LiterariLeigh

One of my more recent reads was Hope's Boy: A Memoir by Andrew Bridge. I find it interesting to read true accounts of people who grew up in very different circumstances than I did. While I have a few friends who were adopted, or who are trying to adopt children themselves, my knowledge of foster care is far more limited.

Bridge wanted to be with his mom, but Hope's deteriorating mental health left her unable to care for him as a parent should. At age 7, Andrew Bridge was taken to a California Juvenile Facility with no idea of what was happening to him. Eventually he was moved from the nightmarish hall to a "temporary" foster care situation. And that is where Andy ended up staying until he turned 18 years old. He was never included as part of the family; always the foster child. School became his best means of escape and success, and Andy graduated to attend Wesleyan and then Harvard Law. His adult life has been dedicated to helping, protecting and improving the lives of foster children.

For more information about the author, the book, and foster care, check out Hopesboy.com