Land of the Friendly People

by Rob Shulman

An inside account of the pedophilia, psychological torment, and physical abuse at the notorious Anneewakee Treatment Center. This facility for the treatment of emotionally disturbed teenagers operated in the States of Georgia and Florida in the 1960's through the 1980's. Exposed early on, the wealth and political connections of it's operators allowed mass child abuse to continue there for over twenty years. Eventually, this elite cabal of molesters was brought down, but not before destroying the lives of hundreds of vulnerable youths.

119 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2020

About the author

Robert Grew up in Atalanta Georgia, and worked as a chef in New Orleans, Louisiana for over 25 year. He know lives in Tucson Arizona where he writes, paints and hangs out with his dogs.

Reviews

[Janice Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a grim reminder of the kind of abuse suffered by children who are turned over to institutions for help with mental and/or behavioral issues. Sadly, and too often, parents are either unaware or turn a blind eye to what horrible things are actually being perpetrated on their vulnerable children by those they entrust with their care, making their child's predicament so much worse. The author provides us with a painful front row seat of his experiences and how he survived them. While painful to read, the story is a hopeful one about the survival of the human will and spirit. It also tells a powerful story to parents about how they should be thorough in vetting providers of care for their children. They should also be present and vigilant as they help their child work through whatever difficulties they child may be exhibiting. A must read for those who care about the welfare of children in their lives and their communities.

[Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for good writing, it’s not the point of this small book. It is one of two books that documents the fraud and evil behavior of pedophiles when given power and money. Florida is guilty of not monitoring state and private schools for troubled kids. In my opinion, this scandal is no different than what has been only partially revealed about the grooming and the sexual exploitation of young women in Florida today. The state and feds turn a deaf ear and the public votes them into office because they believe it’s just political noise from the other side. It was and continues to be ignored. When what was going on was revealed it resulted in the largest court judgment in Florida’s history. It’s a quick read but a disturbing one.

[Francis Coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book about a very terrible thing that happened. It's shocking that this kind of abuse could happen to children, by not only one sick person but many! It is mind blowing that there are such people in this world but as we have seen, unfortunately, many times, this kind of stuff happens and it's awful and shocking. The author did a great job telling this story and I would like to read more stories by people who were at Anneewakee. I hope more people will be willing to write about their time there and tell their stories. This book was very good -- 5 STARS.

[Steve Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written -- Important book.