For years, the Arthur G. Dozier Boys School in Florida was covered with a mask of secrecy. The juvenile reform school had collected an alarming number of reports detailing abuse and cruelty. Moreover, many boys went missing, unaccounted for, or even killed–reportedly the result of escape attempts. When the school finally closed, Erin Kimmerle, a forensic anthropologist, got involved in the effort to excavate the on-campus burial ground. The investigation would ultimately provide answers about how many boys were interred there in unmarked graves. Kimmerle’s efforts would also identify the boys, reunite long-separated families, and begin the work of coming to terms with the multitude of terrible truths buried at the Dozier School.

It’s a heartbreaking and gut-wrenching read, yet fascinating in scope and detail.