{"product_id":"the-boys-in-the-bunkhouse-servitude-and-salvation-in-the-heartland-9780062372147","title":"The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNominated for the 2017 Hillman Prize and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith this Dickensian tale from America's heartland, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e writer and columnist Dan Barry tells the harrowing yet uplifting story of the exploitation and abuse of a resilient group of men with intellectual disability, and the heroic efforts of those who helped them to find justice and reclaim their lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the tiny Iowa farm town of Atalissa, dozens of men, all with intellectual disability and all from Texas, lived in an old schoolhouse. Before dawn each morning, they were bussed to a nearby processing plant, where they eviscerated turkeys in return for food, lodging, and $65 a month. They lived in near servitude for more than thirty years, enduring increasing neglect, exploitation, and physical and emotional abuse--until state social workers, local journalists, and one tenacious labor lawyer helped these men achieve freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on exhaustive interviews, Dan Barry dives deeply into the lives of the men, recording their memories of suffering, loneliness and fleeting joy, as well as the undying hope they maintained despite their traumatic circumstances. Barry explores how a small Iowa town remained oblivious to the plight of these men, analyzes the many causes for such profound and chronic negligence, and lays out the impact of the men's dramatic court case, which has spurred advocates--including President Obama--to push for just pay and improved working conditions for people living with disabilities.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA luminous work of social justice, told with compassion and compelling detail, \u003cem\u003eThe Boys in the Bunkhouse\u003c\/em\u003e is more than just inspired storytelling. It is a clarion call for a vigilance that ensures inclusion and dignity for all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBarry, Dan:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eDan Barry is a reporter and columnist for the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e. In 1994 he was part of an investigative team at the \u003cem\u003eProvidence Journal\u003c\/em\u003e that won the Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles on Rhode Island's justice system. He is the author of a memoir, a collection of his \u003cem\u003eAbout New York\u003c\/em\u003e columns, and \u003cem\u003eBottom of the 33rd\u003c\/em\u003e, for which he won the 2012 PEN\/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Maplewood, New Jersey.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50526790713618,"sku":"9780062372147","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_aa49e353-46f6-4d2f-8601-03d58e89c0ce.jpg?v=1731283527","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-boys-in-the-bunkhouse-servitude-and-salvation-in-the-heartland-9780062372147","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}