A heartwrenching story of a child who had to go through too much. However, it was enlightening for me, made me want to open my home for adoption, and left me with a feeling of hope.It also made me very thankful for my "normal" childhood, and made me recommit myself to helping my kids have a god childhood as well.
It wasn't as depressing as the title seems, though not for the faint of heart. I felt extreme frustration with the "system" and my heart aches for the children in the story. The back cover says:
"I dream of belonging to somebody. You know, having them tuck me in bed and kiss me goodnight. It's dumb,I know, but I dream about it sometimes."
Those are the words of Jennings Micheal Burch, who a the age of eight painfully concluded that love only meant loss. His lonely oddesy began one rainy day in Brooklyn when his mother, too sick to care for him, left him at an orphange, saying only "I'll be right back." This stay was the first in the series of bleak foster homes and institutions, and he never remained in any of them long enough to make a friend. To protect himself from the dull ache of loneliness, Jennings clung to a tattered stuffed animal, the 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.
Available to anyone who'd like it.