This record has been deleted from the database. We recommend that you remove this title from any lists it may have been added to.
The boys in the bunkhouse : servitude and salvation in the heartland / Dan Barry.
In 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. Dan Barry reveals how these men in an Iowa schoolhouse remained nearly forgotten for more than three decades. Drawing on 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.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781410493095
- ISBN: 1410493091
- Physical Description: 517 pages (large print) : illustrations ; 23 cm
- Edition: Large print edition.
- Publisher: Waterville, Maine : Thorndike Press, c2016.
- Copyright: p2016
Content descriptions
General Note: | Originally published: New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2016. |
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 509-514). |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | People with mental disabilities > Abuse of > Iowa. People with mental disabilities > Abuse of > Case studies. Atalissa (Iowa) > History. Iowa > History. |
Genre: | Large print books. |