The State Boys Rebellion

by Michael D'Antonio

"At age seven, an orphan boy named Freddie Boyce finally believed he had found a real home with a kindly widow who raised foster children on her farm in rural Massachusetts. But when his foster mother died in the winter of 1949, Freddie was subjected to a rudimentary IQ test and then sent to a state institution for the feebleminded. There, along with other relatively normal State Boys, he would endure neglect, abuse, and terror and live without the hope of ever being free again." "Though they couldn't possible know it, the children of the Fernald State School were the victims of bad science and a newly developed bureaucracy designed to save America from the so-called "menace of the feebleminded." Beginning early in the twentieth century, United States health officials used crude versions of the modern IQ tests to identify supposedly "deficient" children and lock them away. The idea was to protect society from potential criminals and to prevent so-called undesirables from having children and degrading the American gene pool." "Under programs that existed in almost every state and continued into the 1970s, more than 250,000 children were separated from their families. Tens of thousands of these were not disabled but merely unwanted orphans, truants, or delinquents. Yet they were denied proper education, routinely abused, and could be subjected to forced surgical sterilization, lobotomy, shock therapy, and psychotropic drugs." "The State Boys Rebellion is the true story of Fred Boyce and a group of boys who never accepted their incarceration at the Fernald State School in Massachusetts and insisted they were normal. In many cases, school officials noted that they were not disabled and did not belong in an institution. But the school depended on their unpaid labor, and so they were kept locked away in wards where many were beaten, raped, and forced to fight each other. They were offered no hope for freedom and knew that others had grown old and died within Fernald'

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Psychology, Disability, Mental Illness, Politics, True Crime

310 pages, Library Binding

First published April 20, 2004

About the author

A Pulitzer Prize winning writer of books, articles, and original stories for film, Michael D’Antonio has published more than a dozen books, including Never Enough, a 2015 biography of presidential candidate and billionaire businessman Donald Trump. Described variously as “luminous,” “captivating,” “momentous” and “meticulous” Michael’s work is renowned for its clarity, balance, and thoroughness.

His works a have been noted as “best books of the year” or “editors’ picks” by The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Businessweek, The Chicago Tribune and Publisher’s Weekly. He has appeared on Sixty Minutes, Today, Good Morning, The Morning Show, America, Larry King Live, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Diane Rehm, Coast-to-Coast, and many other programs.

Before becoming a fulltime author, Michael worked as a journalist in New York, Washington, and Maine. He has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, The Times of London Magazine, Discover, Sports Illustrated, The Los Angeles Times Magazine and many others. He has received numerous awards including the 1984 Pulitzer Prize, shared with a team at Newsday that explored the medical, legal, and ethical issues surrounding the Baby Jane Doe case.

In 2016, Michael has became a regular contributor for CNN, both on-air and on their website. His pieces can be read here: http://www.cnn.com/profiles/michael-d...

D’Antonio has been the recipient of the Alicia Patterson Fellowship, the First Amendment Award, and the Humanitas Award for his Showtime film, Crown Heights. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Michael now lives on Long Island with his wife, Toni Raiten-D’Antonio who is a psychotherapist, professor, and author of three acclaimed books.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The State Boys Rebellion is a superb non fiction book, both tragic and uplifting. I felt outrage upon reading about the inhumane treatment but at times these feelings were balanced with the hope that some of the boys could escape their hell.

The author Michael D’Antonio has a gift as a journalist and his storytelling was on full display here. His writing style has a certain warmth and humanity to it despite that the subject matter is at times horrifying.

I won’t give the plot twists of the story away here but D’Antonio follows the lives of several boys who were incarcerated in a boys home for the feeble minded, many of whom were forced into the home despite average or near average intelligence. This had a lot to do with whether disadvantaged mothers could fight the system to keep their kids. Most of the story takes place during the 1950’s when the boys were at the school. This period was during the height of the eugenics craze. The tests and crimes perpetrated against the boys are difficult to wrap one’s head around. The remainder of the book follows a few of those who made it out into the real world and eventually some measure of redemption in the 1990’s.

Very strong recommendation.

[Victoria Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Freddie Boyce, one of the subjects of this shattering story, at the end of his life. He gave me an autographed copy of the book and a stuffed animal from his days working for the carnival.

I consider it a great honor to have presided at Freddie's funeral. I will never forget him.

I am currently reading a book about McLean Hospital, which is what reminded me of "The State Boys." Everyone in the Boston area should know this history.

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health...

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fascinated by this book, it's quite tragic but hopeful at the same time. It's an important piece of history that was well documented by D'Antonio and a story well told. Especially interesting for New Englanders as well.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true story of a group of boys and girls from the 1940’s in Massachusetts who were imprisoned in asylums during the time of the rising theories of eugenics. Entry into these schools was not equal and some of these children should not even have been in there. These children were abused, made into laborers, poorly educated and experimented on until they rebelled. Unfortunately, after release some did not do well and had trouble adjusting to outside life but they felt fortunate to be free. The book also talked about the influence that Pearl Buck and Dale Rogers had on opening up the institutions. They kept their developmentally disabled children at home which influenced families of the disabled to do the same thing. This is a shocking book and though I was familiar with the time period, I never realized the extent of the abuse at these homes. Well written!

[Sandie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the rather low rating, I am not sorry that I read this book. The history of eugenics and the rise and fall of institutions for the “feeble minded” was fascinating and well worth the time. The book became a challenge when describing the number of escapes by the institutionalized step by step as well as the almost non- stop transfer to various Fernald buildings for punishment. It became a little monotonous and detracted from the main focus of a “misguided campaign to improve the national gene pool”. That said the author did an excellent job presenting the personal stories of orphans who did not meet the admitting criteria of mentally challenged and the lasting impact of “incarceration”.

“I mean, these guys had their lives ruined because people were trying to do good. That may be the scariest thing about it”.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true story of a crime pushed off the front pages by the OJ trial. The author follows the lives of several boys institutionalized in Massachusetts based on a label of mental retardation, which was completely incorrect in many cases. As you follow the story, the boys gradually realize that they have rights and start fighting for them. I thought once they grew up and started their adult lives on the outside the horror would recede, but from there it deepened beyond my wildest imagination. I had nightmares most of the nights I was reading this book.

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty compelling non-fiction work. Reads much more like a novel with great character development and story lines. Covers several decades in the lives of several men who were committed to a state facility for the mentally retarded in Massachusetts. Somewhat grim given what was done to these boys but the thread of hope and the emergence of independence is always at hand. Well worth your time and it provides lots to talk about in terms of how we treat those who are different.

[Dan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me forever to finish this book and forever to rate it. The stories are sickening. It's a gigantic lesson that I wonder if we've really learned.

The author starts out by reminding us just where the idea that the government was in the best position to identify and raise kids with mental problems came from: the eugenics movement. Not content with that revelation, the author points out that the hated Nazis got their ideas on how to deal with the handicapped from, wait for it, the AMERICAN eugenics movement. That's a historical fact that has to be covered up very carefully.

The rest of the book reviews in detail the lives of various boys who became wards of the state and suffered for the idea stated above. The problems, of course, are numerous: "scientists" don't actually know what they're talking about, and you can't reduce humanity to an IQ test. How inconvenient! It also turns out that there are a lot of parents who are happy to dump the responsibility of raising their kids on the government. As the economists say, "Whatever you pay for, you get more of." Maybe they should have required the parents to pay child support to the state instead of expecting taxpayers to pay for a gigantic social experiment.

And, surprise, surprise! Scared kids behind in their schooling because of an unstable home life score poorly on IQ tests. So add too many kids into too small a facility, and the results are so predictable: kids are mistreated and taken advantage of in every possible way.

I appreciated how the author followed the boys through their trials in the school and what they did to try and fight the system. It was fascinating to learn that the boys were quite aware that they stood out in the world beyond the fence - they talked and acted differently, so they took steps to try and fit in when they ran away.

It was also interesting to read about their lives after they were released from state custody. Needless to say, none of them lived "normal" lives.

The rebellion itself was interesting, executed with all the guile that teenage boys, experts in the ways of their captors, can muster. Unfortunately, being teenagers, they hadn't thought further ahead than the takeover. The state was utterly ruthless, imprisoning the ringleaders in the most vengeful ways possible. Kids like that are supposed to be grateful to be science experiments! Furthermore, being wards of the state, there was no need for a public trial, which would have made some embarrassing facts public. What a lesson on how the state wishes that all of us were its wards!

So read the book, if you can stomach the horrors of using state power to put people's lives under the control of scientists. Thank God nothing like that happens anymore.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my 2022 Armchair Escapist project! I'll be travelling around the world via Google Maps and finding things that interest me, delving further into local stories, myths and unexplained stories.

Boston, MA

Sometimes I think I can't be shocked any more by how horrific humans are to each other - and then I read stuff like this, and I find out I can.

This was upsetting, yet so, so interesting to learn how the boys persevered after everything that had been done to them. Although most if not all of them (understandably) struggled with their pasts, they managed to show the very people who confined them in an institution that they were better men.

I'd have liked a little bit more information on the actual experiments - they were very much skimmed over in a few paragraphs, so much it's easy to blink and miss it. But I loved the style of writing, which was made very accessible for anyone without needing much background.

I loved learning more about the history of eugenics in the USA - which I definitely didn't know was so prevalent. This was a harrowing read but I'd definitely like to learn more about it.

D'Antonio didn't say this in the book, but plenty of the State Boys died of cancer - including Fred Boyce in 2006. Coincidence?

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sad story told in a incredibly entertaining way.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Waltham and was always aware of Fernald and its somewhat dark reputation. The story was compelling.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was terrifying that this really happened to these children. No one spoke up for them, well, at least not strongly. They were normal! Yet they were institutionalized over a flawed IQ test. No one should have been subjected to the sexual and physical abuse that these boys suffered. But they were able to fight back, but those in the care of the institution that could not fight back is just unimaginable. I am sick. We must NEVER let this happen again.

But, this book was more about overcoming, standing up for yourself, making a good and fulfilling life. Some of the boys that lived through this were not able to do this, but it seemed the majority were. Many married, had children and went on to live relatively happy lives. That's what I take away from this book. You can make a good life despite your past suffering.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.9
Yes it was informative, eye-opening to the chapter of American history that is most often 'forgotten' or disregarded. It is interesting how the APUSH book makes no mention of it. The plight is sad and largely ignored in America, etc. and I would wish for more people to know of it.
As a book, though, the writing style was not particularly remarkable, slash did not keep me very engaged [though I admit non-fiction is not typically what I read atoll].
The importance of the message [am glad to be more informed, though perhaps the book is biased; I cannot well say] balances with the typical writing style to yield a very average rating.

[Sheryl Hanefeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible true story about the Fernald State School in Mass. I could not put it down. The horrid things that were done to the young men and women in this institution should never be forgotten. Parents of students who are in Special Education programs across the country should read this book. They could begin to understand the price that was paid by these individuals who had to endure these awful conditions so that today we know children with special needs are getting the much needed help, programing and rehabilitation. A great read.

[Tere · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great non-fic read. Gives a little taste into the lives of people who were undeservingly institutionalized. It is a sad truth of our nation’s history but the people in this story are hopeful and complex not allowing themselves to be victim to circumstance.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and horrifying.
I cried my way through this book a little at a time.

[Nancy DeValve · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the early 1900's and into the 1960's, many children who were mentally retarded were put in State homes where many of them spent the rest of their lives. Some of this was related to eugenics... removing the mentally incompetent from the gene pool, making it impossible for them to have children. In many of these homes, the treatment of the retarded and the insane was inhumane and abusive and they were often used in scientific experiments as well.

The Fernand Home for the Feebleminded near Boston, MA was one such institution. In addition to those who were classified as "idiots" and as "imbeciles" were those classified as "morons". The morons were on the low end of average intelligence and today would function well with training in normal society. And even among the "morons", there ended up children who were orphans with nowhere to go or children who had learning disabilities, but were of at least average intelligence. Many of these orphans had detachment disorders and had moved from foster home to foster home so many times that they had never had proper schooling. So they were behind in school, but they were not "morons".

This book is the story of some of these children, some of the boys of normal intelligence at Fernald Home, and in particular the stories of Joey Almeida and Fred Boyce. The way they were routinely abused, how their treatment built in to anger, their repeated attempts to run away, their eventually rebellion, and eventually their return to normal society is detailed in this book. It is touching and disturbing at the same time.

The amount of material the author researched and the number of personal interviews he collected is impressive. My only complaint with the book is that the author sometimes repeats himself. But the book is definitely one of those "stranger than fiction" stories and I could not put the book down.

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sad non-fiction story that many should be ashamed of. This began as part of eugenics coming to the forefront in our history. The study of eugenics or keeping the population safe from an "impure" population, began shortly after the turn of the century. It was thought that those that were considered "feebleminded" should never reproduce. In an effort to control this unsatisfactory population, those considered feebleminded were placed in institutions. Some of these children had a mental deficit, some had cerebral palsy and many more were children they didn't know what to do with or came from "unsavory" families. The term used at the time for this last group of children were familial morons.

The ultimate story being told is one of physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and experimentation on these children. The loss of hope for some was too much. Others tried multiple times to run away, some with success and others without success. The story tells of some young men who came forward after years and years at the institution with their stories. Ultimately, some of them were listened to. Others as recent as 1995 were told they didn't have a case to prosecute. A very disturbing story.

[Jennifer Clawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a compelling work of journalism about a horrific institution. It was something completely unknown to me, and probably to many people, that in the early 40's and 50's young children were labeled as "morons" based on inaccurate testing (such as IQ tests), and then placed in institutions (specifically the Fernald State School in Massachusetts) where they were treated as if they were nothing. Placed in overcrowded, underfunded schools where they were submitted to beatings, a lack of education, experiments, and a feeling of worthlessness. The terrible situations and circumstances these boys were placed in was cruel, but the fact that those who instituted these boys thought they were doing good and that the public at large was unaware or did not care about what happened in this place for so long, is even more cruel.

I thought the work in this book was compiled and told in an interesting and captivating way. It was well researched and included many facts that supported the insane things that took place. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history, disabilities and mental health, and the treatment of orphans and the under-educated in America.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, I hadn’t realized it featured a state institution for the feeble minded in Waltham, MA near where I presently live. It especially touched me having worked in both a psychiatric facility for children and a state institution for the developmentally disabled - both in Wisconsin during the early 1970’s. I did graduate level field training at the Waisman Center on Mental Retardation at that same time. By the 70’s in Wisconsin, we were past active eugenics but hadn’t yet reached the point of closing state facilities in favor of de-institutionalization. This book pointed out how careful we need to be about providing humane and ethical treatment for persons with any kind of intellectual or physical limitations. It was difficult to read about how much mistreatment these children suffered at the hands of their caretakers.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, but the title is misleading. The rebellion, while an important event, is for me, overshadowed by the awful impact of the Fernald school on so many lives. This is a thought-provoking book about children in our society that were neglected and abused. D'Antonio does a great job of capturing the personalities of many of the boys from Fernald and in summing up how their lives went after their time as State boys. As one boy memorably said of his time there: "Mine is a life with pieces missing."

[Andy Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although much in this book is upsetting, it ends up as a celebration of human resilience. The bravery of the victims (and their willingness to come to terms with their lives) are inspiring.

As background, the author focuses on eugenics. This is important, but a lot of other principles could be raised about funding and other aspects of the so-called helping professions. The book also raises big issues about reparations. What's some radioactive oatmeal compared to hundreds of years of slavery?

[Jaclyn S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up 20 minutes away from this state school and have explored it on several occasions since it’s laid abandoned. Reading Michael’s story and hearing the horrors was especially heartbreaking because I remember walking the halls and being in the school and library and workshop spaces he speaks of in this story. What an incredible dark time in our history. I wish nothing but peace and kindness for Michael and his peers in their future.

[Sharon Exley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellently written. It’s disturbing to me that while I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s kids around my age were being used as human experiments with absolutely no regard for their welfare. They were simply expendable. I’m glad that some were able to come to terms with what they lived through and saddened that many were not.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t complete this book because of the frequent use of the R word to describe victims of these institutions. This was a story that needed to be told, but in 2004 when it was written there did already exist a variety of more appropriate terms to describe the intellectually challenged individuals in the book without using a slur when not contextually necessary. I had to dnf

[Amanda Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met one of the men from this book who shared it with me. As a person in the healthcare profession who has a strong interest in ethics I found this book very interesting and eye opening. It is well written from a journalistic standpoint. I rarely read non fiction but this one was well worth it.

[Abonrat · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easily read but somewhat superficial history if a little known episode of our countries social failures.
The labelling of students, especially from poor or dysfunctional families while not as drastic as the state boys is unfortunately still prevalent.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine book, poignant and important to know

[Roland Kepulis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Very informative and sad. Hard to believe things like this happened in America.

[Rochelle Lacouture Yuknis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was an accurate portrayal of the horrors the occurred at Fernald State School. I cried through most of this novel.