This book chronicles the extraordinary life of Ed Rohs, a bright, mischievous boy who was raised in five institutions of the Catholic orphanage system in postwar Brooklyn, New York, from infancy in 1946 until he was discharged as an adult in 1965. In 1946 Edward Rohs was left by his unwed parents at the Angel Guardian Home to be raised by the Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters hoped that the parents would return for him. In time they married and had other children, but they never came back for him. And they never signed the legal papers so he could be adopted by another family. Rohs was one of thou ... More

This book chronicles the extraordinary life of Ed Rohs, a bright, mischievous boy who was raised in five institutions of the Catholic orphanage system in postwar Brooklyn, New York, from infancy in 1946 until he was discharged as an adult in 1965. In 1946 Edward Rohs was left by his unwed parents at the Angel Guardian Home to be raised by the Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters hoped that the parents would return for him. In time they married and had other children, but they never came back for him. And they never signed the legal papers so he could be adopted by another family. Rohs was one of thousands of baby boomers taken in by Catholic institutions during the tumultuous post-WWII years: out-of-wedlock infants, children whose fathers had died in the war, and children of parents in crisis. Ed gives a brief history of each institution before describing that world. After discharge he has a difficult time adjusting, but he slowly assimilates into “normal” life and determinedly rises above his origins, achieving an advanced degree and career success, working for years in child welfare and as volunteer strength coach for the Fordham University basketball team. He hides his upbringing out of shame and fear of others' pity. But as he begins to reflect on his own story and to talk to the people who raised him, Ed begins to see a larger story intertwined with his own.