{"product_id":"boarding-school-bastard-a-memoir-alan-sharavsky-9798642796122","title":"Boarding School Bastard. A Memoir: Life in an Orphanage for Fatherless Boys","description":"\u003cb\u003eA deaf widow leaves her eight-year-old son, Alan, at an orphanage, hoping he'll find a better life than she can provide on a sweatshop paycheck. \u003c\/b\u003eShe dreams that Girard College, a boarding school for fatherless boys, will be his Camelot. What she doesn't know is that child abuse, anti-Semitism, sexual assault, and bullying await him. And Alan doesn't know whether his mother is coming back. Or if he'll have to run away. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoarding School Bastar\u003c\/i\u003ed is the moving memoir of a frightening yet fascinating childhood, spent in a historic Philadelphia orphanage from 1962 to 1970. Leavening tragedy with humor and humanity, \u003ci\u003eBoarding School Bastard\u003c\/i\u003e reveals a world we'd prefer to avoid but is too riveting to ignore. To witness how hope and friendship triumph over grief, abuse and fear, this best-selling memoir is essential reading. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003ePRAISE FOR BOARDING SCHOOL BASTARD\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Sharavsky has dug deep for this gripping and emotional memoir, exposing a childhood sure to leave as big a mark on the reader as it did on the writer. Unforgettable.\"\u003c\/b\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eJon Clinch, Author of Finn, Marley and Kings of the Earth\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Alan Sharavsky's \u003ci\u003eBoarding School Bastard\u003c\/i\u003e is a 'Me Too' manifesto from a male perspective. Writing in crisp prose, laced with humor, Sharavsky immerses a reader in the travails of childhood and adolescence. But his is not an ordinary coming of age story.\"\u003c\/b\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eAnnette Libeskind Berkovits, Author of In the Unlikeliest of Places \u0026amp; Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"While aspects are reminiscent of Oliver Twist, especially the deliberate cruelties inflicted by many of the adults on those in their care, Sharavsky's story is also a testament to the resilience of children who travel through painful events. Touching, and at times, humorous, this memoir will linger long in the reader's mind.\"\u003c\/b\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eNancy Christie, Author of Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and The Gifts of Change\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"I was rooting for the pint-sized protagonist from the first page, gripped and fearing for him by the 10th. This modern-day Oliver struggles to find his way in a well-intentioned but troubled institution, founded at a time when 'orphan' equaled 'fatherless'.\"\u003c\/b\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eValerie, M. Jones, CEO, Speaker and Author of Non-Profit Hero\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Sharavsky's experiences, as depicted in this moving book, provide an important lens into the loneliness and fear felt by children who feel vulnerable and unprotected. \u003ci\u003eBoarding School Bastard\u003c\/i\u003e eloquently portrays the trauma experienced by victims and witnesses to child abuse.\" -- \u003ci\u003eDebra Schilling Wolfe, MEd, Executive Director, University of Pennsylvania Center for Children's Policy\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"This memoir is a brilliant exploration of our humanity through the eyes of a powerless boy and his lonely life, illustrating how he coped with brutal, institutional guardians. His inspiring story of resilience demonstrates how creative adaptation and sheer will can overcome emotional deprivation. A tour de force.\"\u003c\/b\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eBruce J. Levin, MD, Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Sharavsky pulls off the remarkable feat of drawing us into a page-turner while sharing the true story of his abused yet fascinating childhood. This powerful book provides necessary insights for people who have not experienced child abuse, abandonment, and anti-Semitism, while bearing witness for those who have.\"\u003c\/b\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eLiz Dow, CEO, Leadership Philadelphia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alan Sharavsky\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 864279612X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798642796122\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/10\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 250\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.82lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.57d","brand":"Alan Sharavsky","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43943165427967,"sku":"9798642796122","price":10.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_75bd73e4-87b3-43f6-8d89-0705afbda663.jpg?v=1681496582","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/boarding-school-bastard-a-memoir-alan-sharavsky-9798642796122","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}