Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island

Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island

#1 International Bestseller Regina’s Calcaterra memoir, Etched in Sand , is an inspiring and triumphant coming-of-age story of tenacity and hope.   Regina Calcaterra is a successful lawyer, former New York State official, and foster youth activist. Her painful early life, however, was quite different. Regina and her four siblings survived an abusive and painful childhood only to find themselves faced with the challenges of the foster-care system and intermittent homelessness in the shadows of Manhattan and the Hamptons.   A true-life rags-to-riches story, Etched in Sand chronicles Regina’s rising above her past, while fighting to keep her brother and three sisters together through it all.   Beautifully written, with heartbreaking honesty, this inspiring memoir is an unforgettable reminder that regardless of social status, the American Dream is still within reach for those who have the desire and the determination to succeed. This story of five siblings determined to stay together against all odds explores: The Foster Care System: The heartbreaking reality of being a ward of the state, and the constant fight to keep five siblings from being separated. - Child Abuse Survival: An unflinching account of surviving a profoundly troubled and abusive mother and the intermittent homelessness that followed. - From Homelessness to Hope: A true rags-to-riches journey from wandering the beaches of Long Island to becoming a successful lawyer and New York State official. - An Unbreakable Bond: How Regina and her four siblings―Cherie, Camille, Norman, and Rosie―relied on each other as a scrappy pack, creating their own family when no one else would. Riveting reading from start to finish… Never once does she flinch from the terrible truths with which she has lived and so courageously reveals here. - Kirkus Reviews Courageous and fascinating, written with a descriptive restraint that recalls moments of tragedy and perseverance with simplicity and subtlety… Calcaterra concludes her story with the genuine sentiment that ‘we all have to believe.’ At the end of this unforgettable book, readers will. - Publishers Weekly In this story of perseverance in the face of adversity, Regina Calcaterra recounts her childhood in foster care and on the streets—and how she and her savvy crew of homeless siblings managed to survive years of homelessness, abandonment, and abuse Regina Calcaterra's emotionally powerful memoir reveals how she endured a series of foster homes and intermittent homelessness in the shadow of the Hamptons, and how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her brother and three sisters together. Beautifully written and heartbreakingly honest, Etched in Sand is an unforgettable reminder that regardless of social status, the American dream is still within reach for those who have the desire and the determination to succeed. Regina Calcaterra is an attorney working for the State of New York. She formerly served as executive director of New York State's Moreland Commission on Utility Storm Preparation and Response by Governor Andrew Cuomo after she assisted in the recovery of Superstorm Sandy in her capacity as chief deputy executive for Suffolk County. She has provided commentary on politics and policy on national and local media outlets since 2000 and is a passionate advocate for the adoption of older foster children. Etched in Sand By Regina Calcaterra HarperCollins Publishers Copyright © 2013 Regina Calcaterra All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-06-221883-4 1 Bitten Bones Suffolk County, Long Island, New York Summer 1980 THE AREA WHERE we live sits between the shadows of the cocaine-fueled, glitzy Hamptons estates and New York City's gritty, disco party culture. Songs like Devo's “Whip It” and Donna Summer's “Bad Girls” blast through the car courtesy of WABC Musicradio 77, AM. Gas is leaded and the air is filthy. Long Island lacks a decent public transportation system— to get anywhere, you need either a car or a good pair of shoes. Our shoes aren't the best. Our car is worse. My mother's thick arm rests on the driver's-side window ledge of her rusty, gas-guzzling Impala—the kind you buy 6 • Etched in Sand for seventy-five dollars out of a junkyard. Her wild hair blows around the car as she flicks her cigarette into the sticky July morning. The ashes boomerang back in through my window, threatening to fly into my eyes and mouth in frantic gusts. Squinting tightly and pursing my lips hard, I know better than to mention it. My seven-year-old baby sister, Rosie; our brother, Norman, who's twelve but still passes for an eight-year-old when we sneak into movie theaters; and me—Regina Marie Calcaterra, age thirteen (personal facts I'm well accustomed to giving strangers, like social workers and the police)—are smooshed into the backseat. Like most of our rides, the car suffers from bald tires, broken mirrors, and oil dripping from the motor. If I lift up the mats, I can se