Orphans of the Living: Stories of America's Children in Foster Care

A study of the foster care system in America examines the plight of thousands of children whose parents cannot or will not care for them, revealing the neglect, abuse, and loss of love that affects their lives

ORPHANS OF THE LIVING: Stories of America's Children in Foster Care

Politics & Social Sciences

Toth, Jennifer

Social Sciences

Simon&Schuster

A tale of youth violence in America and the juvenile justice system's inability to stop it focuses on Johnnie Jordan, a fourteen-year-old boy who murdered his elderly foster mother, one of the few people in his life who actually cared about him.

What Happened to Johnnie Jordan? The Story of a Child Turning Violent

Free Press

On an icy night five years ago, Johnnie Jordan -- just fourteen years old -- brutally murdered his elderly foster care mother, leaving the state of Ohio shocked and outraged. He could not tell police why he did it or even how it made him feel; all he knew was that something inside him made him kill. At the time, few people predicted the swift emergence of a class of young so-called "super-predators" -- criminals like Johnnie who injure and kill without conscience, personified to the nation by the Littleton, Colorado, tragedy in 1999. In What Happened to Johnnie Jordan? acclaimed journalist Jennifer Toth, author of The Mole People and Orphans of the Living, once again takes a look at the people in our society whom we so often discard and altogether ignore. As Toth investigates Johnnie's crime and life, she unravels the mysteries of a child murderer unable to identify his emotions even after they converge in acts of fury and rage. In the course of her research, Johnnie grows dangerously into a young man who "will probably kill again," he says, "though I don't want to." Yet he also demonstrates great kindness and caring when treated as more than just a case number, when treated as a human. Through Johnnie's harrowing story, Toth examines how some children manage to overcome tragic beginnings, while others turn their pain, anger, and loss on innocents. More than a beautifully written narrative of youth gone wrong, this is the story of a child welfare system so corrupted by bureaucracy and overwhelmed with cases that many children entrusted to its care receive none at all. It is also the story of a Midwestern town struggling with blame and anger, unable to reconcile the damage done by so young an offender. From Johnnie's early years on the streets to his controversial trial and ultimate conviction, What Happened to Johnnie Jordan? is a seminal work on youth violence and how we as a society can work to curtail it. Ultimately, Toth ponders one of the most difficult and important questions on youth violence: If we can't control the way children are raised, how can we prevent them from destroying other lives as well?

What Happened to Johnnie Jordan?: The Story of a Child Turning Violent

Teen & Young Adult

Thousands of people live in the subway, railroad, and sewage tunnels that form the bowels of New York City. This book is about them, the so-called mole people, living alone and in communities, in subway tunnels and below subway platforms. It is about how and why people move underground, who they are, and what they have to say about their lives and the topside” world they’ve left behind.

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City

Chicago Review Press

Thousands of people live in the subway, railroad, and sewage tunnels that form the bowels of New York City and this book is about them, the so-called mole people. They live alone and in communities, in subway tunnels and below subway platforms and this fascinating study presents how and why people move underground, who they are, and what they have to say about their lives and the “topside” world they’ve left behind.

Reference

AmazonUs/INDPB

Book synopsis: 
Dark to Light explores one woman's journey through the darkness, madness, loneliness, and despair of manic-depression. The book opens with poetry and prose that express the darker side of the illness. It is in her darkness, however, that she learns she is not alone and that by sticking together with others caught in the same bondage as she, there is both Hope and Light to be found. Through her suffering, she learns the importance of her God-given life and so begins the rise out of her pit. Rising out of the Dark she walks boldly into the Light with a new perspective on life and herself. She learns to focus on beauty as a weapon against the darkness. She finally comes to a place where she can find peace and gratitude to God. It is an amazing journey from the embrace of darkness into the warmth of the light.\nAutobiography: 
Jennifer Toth has been writing poetry since the age of sixteen. She studied literature at Rutgers University with her main influences being Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. She is a Born Again Christians who suffer from Manic-Depression or Bipolar Disorder as it's come to be known.\n﻿

Dark to Light: Struggle of a Manic-Depressive

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Writers Branding LLC

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Mental Health

Olympus Story House

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Toth, Jennifer. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Toth, Jennifer

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Toth, Jennifer. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

ORPHANS OF THE LIVING: Stories of America's Children in Foster Care

What Happened to Johnnie Jordan? The Story of a Child Turning Violent

What Happened to Johnnie Jordan?: The Story of a Child Turning Violent

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City

Dark to Light: Struggle of a Manic-Depressive

Dark to Light: Struggle of a Manic-Depressive