Hope's Boy

"Critics Choice . . . Shocking, inspiring, unforgettable."

--People magazine

"Andrew Bridge has written an affecting, moving memoir which in the end is a poignant cry for rethinking our foster care system. Hope's Boy will stay with you long after you've put it down."

--Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here and The Other Side of the River

From the moment he was born, Andrew Bridge and his mother, Hope, shared a love so deep that it felt like nothing else mattered. Trapped in desperate poverty and confronted with unthinkable tragedies, all Andrew ever wanted was to be with his mom. But as her mental health steadily declined, and with no one else left to care for him, authorities arrived and tore Andrew from his screaming mother's arms. In that moment, the life he knew came crashing down around him. He was only seven years old.

Hope was institutionalized, and Andrew was placed in what would be his devastating reality for the next eleven years--foster care. After surviving one of our country's most notorious children's facilities, Andrew was thrust into a savagely loveless foster family that refused to accept him as one of their own. Deprived of the nurturing he needed, Andrew clung to academics and the kindness of teachers. All the while, he refused to surrender the love he held for his mother in his heart. Ultimately, Andrew earned a scholarship to Wesleyan, went on to Harvard Law School, and became a Fulbright Scholar.

Andrew has dedicated his life's work to helping children living in poverty and in the foster care system. He defied the staggering odds set against him, and here in this heart-wrenching, brutally honest, and inspirational memoir, he reveals who Hope's boy really is.

In his remarkable memoir, Bridge reflects with acute perception and openness on a devastating young life. Struggling through the foster care system for 11 years, Bridge discovered that success in academia would bring him the escape he needed from the constant hell of his foster home.

In his memoir, Andrew Bridge reflects with acute perception and openness on a devestating young life. At 7-years-old, Andrew was forced into foster care after authorities declared his mother Hope unfit to raise him.& nbsp; Barely an adult herself and with little money, Hope??'s mental instability made for an unsound and unpredictable home environment???yet regardless of her illness, the deep and impenetrable love she shared with her son was the one thing they both clinged to. & nbsp; Andrew had to literally be pulled from his mother??'s arms???a nightmare so painful, as there was nothing they both wanted more than to just be with each other.& nbsp; Though he had not desired or sought escape from the home he had known, the reprieve that foster care was intended to be for Andrew was no such thing???it was a cruel and loveless environment, and without his mother, he felt more lost and alone than ever.& nbsp; Andrew endured 11 years in foster care???an unfortunate irony, as he wasn???t provided with any care at all. The abuse he suffered at the hands of the very adults designated to offer him a better life tried and tested his faith and confidence day after day.With all odds working against him, Andrew discovered that success in academia would bring him the escape he needed from the constant hell of his foster home, and he resisted any urges to run away or give up.& nbsp; The HOPE he never let go of and his relentless hard work through his teenage years ultimately earned him a scholarship to Wesleyan, followed by a law degree from Harvard.& nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp;