Rebuilding children's lives: A blueprint for treatment foster parents
by Christena B. Baker

Shot in the Heart: One Family's History in Murder.
by Mikal Gilmore

Reviews:
This book proved to be one of the most powerful books I have ever read, not so much for the plot (although it reads as a fascinating tale), or for the beauty of its telling (Mikal Gilmore writes like a poet), but rather as a disturbing evocation of the nature and realities of the abuse of children by the very systems designed to protect them (institutional abuse) � and of the tragic consequences of a childhood lived in pain and terror.

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I bought this book for in a used book store since I enjoy biographies, never realizing how how moving this story would be. I vaguely remembered the Gary Gilmore story but most of the media attention was around the legal aspects of his execution.
The real fascination in this story is only partially Gary. The life that this family lived and the poignant detailed accounting of it by the youngest brother, Mikal, is moving beyond all expectations. The bizarre family life they led and the frequent painful events in their lives is enough to make you wonder how the author of this book continued on with a productive life. His oldest brother, Frank, also contributed to the material. By the end of the book when only the two of them remain alive, the reader is struck by the manner in which the author has conveyed his rawest of emotions and that one of those emotions remains the love he has for his family.
There are many dimensions to this story that could make it appealing to readers of different interests. There is, of course, the legal aspect, but in addition, there is the Mormon religious influences, the paternal history that claims a connection with Houdini, the transient homeless family life, the continued devotion of mother and father through the worst of events and many more.
A recommended good read that will stay with you for a long time. Thank you, Mikal, for pulling this book together for us all.

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I was amazed by this book � in it, Mikal Gilmore attempts to explain how and why his brother, Gary, became who he was. In the way of all great biography, the book actually raises more questions than it answers and really enlightens. The book is truly engrossing. More than a biography of Gary Gilmore, it is a biography of his family and an exploration of the internal and external forces that shaped that family and the members of it. Mailer's Executioner's Song felt cold by comparison, seeking to answer only certain questions rather than exploring the subject matter fully. Mikal Gilmore is a gifted writer and courageous to delve into his family's history in this manner.

See also

The heart knows something different: Teenage voices from foster care system: Youth communication
by Al Desetta

Book description
Grade 9 Up? For the teens who contributed to this volume, the journey to adulthood has been particularly arduous, because they are all participants in the foster-care system. The 57 essays are divided into four sections. The first deals with the individual situations responsible for a child's placement in foster care. Next come pieces on living in that system. The third section deals with self-awareness, and the last looks to the future. Some of the stories are told with humor, some with anger, and many with pain, but all resonate with unflinching honesty. Whether the teen is a runaway, an orphan to AIDS or drugs, or a victim of abuse, each has had to work through his or her own situation. What is clearly missing from all of the writings is any trace of self-pity, although many of the young people express regret or even remorse for their past lives. But a strong sense of individual purpose permeates the book and, according to the notes at the end of each essay, the contributors have been successful in turning their lives around. The problems and issues the writers express are universal, and their courage will touch the hearts of all.

No one knows better what it's like to live on America's fringes than those who live there: this is clearly part of the appeal of the newspapers produced and sold by homeless people in many cities. Youth Communication, a nonprofit group, produces two magazines (New Youth Connections and Foster Care Youth United) to teach New York City teens writing, journalism, and leadership skills. The editors of Heart have gathered nearly 40 young writers' contributions to Foster Care Youth United, as well as letters received from readers in the foster-care system around the country. These vivid, articulate, often painful stories are grouped into four sections: "Family," "Living in the System," "Who Am I?" and "Looking to the Future." A slang glossary, list of resources, and detailed subject guide (from abuse and neglect to writing as therapy) are appended. There's good news as well as bad news here, victories for human decency and resilience as well as portraits of cruelty and indifference in this "On the Inside, Looking Out" mural of one of our nation's least understood social institutions
 

The illustrations are beautifully pencilled �.the authors do a credible job of portraying the anguish and self-doubt and testing that go on when a child is placed in a new setting.

Special and touching...would make children going through such experiences know they are not alone and there are people who understand.