Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • They Cage the Animals at Night

  • The True Story of an Abandoned Child's Struggle for Emotional Survival
  • By: Jennings Michael Burch
  • Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
  • Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (6 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

They Cage the Animals at Night

By: Jennings Michael Burch
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

The heartbreaking, iconic true story of an abandoned little boy's horrific journey through the American foster care system.

One misty evening, Jennings Michael Burch's mother, too sick to care for him, left her eight-year-old son at an orphanage with the words, "I'll be right back." She wasn't.... Shuttled through a bleak series of foster homes, orphanages, and institutions, Jennings never remained in any of them long enough to make a friend. Instead, he clung to a tattered stuffed animal named Doggie, his sole source of comfort in a frightening world.

Here, in his own words, Jennings Michael Burch reveals the abuse and neglect he experienced during his lost childhood. But while his experiences are both shocking and devastating, his story is ultimately one of hope - the triumphant tale of a forgotten child who somehow found the courage to reach out for love and found it waiting for him.

©1985 Jennings Michael Burch (P)2018 Penguin Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Letters to God cover art
One for the Murphys cover art
Unsafe cover art
Prodigal cover art
KERI 6 cover art
What Remains True cover art
Nobody Loves Me cover art
A Dark Secret cover art
Not a Proper Child cover art
Sins of Our Mothers: Skeletons in Our Closets cover art
This I Know cover art
Vow of Silence cover art
I'm Glad My Mom Died cover art
The Mighty Miss Malone cover art
Will the Circle Be Unbroken? cover art
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell cover art

Critic reviews

“A deeply moving and inspiring story.” (Alan Arkin)

“Everyone who cares about the quality of life and the future of nation should read this book.” (William R. Bricker, National Director, Boys Clubs of America)

“This heartbreaking, shocking, ultimately triumphant tale is an extremely important book.” (Lucy Freeman, author of Fight Against Fears)

What listeners say about They Cage the Animals at Night

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Powerful insight into sad times

Excellent work. I loved everything about this story and didn't want it to end. Jennings was one incredible boy, whose strength of character - as well as the love from 'dog'
- got him through the most difficult of years. Thank god for Sal. And the Officer and his wife. I will be listening to this again ❤️🐶❤️

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!!

I constantly listen to books on a audible while I do my boring job and I have to say this is one of the best books , absolutely loved the story and the narrator tells it wonderfully, highly recommended....

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!