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Broken Boy

Surviving Foster Care and Giving Back to the System That Stole My Childhood

By G.V. Medeiros

Overview

By any estimation, Gino Medeiros should have become a statistic. Plunged into the broken foster care system of the 1970s at the age of five, Gino would spend the next fifteen years bouncing from one home to the next, unwanted and unloved, or so it seemed. He was convinced that he would die homeless and alone, just another life that slipped through the cracks. But one can never underestimate the power of kindness… A coming-of-age tale first witnessed through the eyes of a child and then a young gay man, Broken Boy is the true story of Gino's journey through foster care to the heart of a loving family. Part manual for prospective foster parents, part emotional exploration of the value of family, it is filled with hard-won lessons of kindness, cruelty, redemption, and the ultimate triumph of unconditional love.
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Description

"Broken Boy is well written, engaging, heart wrenching, funny, and eye-opening.  It is a short and easy read filled with unimaginable stories and life lessons."

"I picked up your book and started reading your story at about 4 a.m. on Easter Sunday.  You did a wonderful job sharing your experiences as a child who got lost within the foster care system. I cried through the epilogue at about 4 p.m....."

"I have to say your unwavering spirit and determination to find a sense of belonging and purpose in the face of overwhelming adversity is both inspiring and uplifting.
Thank you for sharing your story..."

"Just finished your book. All I can say right now is WOW WOW WOW..."

"4 chapters later… I can’t put your book down! Finally had to take a break when my love started doing chores around me as I sat on the sofa with a pile of dinner napkins and yet another cold cup of coffee nearby."


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About The Author

Gino V. Medeiros (born Gene W. Binsbachar, Jr.) lives on a small farm in Northern California with his husband, Tony. Together, they run a small construction business lifting and moving entire houses. Gino and his former husband fostered and adopted a teenage girl from the foster care system who has gone on to graduate from college and is living her best life. In 2022, his mother, Judy, who figures heavily in his memoir, "Broken Boy", passed away. He is dedicated to carrying on her legacy of boundless compassion and caring for others. He made his mother that promise before she passed, and he is committed to it. After working for fifteen years at University of California, San Francisco, he is now a passionate advocate for children's rights. Drawing on his experiences growing up in the foster care system, he has been a keynote speaker at foster parent trainings and industry conferences where he educates on the additional challenges of being gay as a foster child. Broken Boy is his debut book. It was inspired by a chance encounter with the legendary Maya Angelou in 2001.

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Book details

  • Genre:family & relationships
  • Sub-genre:Abuse / Child Abuse
  • Language:English
  • Pages:200
  • Duration
  • eBook ISBN:9798350951950
  • Paperback ISBN:9798350942842

Book Reviews

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Kathy
Tough but important read I am a former classmate of Gino's and knew the ex-girlfriend whose mother adopted Gino as an adult. I did not know of Gino's story or past until about 10 or so years ago and am just in awe at what a wonderful human Gino is and commend him for writing this book. The book is tough to read as Gino is honest about his experiences but he tells his story bluntly, describes the facts of his abuse and what the years of physical, mental, and sexual abuse did to him. Gino has grown to be a man with grace that has taken his experiences and turned them into his work to ensure no other child experiences what he did in the foster care system. He tells a story people are afraid to hear, but it needs to be heard. Everyone that crosses a child's life has an impact and this book is an important read for everyone. Read more