They Cage the Animals at Night

The heartbreaking, iconic true story of an abandoned little boy's horrific journey through the American foster care system. On a misty evening in Brooklyn, Jennings Michael Burch's mother, too sick to care for him, left her eight-year-old son at an orphanage with the words, "I'll be right back." She wasn't.

Shuttled through a bleak series of foster homes, orphanages, and institutions, Jennings never remained in any of them long enough to make a friend. Instead, he clung to a tattered stuffed animal named Doggie, his sole source of comfort in a frightening world.

Here, in his own words, Jennings Michael Burch reveals the abuse and neglect he experienced during his lost childhood. But while his experiences are both shocking and devastating, his story is ultimately one of hope--the triumphant tale of a forgotten child who somehow found the courage to reach out for love, and found it waiting for him.

Winner of Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award 1995

“"A valuable and beautiful book which addresses issues of concern to everyone--what really does happen to foster children and what allows some children to survive the same emotional trauma that shatters forever the lives of others."--Eleanor Craig, author of P.S. Your Not Listening ”

"A deeply moving and inspiring story."--Alan Arkin

"Everyone who cares about the quality of life and the future of nation should read this book."--William R. Bricker, National Director, Boys Clubs of America

"This heartbreaking, shocking, ultimately triumphant tale is an extremely important book."--Lucy Freeman, author of Fight Against Fears

"A must for every library...should be required reading for every couple expecting a child."--Sally Struthers

"This heart-wrenching, autobiographical account...has the power of a Dickens novel."--Booklist

"A winner--gripping, unforgettable, shattering."--Flora Rheta Schreiber, author of Sybil

Burch has worked as a New York City policeman, achauffeur, a theatre manager, a magazine pressman, anda short-order cook. He holds a B.A. in forensic psychology from John Jay College.

"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 Michael Burch, who at the age of eight painfully concluded love only meant loss. His lonely odyssey began one rainy day in Brooklyn when his mother, too sick to care for him, left him at an orphanage, saying only "I'll be right back." This stay was the first in a 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....

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