Discovered living half naked and confined in an iron-barred cot for 24 hours a day, John Lahutsky refused to succumb to the regime of abuse, enlisting a range of people to help him escape from his Russian institution. For three years he was under constant threat of being returned to an asylum but, after a series of miraculous coincidences and terrible disappointments, he moved to America. He has been able to start a new life and, now aged eighteen, is a full partner in this book, with his memories supplemented by outsiders who battled the system on his behalf. Life in these appalling institutions has remained a closely guarded secret. But the author has managed to gain unprecedented access and has uncovered a true portrait of a child-care system which was founded by Stalin but exists to this day.
