-
You'll Like It Here
- The Story of Donald Vitkus - Belchertown Patient #3394
- Narrated by: Ed Orzechowski
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Professionals & Academics
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Hollywood Park
- A Memoir
- By: Mikel Jollett
- Narrated by: Mikel Jollett
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hollywood Park is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer.
-
-
An honest and heartbreakingly beautiful memoir
- By Jeannete Coronel on 05-28-20
By: Mikel Jollett
-
Silent Sisters
- A True Story
- By: Joanne Lee, Ann Cusack, Joe Cusack
- Narrated by: Melanie Crawley
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up, Joanne suffered at the hands of a violent boyfriend and controlling relatives, as her mother lapsed into a downward spiral following the break-up of her marriage. But the consequences of her mother's lifestyle turned out to be worse than Joanne could ever have imagined. She already knew about the baby buried in a shallow makeshift grave next to the family plot. But when Joanne came across a red plastic bin in her mother's wardrobe in 2009, she realised that the family home held an even more sinister secret.
-
-
heart wrenching
- By jocelyn ackerman on 02-29-20
By: Joanne Lee, and others
-
The Pale-Faced Lie
- A True Story
- By: David Crow
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up on the Navajo Indian Reservation, David Crow and his siblings idolized their dad. Tall, strong, smart, and brave, the self-taught Cherokee regaled his family with stories of his World War II feats. But as time passed, David discovered the other side of Thurston Crow, the ex-con with his own code of ethics that justified cruelty, violence, lies - even murder. A shrewd con artist with a genius IQ, Thurston intimidated David with beatings to coerce him into doing his criminal bidding. David's mom, too mentally ill to care for her children, couldn't protect him.
-
-
Best new release I’ve read!
- By A. Deal on 02-17-20
By: David Crow
-
Smacked
- A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction, and Tragedy
- By: Eilene Zimmerman
- Narrated by: Eilene Zimmerman
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Something was wrong with Peter. Eilene Zimmerman noticed that her ex-husband looked thin, seemed distracted, and was frequently absent from activities with their children. Yet in many ways, Peter seemed to have it all. So begins Smacked, a brilliant and moving memoir of Eilene’s shocking discovery, one that sets her on a journey to find out how a man she knew for nearly 30 years became a drug addict, hiding it so well that neither she nor anyone else in his life suspected what was happening.
-
-
Veers off course
- By Sara J on 03-20-20
By: Eilene Zimmerman
-
Monster
- By: Steve Jackson
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a snowy winter evening in 1982, 21-year-old Mary Brown accepted a ride from a handsome stranger in the resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado. The trip ended with her brutally beaten and raped. Mary survived, but her predator's violence had only just begun. After 10 years in prison, Tom Luther was released a far more vicious criminal. Soon, from the Rockies to West Virginia, like Ted Bundy, Luther enticed a chain of women into his murderous trap.
-
-
Riveting....harrowingly so.
- By Klh23 on 07-24-20
By: Steve Jackson
-
The Less People Know About Us
- A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity
- By: Axton Betz-Hamilton
- Narrated by: Laurie Winkel
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this powerful true crime memoir, an award-winning identity theft expert tells the shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family. Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in small-town Indiana in the early '90s. When she was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. Their credit ratings were ruined, and they were constantly fighting over money. This was before the age of the Internet, when identity theft became more commonplace, so authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents.
-
-
Beautiful writing, poetic at times.
- By marshland on 02-22-20
-
Hollywood Park
- A Memoir
- By: Mikel Jollett
- Narrated by: Mikel Jollett
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hollywood Park is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer.
-
-
An honest and heartbreakingly beautiful memoir
- By Jeannete Coronel on 05-28-20
By: Mikel Jollett
-
Silent Sisters
- A True Story
- By: Joanne Lee, Ann Cusack, Joe Cusack
- Narrated by: Melanie Crawley
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up, Joanne suffered at the hands of a violent boyfriend and controlling relatives, as her mother lapsed into a downward spiral following the break-up of her marriage. But the consequences of her mother's lifestyle turned out to be worse than Joanne could ever have imagined. She already knew about the baby buried in a shallow makeshift grave next to the family plot. But when Joanne came across a red plastic bin in her mother's wardrobe in 2009, she realised that the family home held an even more sinister secret.
-
-
heart wrenching
- By jocelyn ackerman on 02-29-20
By: Joanne Lee, and others
-
The Pale-Faced Lie
- A True Story
- By: David Crow
- Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up on the Navajo Indian Reservation, David Crow and his siblings idolized their dad. Tall, strong, smart, and brave, the self-taught Cherokee regaled his family with stories of his World War II feats. But as time passed, David discovered the other side of Thurston Crow, the ex-con with his own code of ethics that justified cruelty, violence, lies - even murder. A shrewd con artist with a genius IQ, Thurston intimidated David with beatings to coerce him into doing his criminal bidding. David's mom, too mentally ill to care for her children, couldn't protect him.
-
-
Best new release I’ve read!
- By A. Deal on 02-17-20
By: David Crow
-
Smacked
- A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction, and Tragedy
- By: Eilene Zimmerman
- Narrated by: Eilene Zimmerman
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Something was wrong with Peter. Eilene Zimmerman noticed that her ex-husband looked thin, seemed distracted, and was frequently absent from activities with their children. Yet in many ways, Peter seemed to have it all. So begins Smacked, a brilliant and moving memoir of Eilene’s shocking discovery, one that sets her on a journey to find out how a man she knew for nearly 30 years became a drug addict, hiding it so well that neither she nor anyone else in his life suspected what was happening.
-
-
Veers off course
- By Sara J on 03-20-20
By: Eilene Zimmerman
-
Monster
- By: Steve Jackson
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a snowy winter evening in 1982, 21-year-old Mary Brown accepted a ride from a handsome stranger in the resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado. The trip ended with her brutally beaten and raped. Mary survived, but her predator's violence had only just begun. After 10 years in prison, Tom Luther was released a far more vicious criminal. Soon, from the Rockies to West Virginia, like Ted Bundy, Luther enticed a chain of women into his murderous trap.
-
-
Riveting....harrowingly so.
- By Klh23 on 07-24-20
By: Steve Jackson
-
The Less People Know About Us
- A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity
- By: Axton Betz-Hamilton
- Narrated by: Laurie Winkel
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this powerful true crime memoir, an award-winning identity theft expert tells the shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family. Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in small-town Indiana in the early '90s. When she was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. Their credit ratings were ruined, and they were constantly fighting over money. This was before the age of the Internet, when identity theft became more commonplace, so authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents.
-
-
Beautiful writing, poetic at times.
- By marshland on 02-22-20
-
Brave Girl, Quiet Girl
- A Novel
- By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd, Jess Nahikian
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all Brooke can do is watch as Etta, still strapped in her seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night. Miles away, Etta is found by Molly, a homeless teen who is all too used to darkness. Thrown away by her parents, and with a future as stable as the wooden crate she calls home, Molly survives day to day by her wits.
-
-
Great book if you can get past...
- By Kelly on 05-24-20
-
In Deep
- How I Survived Gangs, Heroin, and Prison to Become a Chicago Violence Interrupter
- By: Angalia Bianca, Linda Beckstrom, Kevin Gates - foreword, and others
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Angalia Bianca became one of Chicago's foremost authorities on violence interruption and prevention, receiving international recognition and a Resolution for Bravery from the City of Chicago, she was a criminal, a master manipulator, and a brilliant con artist. Bianca spent 12 years in prison for forgery, embezzlement, drug dealing, and theft. But now she has gone far beyond the expectations for recovery to a life of service fueled by an unrelenting determination to make a difference.
-
-
An apology for her life
- By LySa on 12-27-18
By: Angalia Bianca, and others
-
Another Place at the Table
- By: Kathy Harrison
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than a decade, Kathy Harrison has sheltered a shifting cast of troubled youngsters - the offspring of prostitutes and addicts; the sons and daughters of abusers; and teenage parents who aren't equipped for parenthood. All this, in addition to raising her three biological sons and two adopted daughters. What would motivate someone to give herself over to constant, largely uncompensated chaos? For Harrison, the answer is easy.
-
-
Fostering
- By Ozark on 01-31-20
By: Kathy Harrison
-
Wild Game
- My Mother, Her Secret, and Me
- By: Adrienne Brodeur
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Adrienne Brodeur
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a hot July night on Cape Cod when Adrienne was 14, her mother, Malabar, woke her at midnight with five simple words that would set the course of both of their lives for years to come: Ben Souther just kissed me. Adrienne instantly became her mother’s confidante and helpmate, blossoming in the sudden light of her attention, and from then on, Malabar came to rely on her daughter to help orchestrate what would become an epic affair with her husband’s closest friend.
-
-
Wild Game
- By Kindle Customer on 02-07-20
By: Adrienne Brodeur
-
The Throwaway Children
- By: Diney Costeloe
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully called Jimmy Randall and has a baby boy by him. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage, not knowing that the papers she has signed will entitle them to do what they like with the children. And it is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them - without their family's consent or knowledge - are Rita and Rosie.
-
-
Long, But So Worth The Journey!
- By M. Ryder on 09-03-17
By: Diney Costeloe
-
Sold on a Monday
- A Novel
- By: Kristina McMorris
- Narrated by: Brian Hutchison
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
2 CHILDREN FOR SALE. In 1931, near Philadelphia, ambitious reporter Ellis Reed photographs the gut-wrenching sign posted beside a pair of siblings on a farmhouse porch. With the help of newspaper secretary Lily Palmer, Ellis writes an article to accompany the photo. Capturing the hardships of American families during the Great Depression, the feature story generates national attention and Ellis's career skyrockets. But the piece also leads to consequences more devastating than he and Lily ever imagined - and it will risk everything they value to unravel the mystery and set things right.
-
-
Not what I anticipated...
- By Lashawn on 10-13-18
Publisher's Summary
Abandoned by his unwed mother during World War II, Donald Vitkus becomes a ward of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is 27 days old. Six years later, as "patient number 3394", he is committed to Belchertown State School, where he is labeled a "moron" with an IQ of 41.
Like hundreds of other institutions across the country, Belchertown is a dehumanizing environment of barred windows, locked doors, and brutal regimentation. "I never want us to return to those days," Donald says.
Growing up in the institution affects Donald's entire adult life - his army service in Vietnam, his marriage and raising children, and his earning a living. Donald's life comes full circle when he earns a degree in human services and becomes a caregiver for individuals like those he grew up with.
What listeners say about You'll Like It Here
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Judith G. Hunter
- 02-28-20
I Remember Belchertown State School
I grew up in South Hadley, Ma hearing stories about this school, but could never imagined how horrific it was for the residents! Donald’s story is so sad and moving. He was a hero to keep pushing through life, with all the obstacles placed in his path! An amazing advocate for the mentally disabled!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Janice K.
- 07-20-20
A great true story by a truly great reader
The true story is amazing. The author is a fantastic reader. Feels like you're there.