Hopes Boy: Broken by life, saved by love

Andrew grew up in the s with his funny, loving but deeply unstable mother. Life with her was totally chaotic. She left him alone in motel.
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Broken Hope (boyxboy)

She left him alone in motel rooms at night and took him with her when she went house burgling. But Andrew's mother wasn't bad, she was just lost herself and one thing she did was always tell Broken by life, saved by love. Andrew grew up in the s with his funny, loving but deeply unstable mother. But Andrew's mother wasn't bad, she was just lost herself and one thing she did was always tell him she loved him. Gradually, though, the bad times got worse. One day Andrew, aged seven, found his mother in the bathroom in the middle of a breakdown, the walls covered in her pleas for help all written in the blood from the cuts she'd inflicted on herself.

He was taken into care and put with a foster family who treated him with loneliness and neglect at best and cruel indifference as standard. This is a groundbreaking story of a childhood destroyed by mental illness. It is also a heartbreaking love story about a mother's legacy of love. Want to Read Currently Reading Read.

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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 hi From the moment he was born, Andrew Bridge and his mother Hope shared a love so deep that it felt like nothing else mattered. 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.


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    • All the while, he refused to surrender the love he held for his mother in his heart. 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 heartwrenching, brutally honest, and inspirational memoir, he reveals who Hope's boy really is. Hardcover , pages. Published February 1st by Hachette Books first published January 1st To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Hope's Boy , please sign up.

    Lists with This Book. Jan 30, Michael Gordon rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I was deeply moved by 'Hope's Boy,' Andrew Bridge's haunting elegy of a childhood that seemed to be lost forever when Andrew, at age 7, became a ward of the State after being taken from the arms of his young mother on a street corner in North Hollywood.

    Andrew's unsparing chronicle of his experiences on the front lines of our nation's foster care system -- including his time in a facility that seemed more like a prison camp, and his rearing by a sadistic foster mother, who herself was a prison c I was deeply moved by 'Hope's Boy,' Andrew Bridge's haunting elegy of a childhood that seemed to be lost forever when Andrew, at age 7, became a ward of the State after being taken from the arms of his young mother on a street corner in North Hollywood.

    Andrew's unsparing chronicle of his experiences on the front lines of our nation's foster care system -- including his time in a facility that seemed more like a prison camp, and his rearing by a sadistic foster mother, who herself was a prison camp survivor -- opened my eyes more widely to the system's endemic problems than any piece of investigative journalism on the subject ever could. But, at its core, Andrew's book is a heartbreaking, unforgettable love story about a mother and her son. Even though Andrew's mother, Hope, appears intermittently throughout his memoir, I felt her presence, even in her absence, on every single page of his book.

    Broken Hope (boyxboy) - PositivelyDazed - Wattpad

    I don't know that I've ever read anything more powerful about love and loss than Andrew's searing prose about his mother's embrace as she struggled to hold onto him when he was being pried from her arms. And ultimately, I was inspired by how Hope's love gave Andrew the strength to pursue, and, ultimately, achieve his goals. The adult Andrew has given a proud, defiant voice to the boy and his mother. I, for one, am glad to have heard them and hope that many others will too.

    Jan 30, Jim Augustine rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Yet, even then, their love for each other must be worth something. With a steady and elegant voice, Bridge describes a mother who loved him desperately, and in the end, did more than most would ever ask of themselves, all the "Some families cannot be saved and their children cannot be return. With a steady and elegant voice, Bridge describes a mother who loved him desperately, and in the end, did more than most would ever ask of themselves, all the while savaged by mental illness. With tenderness, he describes how love can exist alongside failure and how a mother can ultimately "love a child more than she can care for him.

    Bridge went on to Wesleyan University, graduated from Harvard Law School, then devoted his life to the children he remembered -- children with broken lives who still wait for something far better than we give them. An excellent read - an important one, too. Nov 20, Rebecca Macaffe rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Hope's Boy is amazing. A friend of mine gave me an early publication copy that had been passed on to her.

    I can only say the same. The memoir describes a young boy and his relationship with his young, single mother. With beautiful and delicately crafted words, Bridge describes his memories of his mother as she struggled to care for him and keep the two of them together, while she was slowly overcome by mental illness. After he was taken from her by a county social worker and sherif Hope's Boy is amazing. After he was taken from her by a county social worker and sheriff's deputy, he lived in foster care for the next eleven years.

    In the most moving and elegant language, he describes the love and devotion that he carried for her throughout his childhood. He leaves with knowledge that even tragically flawed mothers have something to offer. What is most extraordinary is the love and compassion that he clearly still feels for the children that he remembers as a boy. The book is honest and heartwrenching. He opens the reader to a world of lost and forgotten children that too few know enough about. He reminds us how much better can do for them and how much more we owe them.

    He worked hard, went to college then Harvard Law School. Now he is a children's rights lawyer. An absolute must read. Jan 30, Marci rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Connections with others, and the need for them, are at our core. They are powerful and enduring, as is the sense of loss when they are broken. As a social worker, our role is to support, honor and do everything we can to sustain the core bond between parent and child.

    We failed to do that for Bridge. Despite our failures, Bridge held close his memories of Hope, developing his own extraordinary capacity for resilience. We can and must do better for them. Thanks again for a wonderful reminder of our responsibility to nurture resilience and hope in all children. Feb 03, Amy rated it it was amazing. This is a must read for anyone interested in foster care, or the child welfare system or lack thereof in the U.

    There are many books out there that detail the horrors and egregious acts that children have faced while supposedly being protected in state custody. However, Andrew Bridge does a great job at letting the reader know how horrible a childhood spent in foster care can be even without these egregious acts. This book gives voice to the quiet pain, isolation, and humiliation children of This is a must read for anyone interested in foster care, or the child welfare system or lack thereof in the U. This book gives voice to the quiet pain, isolation, and humiliation children often feel in permanent foster placements.

    It's quite a weighty read, so it helps that there is a little discussion of the work the author has done to try to reform the foster care system as an adult and successful lawyer. This is absolutely a must read for those interested in reforming this system, and also for those who work with kids in the child welfare system. You may learn a lot about what those kids feel, but never had the courage to tell anyone.

    Feb 19, Kate Kalstein rated it it was amazing. This is an incredible book. Andrew is a former foster youth who tells the story of his childhood through this amazing book - sad yet inspiring, definitely recommended for anyone who loves or works with kids.

    Mar 01, Bill bitopoulos rated it it was amazing. Mar 05, Kim rated it it was amazing. About a boy in the foster care system that beats the odds and becomes a lawyer.

    Jan 30, Sandra rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Like Andrew Bridge, I am an attorney. I, too, have represented many children who were removed from their parents because they needed protection or help at a particular time, only to suffer years of additional trauma and loss at the hands of the very systems and people that were supposed to be helping them.

    Hope's Boy: A Memoir

    Bridge's memoir is a powerful example of the importance of the principle "First, do no harm! It is also a necessary and humbling reminder that love and a sense of belonging can never be replaced by even the best of our intentions and interventions. It should be required reading for social workers, lawyers, judges and policy makers working with and on behalf of children who are physically separated from their parents and other family members. Feb 06, B Augustine rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: As a mother and a retired teacher, "Hope's Boy" was an emotional experience for me.

    It reminded me that children choose what is important to them. I think that anyone who lives with, or works with, children should read this well-written book. It is disturbing that one little boy had this childhood. More disturbing is the fact that there are many children who have l As a mother and a retired teacher, "Hope's Boy" was an emotional experience for me.

    More disturbing is the fact that there are many children who have lived this life, are living this life, or will live this life if the foster system isn't re-evaluated.