Erin Kimmerle

A 4.5 audiobook rounded to 5. This story may be a bit slow in a printed book but it was perfect as an audiobook, as I could space out, then sharpen my focus during the important scenes. Some scenes were gripping, such as the history of the boys' horrific abuse and the forensic evidence revealed in the graves, what little evidence was left after so many decades.

The lies on the death certificates -- those who even had certificates -- were cover-up crimes. For example, "pneumonia," when the skull showed blunt head trauma.

Some of the boys were White but most were Black, which made this a story of human rights and racial justice. Some of the boys were incarcerated for such simple "crimes" as skipping school. Some as young as five were pulled from their parents with no recourse.

At the end, the listing of the boys' names and dates of death was quite moving. The author was very respectful of the boys' memories, the families, and the survivors who added their eyewitness accounts.

Recommended!… (more)

Another sad mark in US history. The Dozier School for Boys was a place where alleged juvenile delinquents were sent to reform. However, reform was not what the school was about. It was about abuse, torture, cover ups, and slavery. Though black children were the most prevalent "students" there, white children were also in residence. Most of the children that died at the hands of schoolmasters were buried in unmarked graves on the site. Erin Kimmerle, an anthropologist who specializes in forensics, made it her mission to send these children home to their families. A task that was not easy due to inaccurate and/or missing data and the difficult job of finding the graves. This was highly informational and emotional. I would recommend it.… (more)

I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway

This book was very interesting. It is amazing how hard it was just to get the okay to find these lost boys and return them to their families who loved them and missed them. History is very seldom full of nothing but good stuff, with every good thing there is always bad and a lot of ugly. The good is always the outcome of learning from the ugly stuff. Hopefully the ugly that this book exposed will teach us how to be good to the young people that end up in the custody of any state for whatever reason. My thoughts go to the boys, their families and the people who worked so hard to get them home.
I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the hard work it takes to bring home lost children.… (more)

I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway

This book was very interesting. It is amazing how hard it was just to get the okay to find these lost boys and return them to their families who loved them and missed them. History is very seldom full of nothing but good stuff, with every good thing there is always bad and a lot of ugly. The good is always the outcome of learning from the ugly stuff. Hopefully the ugly that this book exposed will teach us how to be good to the young people that end up in the custody of any state for whatever reason. My thoughts go to the boys, their families and the people who worked so hard to get them home.
I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the hard work it takes to bring home lost children.… (more)