This story kept my heart in my throat for the two days it took me to read it (apologies to my family for things I forgot to do.)

Lynnie and a man named only #42 are adults institutionalized in a state school for the feeble minded in Pennsylvania in the 1960s when they fall in love and she gets pregnant. Their attempt to escape is disastrous, except that they are able to give the baby to a kindly woman before the authorities come looking for them.

I have never read a book with such fully developed characters with developmental disabilities before. It was a breath of fresh air to meet Lynnie and her friends who experience the full range of emotions, play jokes on their monitors and ultimately are released into the world as institutions across the US are closed in the 1970s.

The stories of Lynnie, #42 and their baby are unforgettable, and since the author is so well-versed in this shadow world, they are also quite believable.

This would make an excellent book for discussion and might be of interest to teens in high school. Highly recommended.

Recommended by Ellen

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