Andy Bridge and his mother Hope loved each other with a deep, abiding love, but she was so tormented in her mind that she was unable to care for her son. Andy was seven when she was institutionalized, and he was placed in foster care.

The book begins and ends at the Eufaula Adolescent Center in Alabama, site of a class action lawsuit centering on poor treatment of its residents. Newly-hired as a lawyer, Andy interviews Jeff, a teenager sequestered in a drafty basement for an infraction of the rules. Andy sees himself in Jeff and flashes back to his own experiences.

The descriptions in this memoir are so vivid that the reader feels an affinity for Andy and his story. A page turner, this memoir is hard to put down and provides a moving portrait of a boy who refused to fail in life in spite of his circumstances. This book is a must read!  Reviewed by Susie Nightingale