Customer Reviews

The White House Boys: An American Tragedy

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The atrocities author Roger Kiser suffered at the hands of his "caretakers" in this Florida institution will make your toes curl. The depravity of the people running this home for boys will sicken you. The triumph and hope that Mr. Kiser offers as a result of his broken life will make your life's troubles pale to trivialities, and cause you to question what right you've ever had to complain.

As Mr. Kiser continues his work with the state of Florida and even the FBI, in an effort to ensure that heinous crimes like the ones committed upon him and other young boys are a thing of the past, he has put his personal life back together, setting an example for all of mankind that nothing is greater than the human spirit.

Written with the strength of a survivor and the compassion of one who knows severe physical and emotional pain, Mr. Kiser's book is a well-scripted look into a childhood of hell.

While the subject matter is difficult, the book is exceptional. It flows from fact to feeling in an effortless, plain-spoken manner and is interspersed with photos as well. The White House Boys...An American Tragedy is a must-read true story of abuse and hope.

I began reading this book just before midnight on one evening and put it down at 3 o'clock the next morning after finishing the last page. It is one of the saddest most emotional reads I've ever experienced. The author is, in my belief, one of the bravest men I have ever met. (And, believe me, after finishing the book (The White House Boys: An American Tragedy) you will feel as if you truly know the author.) And you will "feel" so much because of him you will want to contact him to ask how you can help spread the word right along with him. You'll want to know how you as a human being can help in making the world a safe place for kids instead of one that harms them.
Because through his story that is what he is trying to do.

Dear Roger I have just finished reading the White House Boys. Oh boy! What can I say, it brought tears to my eyes to think that people can be so callous and cruel to children. I don't know how you survived you must be an exceptionally strong willed person. The people that committed those crimes against you and the other children will get their punishment in Hell I hope. But I sincerely hope that they will also get some form of punishment here and now. They should spend the rest of their retched lives in prison for murder and child abuse of the very worst kind.
Thank you for writing this book and exposing the truth about what happened to the Whitehouse Boys.
Regards Anne Rogers

Roger Dean Kiser, Sr., was raised by the Children's Home Society, a Florida orphanage, and then was passed on to the Florida School for Boys at Marianna. The dramatic true account of the abuse he suffered under the care of professionals will change how people view the juvenile justice system. His childhood was filled with a mixture of physical, mental, and sexual abuse that would have left a lesser man wishing for death, yet Kiser is grateful for simply being alive. This poignant moving story is true, sharp, and motivational and it will deeply affect the hearts and minds of all who read it. Chronicling his life through the eyes of the child he once was, Roger Dean Kiser takes readers on an unforgettable journey as he recounts his childhood with a wide-eyed innocence that illustrates the resiliency of the human spirit.

A book, a lot of people should read! I am so glad I can put in Amazon what kind of books I'm looking for, and there they are! Thanks so much!

I was at the school from 1966 until 1968. I was in constant trouble and ran 3 times and was transferred to ACI . I was whipped all 3 times and never received more than 12 licks. Seems to me as much of a problem as I was I would have been a candidate for a beating? I found detention to more of a challenge than the whippings! The white house boys need to move on and quit whining. it was a different time just be glad you did not end up in ACI at 16.

This was the saddest, yet best book I've ever read! I cried while reading it, but couldn't put it down!

I too found this book impossible to put down! (OK I found it impossible to leave the computer since I read on kindle-for-PC). I read it cover to cover in one sitting, eyes glued to the screen. Definitely a captivating read.