The shocking secret history of 20th-century orphanages --- which for decades hid violence, abuse and deaths within their walls

For much of the 20th century, a series of terrible events --- abuse, both physical and psychological, and even deaths --- took places inside orphanages. The survivors have been trying to tell their astonishing stories for a long time, but disbelief, secrecy and trauma have kept them from breaking through. For 10 years, Christine Kenneally has been on a quest to uncover the harrowing truth.

Centering her story on St. Joseph’s, a Catholic orphanage in Vermont, Kenneally has written a stunning account of a series of crimes and abuses. But her work is not confined to one place. Following clues that take her into the darkened corners of several institutions across the globe, she finds a trail of terrifying stories and a courageous group of survivors who are seeking justice.

GHOSTS OF THE ORPHANAGE is an incredible true crime story and a reckoning with a past that has stayed buried for too long, with tragic consequences.