The Boys in the Bunkhouse

Posted on 16 August 2017 by Dan Barry

In this haunting modern Dickensian story that is a literary tour de force, Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Dan Barry chronicles a shameful case of exploitation and abuse in America s heartland, involving a group of developmentally disabled men and the advocates who helped them find justice and reclaim their livesIn the tiny Iowa farm town of Atalissa, a group of intellectually disabled men, all from Texas, lived in a tired old schoolhouse Every morning, well before dawn, they were bussed to a processing plant to eviscerate turkeys in return for food, lodging, and 65 a month From 1974 until 2009, the men lived in near servitude, enduring increasing neglect, exploitation, and physical and emotional abuse until state social workers, local journalists, and one tenacious government lawyer helped these men achieve their freedom New York Times columnist Dan Barry reveals how these men in an Iowa schoolhouse remained nearly forgotten for than three decades Drawing on exhaustive interviews, he dives deeply into their lives, recording their memories and suffering, their tender moments of joy and persistent hopefulness their endurance of harrowing circumstances Barry explores why this small heartland town remained all but blind to the men s plight, details how those responsible for such profound neglect justified their actions, and chronicles the lasting impact of a dramatic court case that has spurred advocates as well as President Obama to push for just pay and improved working conditions for people with disabilities.A luminous work of social justice, told with compassion and compelling detail, The Boys in the Bunkhouse is inspired storytelling and a clarion call for vigilance an American tale that holds lasting reverberations for all of us. New Read The Boys in the Bunkhouse By Dan Barry For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr 4.5 My bad I gave up several offers to work out at the much needed gym to finish this compelling story about an abusive bunkhouse group home indentured slavery situation What thoroughly presented casework The town of Atalissa, Iowa population 311 in 2010 and the names, the details, the history, so impressively researched The cover claims Dan Barry is the closest thing to a contemporary Steinbeck, however, I cannot confirm this, as I have to read Steinbeck yet A most perfect companion t 4.5 My bad I gave up several offers to work out at the much needed gym to finish this compelling story about an abusive bunkhouse group home indentured slavery situation What thoroughly presented casework The town of Atalissa, Iowa population 311 in 2010 and the names, the details, the history, so impressively researched The cover claims Dan Barry is the closest thing to a contemporary Steinbeck, however, I cannot confirm this, as I have to read Steinbeck yet A most perfect companion to reading about Rosemary Kennedy s story last year, as it parallel s much of the lack of dignity and equality in the past treatment of people who have intellectual disabilities But as a worker in various group homes over the years and every place I ve gone to has been so differe...This was a book that I wanted to open and start the minute I had my hands on it However, with a backlog of books to read, I regretfully put it on a shelf Luckily I found a challenge that it fit into perfectly and gave me a reason to move it up in line This is a non fiction book that reads as smoothly as fiction In places you tend to forget that it is non fiction This story is excruciatingly true It was of great interest to me because I followed this story in the local news both broadcast This was a book that I wa...Dan Barry is a wonderful writer, using his reporter s skill to fashion a story about a tough subject that reads easy The heroes of this book are the rescuers of mentally disabled men who have been living in increasingly squalid conditions in a haunting derelict schoolhouse in Iowa, working at unspeakable jobs in a turkey processing plant owned by a company in Texas, in what has been called virtually slavery Exploited and abused, they have been there since the 1970 s Barry brings to life the m Dan Barry is a wonderful writer, using his reporter s skill to fashion a story about a tough subject that reads easy The heroes of this book are the rescuers of mentally disabled men who have been living in increasingly squalid conditions in a hau...This is both a sweet book and a horrifying book It is about 32 men with intellectual disabilities who worked in a turkey processing plant in a small town in Iowa for decades in the 1970s 1980s and 1990s They were underpaid and overworked and mistreated and loved by many in the small town where they lived They participated in the community life and the religious life of the town and were well known to the people of the town At the same tim...Thank you to Goodreads Giveaway for this book What an amazing story I only wish it wasn t true Over 30 men with intellectual disabilities were forced to live in a decrepit old schoolhouse while working in a turkey processing plant for what amounted to slave wages They lived and worked under inhumane conditions, with caretakers who stole from them, bullied, abused, and sometimes tortured them This went on for over 30 years Over the years some whistle blowers tried to stop what they found Thank you to Goodreads Giveaway for this book What an amazing story I only wish it wasn t true Over 30 men with intellectual disabilities were forced to live in a decrepit old schoolhouse while working in a turkey processing plant for what amounted to slave wages They lived and worked under inhumane conditions, with caretakers who stole from them, bullied, abused, and sometimes tortured them This went on for over 30 years Over the years some whistle blowers tried to stop what they found going on, but no one would listen The people in the town who saw them out and about, thought everything was fine, since they didn t want to lo...This book was an eye opener for me, I usually am not attracted by books about social issues Sometimes they get too real for me , but I loved this book, it deals with the deplorable treatment of a group of people who suffered from mental problems ...Do you remember the shocking story of intellectually disabled men who were rescued from a slave like environment in Atalissa, Iowa I do, and I was anxious to learnThe men were moved from Texas to live in an abandoned schoolhouse in rural Iowa They worked from 1974 until they were rescued in 2007 at a turkey packing plant, doing the nastiest jobs in the facility The company they worked for controlled every aspect of their lives They kept most of their earnings, including social securit Do you remember the shocking story of intellectually disabled men who were rescued from a slave like environment in Atalissa, Iowa I do, and I was anxious to learnThe men were moved from Texas to live in an abandoned schoolhouse in rural Iowa They worked from 1974 until they were rescued in 2007 at a turkey packing plant, d...Never in my dreams did I imagine that something like this could take place in the good old USA, but it did, right in Atalissa, Iowa Thirty something intellectually disabled men living in a run down old school house for decades, exploited and abused, working in a turkey processing plant for a mere 65 month There where many whistle blowers throughout the years, but these complaints all fell on deaf ears, it was always someone else s problem Stripped of their families and dignity, the author di Never in my dreams did I imagine that something like this could take place in the good old USA, but it did, right in Atalissa, Iowa Thirty something intellectually disabled men living in a run down old school house for decades, exploited and abused, working in a turkey processing plant for a mere 65 month There where many whistle blowers throughout the years, but these complaints all fell on dea...You wouldn t think that 19th century slavery would still exist in 21st century America, but these intellectually challenged boys were essentially slaves, victims of human trafficking For decades And this book tells their heartbreaking story.These young men, teenagers, eventually old men, fell through the cracks and were rented out to the Louis Rich turkey processing plant by Henry s Turkey Service,...An incredible true story of a terrible crime of humanity I am glad I read it, but there were definitely times that I had to set it down and think about something else I especially like the way the author helped the reader to know each of the victims personally Excellent writing.

16 August 2017

Dan Barry