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The Lost Children of Wilder: The Epic Struggle to Change Foster Care

by Nina Bernstein

The Lost Children of Wilder: The Epic Struggle to Change Foster Care Cover

ISBN13: 9780679758341
ISBN10: 0679758348
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

IIn 1973, a young ACLU attorney filed a controversial class-action lawsuit that challenged New York City’s operation of its foster-care system. The plaintiff was an abused runaway named Shirley Wilder who had suffered from the system’s inequities. Wilder, as the case came to be known, was waged for two and a half decades, becoming a battleground for the conflicts of race, religion, and politics that shape America’s child-welfare system.

The Lost Children of Wilder gives us the galvanizing history of this landmark case and the personal story at its core. Nina Bernstein takes us behind the scenes of far-reaching legal and legislative battles, but she also traces the life of Shirley Wilder and her son, Lamont, born when Shirley was only fourteen and relinquished to the very system being challenged in her name. Bernstein’s account of Shirley and Lamont’s struggles captures the heartbreaking consequences of the child welfare system’s best intentions and deepest flaws. In the tradition of There Are No Children Here, this is a major achievement of investigative journalism and a tour de force of social observation, a gripping book that will haunt every reader who cares about the needs of children.

Review:

“A heartbreaking, intricate account as epic in scope as the subtitle suggests….A truly compelling read.” — The San Diego Union-Tribune

Review:

“An enthralling story from start to finish [that] reads like a true-crime novel…expert reporting.”The Baltimore Sun

Review:

“A wrenching account. . . . A brilliant, moving chronicle of a bright little girl named Shirley Wilder and the dogged lawyer…who tried to find her a home.” --The New York Times

Review:

“Brilliantly researched…. Its legal analysis is rich…the drama is human.”The New York Times Book Review (front-page review)

Synopsis:

In the tradition of J. Anthony Lukas and Alex Kotlowitz, a top-notch investigative reporter presents a harrowing account of our failed child-welfare system and reveals the human cost of that failure.

The Lost Children of Wilder is the story of a long-running–and only partially successful–lawsuit that challenged the basic fairness of New York’s foster care system. It’s also the story of a family trapped in the system: Shirley Wilder, in whose name the lawsuit was filed, who entered foster care at 12; her son, Lamont, whom she gave birth to at 14; and his own son, whom he is barely able to support. This comprehensive account of their troubled lives and the impact they have had on the way welfare works is destined to be a classic.

About the Author

Nina Bernstein lives in New York City.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
DulceRosa, September 21, 2006 (view all comments by DulceRosa)
Nina Bernstein takes us deep into a world that most of us are not familiar with. She extracts the sugar-coated system of child services and brings us the gruesome reality of what it was like to be a helpless young victim of a biased society. This book could not have been written any better.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780679758341
Subtitle:
The Epic Struggle to Change Foster Care
Author:
Bernstein, Nina
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Location:
New York
Subject:
Children's Studies
Subject:
Child welfare
Subject:
Social Services & Welfare
Subject:
Social Work
Subject:
Child Advocacy
Subject:
Foster children
Subject:
Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare
Subject:
Foster children -- New York (State) -- New York.
Subject:
Wilder, Shirley
Edition Description:
1st Vintage Books ed.
Series Volume:
3195
Publication Date:
February 2002
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
496
Dimensions:
8.06x5.25x1.07 in. .80 lbs.

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