Boarding School Bastard Series

"A gripping and emotional memoir ... sure to leave as big a mark on the reader as it did on the writer. Unforgettable."—Jon Clinch, Author of Finn and Kings of the Earth. A deaf widow leaves her eight-year-old son at an orphanage, hoping he'll find a better life. She dreams that Girard College, a boarding school for fatherless boys, will be his Camelot.What she doesn't know is that emotional abuse, corporal punishment, bullying and pedophilia are the norm. And her son doesn't know whether his mother is ever coming back, or if he'll have to run away. Boarding School Bastard is the memoir of a child's first year at an orphanage in 1962. Leavening the tragedy with humor, Boarding School Bastard reveals a world we'd prefer to avoid but is too riveting to ignore. To understand how a child survives the loss of his father and the abuse of his guardians, this stunning debut memoir is essential reading. PRAISE FOR BOARDING SCHOOL BASTARD "Alan Sharavsky's Boarding School Bastard is a 'Me Too' manifesto from a male perspective. Writing in crisp prose, laced with humor, Sharavsky immerses a reader in the travails of childhood and adolescence. But his is not an ordinary coming of age story." -- Annette Libeskind Berkovits, Author of In the Unlikeliest of Places & Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator "While aspects are reminiscent of Oliver Twist, especially the deliberate cruelties inflicted by many of the adults on those in their care, Sharavsky's story is also a testament to the resilience of children who travel through painful events. Touching, and at times, humorous, this memoir will linger long in the reader's mind." -- Nancy Christie, Author of Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and The Gifts of Change "I was rooting for the pint-sized protagonist from the first page, gripped and fearing for him by the 10th. This modern-day Oliver struggles to find his way in a well-intentioned but troubled institution, founded at a time when 'orphan' equaled 'fatherless'." -- Valerie, M. Jones, CEO, Speaker and Author of Non-Profit Hero "Sharavsky's experiences, as depicted in this moving book, provide an important lens into the loneliness and fear felt by children who feel vulnerable and unprotected. Boarding School Bastard eloquently portrays the trauma experienced by victims and witnesses to child abuse." -- Debra Schilling Wolfe, MEd, Executive Director, University of Pennsylvania Center for Children's Policy "This memoir is a brilliant exploration of our humanity through the eyes of a powerless boy and his lonely life, illustrating how he coped with brutal, institutional guardians. His inspiring story of resilience demonstrates how creative adaptation and sheer will can overcome emotional deprivation. A tour de force." -- Bruce J. Levin, MD, Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst "Sharavsky pulls off the remarkable feat of drawing us into a page-turner while sharing the true story of his abused yet fascinating childhood. This powerful book provides necessary insights for people who have not experienced child abuse, abandonment, and anti-Semitism, while bearing witness for those who have." -- Liz Dow, CEO, Leadership Philadelphia

Nine-year-old Alan Sharavsky had just gotten the bad news: After summer break, he'd be returning to the orphanage (the prison, if you asked him). And this time, he'd be living there for the remaining three years of elementary school at lease. But first, Mom was sending him against his wishes to a summer camp for "disadvantaged boys." Was this a vacation, or just more male discipline, now moved into the woods? When he returns to school in September, how will he avoid beatings from the hulking Director of Discipline, Mr. Watson? Or elude pedophile housemaster, Mr. Roberts? Will he escape the bloody Gravitano Grip, his new governess' preferred punishment? And how will he cope with the anti-Semitism that is about to turn physical? On the plus side, Alan's iconoclastic, precocious friend, Jack Raboy, is returning, as is fellow Jewish student and foxhole buddy, Larry Gold. But a new friend will vanish without a trace, however, after experiencing a violent punishment. And Alan and Jack will have a run-in with the high school principal, foreshadowing a future battle of wills between his next nemesis, principal Cashman Gruder. Boarding School Bastard 2 is the second ebook in Alan Sharavsky's memoir series about an abusive but fascinating childhood at Girard College, an orphanage for fatherless boys.   LITERARY PRAISE FOR BOARDING SCHOOL BASTARD   "Sharavsky has dug deep for this gripping and emotional memoir, exposing a childhood sure to leave as big a mark on the reader as it did on the writer. Unforgettable."-- Jon Clinch, Author of Finn, Marley and Kings of the Earth "Alan Sharavsky's Boarding School Bastard is a 'Me Too' manifesto from a male perspective. Writing in crisp prose, laced with humor, Sharavsky immerses a reader in the travails of childhood and adolescence. But his is not an ordinary coming of age story." -- Annette Libeskind Berkovits, Author of In the Unlikeliest of Places & Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator "While aspects are reminiscent of Oliver Twist, especially the deliberate cruelties inflicted by many of the adults on those in their care, Sharavsky's story is also a testament to the resilience of children who travel through painful events. Touching, and at times, humorous, this memoir will linger long in the reader's mind." -- Nancy Christie, Author of Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and The Gifts of Change "I was rooting for the pint-sized protagonist from the first page, gripped and fearing for him by the 10th. This modern-day Oliver struggles to find his way in a well-intentioned but troubled institution, founded at a time when 'orphan' equaled 'fatherless,' ."-- Valerie, M. Jones, CEO, Speaker and Author of Non-Profit Hero "Sharavsky's experiences, as depicted in this moving book, provide an important lens into the loneliness and fear felt by children who feel vulnerable and unprotected. Boarding School Bastard eloquently portrays the trauma experienced by victims and witnesses to child abuse."-- Debra Schilling Wolfe, MEd, Executive Director, University of Pennsylvania Center for Children's Policy "Sharavsky pulls off the remarkable feat of drawing us into a page-turner while sharing the true story of his abused yet fascinating childhood. This powerful book provides necessary insights for people who have not experienced child abuse, abandonment, and anti-Semitism, while bearing witness for those who have."--Liz Dow, CEO, Leadership Philadelphia

No more abusive governesses threatening to withhold meals. And no more pedophile housemasters creeping around the dormitory at night or paddling you at will. Yes, things would be better when 12-year-old Alan got to high school at the orphanage for fatherless boys. That's what he thought, until: • A pair of upperclassmen threatened to beat him senseless on his first day • His new principal revealed a personal vendetta against Alan   • His closest friends became sadistic bullies • He found out a girl he had a crush on had befriended his mother Boarding School Bastard 3 follows a boy through his high school years behind the walls of Girard College, the famous segregated orphanage for fatherless boys in the Sixties. How does the school's "white males only" policy affect the black neighbors around it? Will Alan survive upperclassman abuse and hazing? Will he graduate before Principal Gruder can find a reason to expel him? Does Alan even want to graduate, or will he succumb to the siren calls of sex, drugs and Rock 'n Roll? Leavening the tragedy with humor, the Boarding School Bastard series reveals a world we'd prefer to avoid but is too riveting to ignore. This is the final book in the trilogy.