false 2445719 1 <p>Unclear about his future career path, Steve Reifenberg found himself in the early 1980s working at a small orphanage in a poor neighborhood in Santiago, Chile, where a determined single woman was trying to create a stable home for a dozen or so children who had been abandoned or abused. With little more than good intentions and very limited Spanish, the 23-year-old Reifenberg plunged into the life of the Hogar Domingo Savio, becoming a foster father to kids who stretched his capacities for compassion and understanding in ways he never could have imagined back in the United States.</p> <p>In this beautifully written memoir, Reifenberg recalls his two years at the Hogar Domingo Savio. His vivid descriptions create indelible portraits of a dozen remarkable kids&#151;mature-beyond-her-years Verónica; sullen, unresponsive Marcelo; and irrepressible toddler Andrés, among them. As Reifenberg learns more about the children's circumstances, he begins to see the bigger picture of life in Chile at a crucial moment in its history.</p> <p>The early 1980s were a time of economic crisis and political uprising against the brutal military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Reifenberg skillfully interweaves the story of the orphanage with the broader national and international forces that dramatically impact the lives of the kids. By the end of <cite>Santiago's Children</cite>, Reifenberg has told an engrossing story not only of his own coming-of-age, but also of the courage and resilience of the poorest and most vulnerable residents of Latin America.</p> 2452913 15 4 2008 Santiago's Children: What I Learned about Life at an Orphanage in Chile total:16|5:10|4:4|3:2| 16 72 26 4 5 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 08 10:41:54 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 10:42:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Oct 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 08:21:26 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 08:21:26 -0700 2008 5.0 out of 5 stars A True Delight, October 28, 2008
By C. sturgis - See all my reviews
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I just finished Santiago's Children and I just want to go back and read it all again. Steve Reifenberg has written a book that opens the door into a period in a young man's l...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Nov 05 06:52:47 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 05 06:56:37 -0800 2008 I'm really glad to be participating in the blog of Santiago's Children www.santiagoschildren.com !!]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jun 24 05:29:43 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 05:30:29 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Aug 11 19:25:26 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 19:25:26 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jul 12 08:35:48 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 12 08:35:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Apr 18 23:33:09 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 23:33:09 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Mar 29 10:57:04 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 10:57:04 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Mar 24 10:55:35 -0700 2009 Tue Jan 27 11:33:26 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 24 10:55:36 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Feb 15 13:21:10 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 11:26:11 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 13:21:10 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Thu Jan 22 10:38:55 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 10:38:55 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Dec 12 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 15 13:37:05 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 13:37:30 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jan 12 13:35:05 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 13:35:08 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Dec 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 12 13:02:53 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 13:03:46 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Wed Nov 05 05:06:25 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 05 05:06:25 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Tue Oct 28 08:30:18 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 08:30:25 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Tue Oct 07 17:17:56 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 07 17:17:56 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sun Sep 21 21:52:05 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 21 21:52:12 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sat Jul 19 11:43:17 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 11:43:17 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 27 16:12:51 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 06 09:17:34 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2445719