5 Star Review
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Editorial Book Review:
By Jazmin James
A scary and enlightening look at how complicated and unfair the foster care system is. This interesting book has both personal and professional parts. It has the raw emotion of real life and the clinical accuracy of court cases. It gives readers a detailed look at how to find justice in a society where rules and norms are often hard to see.
Bridge, who is known for telling compelling stories, draws a lot from his own experience as a foster child who became an attorney to make his stories both personal and important. The story is about his fight to save a small child who is caught in a web of systematic mistakes. This clearly shows how the system is meant to help the weak but sometimes fails them. It gives a clear picture of a system that should protect but often puts weak people in danger. Because he lived through the system's flaws, the book is filled with an honesty that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. It encourages readers to think beyond what they think they know about child safety.
The story is driven by vivid characters, including children whose lives are on the line, caseworkers overwhelmed by unmanageable caseloads, and lawyers like Bridge who are torn between optimism and disillusionment. The courtroom sequences are especially gripping, bringing to life the high-stakes world of family law, with all of its procedural twists, ethical quandaries, and emotional weight. Bridge's style is straightforward and captivating, and his legal insights are understandable to the lay reader without losing the gravity of the issues at hand.
The book stands out because Bridge is always honest. It doesn't bother him to show the bad parts of the system, even if it makes him feel scared and sick. What does it mean to fight for people who can't fight for themselves? That's what the book is more than just a law drama. It forces readers to confront painful truths about how society treats its most vulnerable people and advocates for accountability and reform in the face of institutional indifference.
The Child Catcher is more than a memoir or a legal drama—it is a call to action. Bridge’s passionate plea for justice reverberates long after the final page, urging readers to rethink what it means to protect the innocent. For anyone interested in social justice, child welfare, or the power of resilience, this book is a must-read, reminding us all that the fight for justice is far from over.
About the Author
Andrew Bridge
Andrew Bridge spent 11 years in Los Angeles County foster care before earning a scholarship to Wesleyan University and graduating from Harvard Law School. He is a Fulbright Fellow and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Writing Resident.
His work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Showtime, The Observer, The CBS Early Show, NBC Nightly News, Time Magazine, PBS, Psychology Today, NPR, and Observer Magazine.
His legal career began representing children against the State of Alabama, resulting in the closure of one of the most notorious psychiatric institutions in the country, the Eufaula Adolescent Center. After that, he returned home to Los Angeles as CEO of The Alliance for Children’s Rights, defending children at MacLaren Hall, where he was once confined. He won the right for every foster child to speak with their social worker at least once a month.
Andrew chaired Los Angeles County’s Blue Ribbon Foster Care Task Force, which called for an end to the disproportionate removal of African American babies from their parents. He is the co-founder of National Adoption Day and led California’s largest recruiter of LGBT+ foster and adoptive parents.
He advises senior federal and state officials on reforming our foster care system. His educational work established New Village Girls Academy, California’s first all-girls high school for pregnant and parenting teens. He regularly consults with child welfare systems, children’s facilities, and private foundations. As a member of Arizona’s Foster Care Review Board, Andrew also advises Arizona’s Juvenile Court on the safety and well-being of individual children in the state’s care.
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