beginning until the end. This book has a message that isn't only about foster children, I think seniors should take heart. As I read the book I started to realize that my 90 year old mother who passed away last year experienced similar treatment by the social worker profession and it was a great challenge for me to deal with them over my mother's care. I think this book should not only be read by those interested in a very good read, or about by those who want to understand the plight of foster children, but also should be read by children of advanced age seniors to see how the social worker group functions.
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