Book Signing & Discussion with Andrew Bridge

Join the School of Social Work for a conversation with Andrew Bridge, the New York Times best-selling author of Hope's Boy. Andrew will discuss his work as an attorney representing children in the foster care system, his work on foster care reform, and his new book, The Child Catcher, a true story about the fight to rescue the children confined to a violent and secretive institution in the rural South.

The first hour of this event with Andrew Bridge will include a discussion about his work and his newest book, and the last half hour will be a book signing. . A limited number of books will be available thanks to the generosity of a donor supporting this event.

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Presenters

Andrew Bridge spent 11 years in Los Angeles County foster care, before earning a scholarship to Wesleyan University and graduating from Harvard Law School. He is a Fulbright Fellow and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Writing Resident.

His work has garnered coverage in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Showtime, The Observer, The CBS Early Show, NBC Nightly News, Time Magazine, PBS, Psychology Today, NPR, and Observer Magazine.

He began his legal career representing children against the State of Alabama. His work resulted in the closure of one of the most notorious psychiatric institutions in the country, the Eufaula Adolescent Center. After that, he returned home to Los Angeles as CEO of The Alliance for Children’s Rights. He defended children at MacLaren Hall, where he was once confined. Under Andrew’s leadership, The Alliance successfully sued Los Angeles County over its practice of not visiting foster children. The victory gave every foster child the right to see and speak with their social worker at least once a month.

Andrew chaired Los Angeles County’s Blue Ribbon Foster Care Task Force, which called for an end to the disproportionate removal of African-American babies from their parents. He is the co-founder of National Adoption Day. He went on to lead California’s largest recruiter of LGBT+ foster and adoptive parents.

A sought-after expert in his field, he has advised senior federal and state officials on reforming our foster care system to meet the needs of families living in poverty. His educational work resulted in the establishment of New Village Girls Academy, California’s first all-girls high school for pregnant and parenting teens. He regularly consults with child welfare systems, children’s facilities, and private foundations. As a member of Arizona’s Foster Care Review Board, Andrew advises Arizona’s Juvenile Court on the safety and well-being of individual children in the state’s care.