“Hardships and cruelty made their bodies strong and their minds coarse. But the inner strength that enabled them to embrace compassion also made them great people.”

 Author Ed Abreu remembers the difficult times at the Saint Agnes Convent Home for Boys in New York and recounts the experiences of two brothers in the foster care system over a 12 year period.

  For children who are victims of an abusive experience at an early age, life becomes a series of half-dream states, with no beginning or ending. Most days are forgotten — except when terrifying catastrophy or a profound emotional experience leaves its scars upon their mind, heart, and body.