They Cage the Animals at Night

At the age of eight, the author began a three-year odyssey through a series of orphan asylums and foster homes, punctuated by episodes of living in the streets—a journey through a world of hostile strangers, abusive adults, and suspicious children.

One rainy day in Brooklyn, Jennings Michael Burch's mother, too sick to care for him, left him at an orphanage, saying only, "I'll be right back." She never returned. Shuttled through a series of bleak foster homes and institutions, he never remained in any of them long enough to make a friend. Instead, Jennings clung to a tattered stuffed animal, his sole source of warmth in a frightening world. This is the poignant story of his lost childhood. But it is also the triumphant tale of a little boy who finally gained the courage to reach out for love-and found it waiting for him.