Overview

It is a Dickensian 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 and reporting before every dawn to eviscerate turkeys at a processing plant. In return, they receive food, lodging, and sixty-five dollars a month. Day after day, year after year, decade after decade, living in near servitude. The people of Atalissa accepted and befriended the men—known as the “boys”—but failed to notice the hints of neglect, exploitation, and physical and emotional abuse. It was not until a few conscientious social workers, a local journalist, and one tenacious government lawyer came to their rescue that the men, though much older and grayer, found justice at last. New York Times journalist Dan Barry reveals how these men remained all but forgotten for more than three decades, blending into the rural rhythm as occasional complaints about their living conditions went mostly ignored. Drawing on extensive personal interviews and reams of public records, Barry delves deep into their lives, summoning their memories and suffering, their tender moments of joy and persistent hopefulness—and, most of all, their endurance. He explores why this small town missed the telltale signs of exploitation, details how those responsible for such profound indifference justified their actions, and chronicles the lasting impact of a dramatic court case that has spurred advocates to push for just pay and improved working conditions for people with disabilities. The Boys in the Bunkhouse is inspired storytelling and a clarion call for vigilance—an American tale that holds lasting meaning for all of us.

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9780062372147

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Reviews

<b>Praise for <i>Bottom of the 33rd</i> </b> What a book an exquisite exercise in story-telling, democracy and myth-making that has, at its center, a great respect for the symphony of voices that make up America. --<b>Colum McCann</b>

As an expos of a moral catastrophe, this is a vital piece of reportage. --New York Times Book Review Praise for Bottom of the 33rd What a book--an exquisite exercise in story-telling, democracy and myth-making that has, at its center, a great respect for the symphony of voices that make up America. --Colum McCann The story of these men gets the full telling it deserves in Dan Barry's powerful, moving, and at times heartbreaking book, The Boys in the Bunkhouse. --Commonweal Magazine Hard-hitting journalism shot through with flourishes of the best literary nonfiction. . . . The Boys in the Bunkhouse is, ultimately, a hopeful story of the power of a few dogged individuals to make change. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Disturbing yet beautifully told... --America Magazine An important story about the horrors of slavery and exploitation that can happen to vulnerable people anywhere. --The Atlantic [Dan] Barry does more than simply recount the inning-by-inning-by-inning box score. He delves beneath the surface, like an archaeologist piecing together the shards and fragments of a forgotten society, to reconstruct a time and a night that have become part of baseball lore. --Associated Press An astonishing tale that lyrically articulates baseball's inexorable grip on its players and fans, Bottom of the 33rd belongs among the best baseball books ever written. --Cleveland Plain Dealer A fascinating, beautifully told story... In the hands of Barry, a national correspondent for the New York Times, this marathon of duty, loyalty, misery and folly becomes a riveting narrative...The book feels like 'Our Town' on the diamond. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Dan Barry represents the magic that is possible in journalism when there is a convergence between a great story and great talent. --Gay Talese Dan Barry gives dignity even to the darkest corners of the American experience. He is the closest thing we have to a contemporary Steinbeck. --Colum McCann, author of the National Book Award-winning Let the Great World Spin The Boys in the Bunkhouse is not just a book about the victims but also a book that turns those victims into real men. Dan Barry has written them into history, as only a journalist could. --Newsweek An extraordinary contribution to the literature of social injustice. . . . The Boys in the Bunkhouse surely will emerge as one of the landmark books of the year. --Providence Journal Barry's book can't right all those wrongs, but it at least documents them eloquently, and in a more permanent way. --Kansas City Star Gently, emphatically, and indelibly, Barry conveys a tale of unthinkable brutality.--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for Bottom of the 33rd What a book--an exquisite exercise in story-telling, democracy and myth-making that has, at its center, a great respect for the symphony of voices that make up America. --Colum McCann The story of these men gets the full telling it deserves in Dan Barry's powerful, moving, and at times heartbreaking book, The Boys in the Bunkhouse. --Commonweal Magazine -[Dan] Barry does more than simply recount the inning-by-inning-by-inning box score. He delves beneath the surface, like an archaeologist piecing together the shards and fragments of a forgotten society, to reconstruct a time and a night that have become part of baseball lore.---Associated Press -An astonishing tale that lyrically articulates baseball's inexorable grip on its players and fans, Bottom of the 33rd belongs among the best baseball books ever written.---Cleveland Plain Dealer -A fascinating, beautifully told story... In the hands of Barry, a national correspondent for the New York Times, this marathon of duty, loyalty, misery and folly becomes a riveting narrative...The book feels like 'Our Town' on the diamond.---Minneapolis Star Tribune Praise for Bottom of the 33rd -What a book--an exquisite exercise in story-telling, democracy and myth-making that has, at its center, a great respect for the symphony of voices that make up America.---Colum McCann -As an expose of a moral catastrophe, this is a vital piece of reportage.---New York Times Book Review -Hard-hitting journalism shot through with flourishes of the best literary nonfiction. . . . The Boys in the Bunkhouse is, ultimately, a hopeful story of the power of a few dogged individuals to make change.---Minneapolis Star Tribune -Dan Barry represents the magic that is possible in journalism when there is a convergence between a great story and great talent.---Gay Talese -Dan Barry gives dignity even to the darkest corners of the American experience. He is the closest thing we have to a contemporary Steinbeck.---Colum McCann, author of the National Book Award-winning Let the Great World Spin -Disturbing yet beautifully told...---America Magazine -An important story about the horrors of slavery and exploitation that can happen to vulnerable people anywhere.---The Atlantic -The Boys in the Bunkhouse is not just a book about the victims but also a book that turns those victims into real men. Dan Barry has written them into history, as only a journalist could.---Newsweek -An extraordinary contribution to the literature of social injustice. . . . The Boys in the Bunkhouse surely will emerge as one of the landmark books of the year.---Providence Journal -Barry's book can't right all those wrongs, but it at least documents them eloquently, and in a more permanent way.---Kansas City Star -Gently, emphatically, and indelibly, Barry conveys a tale of unthinkable brutality.--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) As an expose of a moral catastrophe, this is a vital piece of reportage. --New York Times Book Review Hard-hitting journalism shot through with flourishes of the best literary nonfiction. . . . The Boys in the Bunkhouse is, ultimately, a hopeful story of the power of a few dogged individuals to make change. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Disturbing yet beautifully told... --America Magazine An important story about the horrors of slavery and exploitation that can happen to vulnerable people anywhere. --The Atlantic [Dan] Barry does more than simply recount the inning-by-inning-by-inning box score. He delves beneath the surface, like an archaeologist piecing together the shards and fragments of a forgotten society, to reconstruct a time and a night that have become part of baseball lore. --Associated Press An astonishing tale that lyrically articulates baseball's inexorable grip on its players and fans, Bottom of the 33rd belongs among the best baseball books ever written. --Cleveland Plain Dealer A fascinating, beautifully told story... In the hands of Barry, a national correspondent for the New York Times, this marathon of duty, loyalty, misery and folly becomes a riveting narrative...The book feels like 'Our Town' on the diamond. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Praise for Bottom of the 33rd What a book--an exquisite exercise in story-telling, democracy and myth-making that has, at its center, a great respect for the symphony of voices that make up America. --Colum McCann As an expos? of a moral catastrophe, this is a vital piece of reportage. --New York Times Book Review Dan Barry represents the magic that is possible in journalism when there is a convergence between a great story and great talent. --Gay Talese Dan Barry gives dignity even to the darkest corners of the American experience. He is the closest thing we have to a contemporary Steinbeck. --Colum McCann, author of the National Book Award-winning Let the Great World Spin The Boys in the Bunkhouse is not just a book about the victims but also a book that turns those victims into real men. Dan Barry has written them into history, as only a journalist could. --Newsweek An extraordinary contribution to the literature of social injustice. . . . The Boys in the Bunkhouse surely will emerge as one of the landmark books of the year. --Providence Journal Barry's book can't right all those wrongs, but it at least documents them eloquently, and in a more permanent way. --Kansas City Star Gently, emphatically, and indelibly, Barry conveys a tale of unthinkable brutality.--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Praise for Bottom of the 33rd What a book an exquisite exercise in story-telling, democracy and myth-making that has, at its center, a great respect for the symphony of voices that make up America. --Colum McCann [Dan] Barry does more than simply recount the inning-by-inning-by-inning box score. He delves beneath the surface, like an archaeologist piecing together the shards and fragments of a forgotten society, to reconstruct a time and a night that have become part of baseball lore. --Associated Press An astonishing tale that lyrically articulates baseball's inexorable grip on its players and fans, Bottom of the 33rd belongs among the best baseball books ever written. --Cleveland Plain Dealer A fascinating, beautifully told story... In the hands of Barry, a national correspondent for the New York Times, this marathon of duty, loyalty, misery and folly becomes a riveting narrative...The book feels like Our Town on the diamond. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Praise for The Bottom of the 33rd What a book an exquisite exercise in story-telling, democracy and myth-making that has, at its center, a great respect for the symphony of voices that make up America. --Colum McCann As an expos? of a moral catastrophe, this is a vital piece of reportage. --New York Times Book Review Hard-hitting journalism shot through with flourishes of the best literary nonfiction. . . . The Boys in the Bunkhouse is, ultimately, a hopeful story of the power of a few dogged individuals to make change. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Dan Barry represents the magic that is possible in journalism when there is a convergence between a great story and great talent. --Gay Talese Dan Barry gives dignity even to the darkest corners of the American experience. He is the closest thing we have to a contemporary Steinbeck. --Colum McCann, author of the National Book Award-winning Let the Great World Spin The Boys in the Bunkhouse is not just a book about the victims but also a book that turns those victims into real men. Dan Barry has written them into history, as only a journalist could. --Newsweek An extraordinary contribution to the literature of social injustice. . . . The Boys in the Bunkhouse surely will emerge as one of the landmark books of the year. --Providence Journal Barry s book can t right all those wrongs, but it at least documents them eloquently, and in a more permanent way. --Kansas City Star Gently, emphatically, and indelibly, Barry conveys a tale of unthinkable brutality.--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A worthy companion to Roger Kahn s classic Boys of Summer ...[Dan Barry] exploits the power of memory and nostalgia with literary grace and journalistic exactitude. He blends a vivid, moment-by-moment re-creation of the game with what happens to its participants in the next 30 years. --New York Times

Author Information

Dan Barry is a reporter and columnist for the New York Times. In 1994 he was part of an investigative team at the Providence Journal 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 About New York columns, and Bottom of the 33rd, 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.

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