The Boys In The Bunkhouse

It is an ultimately uplifting tale from the heartland: a group of men with intellectual disability, all from Texas, living in a tired old schoolhouse in the tiny Iowa farm town of Atalissa. Every morning before dawn, they report to a nearby processing plant to eviscerate turkeys. In return, they receive food, lodging, and sixty-five dollars a month. For decades. The people of Atalissa accept and befriend the men--known as "the boys"--but fail to notice the signs of neglect, exploitation, and physical and emotional abuse. It isn't until a cadre of heroes--conscientious social workers, a local journalist, and one tenacious government lawyer--come to their rescue that the men receive a joyous and just coda to their lives. Drawing on extensive personal interviews and reams of public records, New York Times journalist Dan Barry delves deep into the lives of these extraordinary men, summoning their memories and suffering, their tender moments of joy, their persistent hopefulness--and, most of all, their endurance.