Etched in Sand

Hi my name is Claire Gundlach I was so touched by your book I’m sure we might have crossed paths at one point. I went to St James Elementary I was born in 1968. My family knew the Totter family very well and when you mentioned Kathleen’s name in one of your chapters it got me thinking . I do have 2 older sisters Christine and Karen that you might have known. I’m sorry for what you all went through growing up but boy did you not only make it out but you really grew up to be a determined young lady and to help children in your situation. All the best to you and your family .

A beautiful and tragic accounting of a tortured childhood. What strength and resilience this woman has shown in a life that she not only survived, but found a way to excel and flourish!

This story was so extremely difficult to read more times than it wasn’t but to see the devotion, loyalty, love and commitment these siblings developed so deeply it leaves you believing that bonds like these are permanently tied. What a courageous story about the sheer power and the extremes humans turn to in order to survive and conviction in the better good even amid horrific adversity and abuse.

This true story is well written and painfully true of children neglected and abused by rotten and irresponsible parents. This story has a happy ending and I look forward to reading the sequel. You won't be disappointed! Could easily be made into a movie.

This is an amazing story of strength and perseverance. Retina's story, while difficult to read in some parts, must have been horrific for her to live through. The love she shares with her siblings throughout the story is an inspiration to me.

Readers will love this compelling true story of survival, as Regina details childhood trauma, abuse and neglect of her and her siblings at the hand of an alcoholic, mentally ill mother. The reader learns the hard complexities and failings of state foster care systems and policies that often intensify the poverty, loss, abandonment and abuse they work to relieve. A true page-turner that will keep the reader engrossed in the lives and heroic resilience of Regina and her siblings.

Thanks Mrs Calcaterra your book show and others learn about the sacrifice and suffered the homeless children and adults and the ways to survive:::::: And the way conquest the goals I'm 75 now , but I was homeless at 16 too:::::: Positive mind and work,work until gets the goals😂😂😍😍😍::: My Blessings:::::::

I am thankful she shared her family's story with us.

I found this to be a great read and engrossing story. I finished it within two days because I couldn't seem to put it down.

Best book I have read this year. So happy this gal made it and the family is thriving.

Hard to put down, really inspiring! Makes you want to hug your children a little longer, more often.

Truly a touching story. I normally don't read anything other then fiction or thrillers. This story has broadened my reading, very interesting story! While reading this story the temperature might have gotten somewhat high, that was sweat, not tears:-)

One of the most powerful heart wrenching stories of perseverance and survival of a child faced with insurmountable odds. Told with grace and insight. I am a better person to have read it !

Couldn't put this book down. Very well written.

Wonderfully written! This book opened my eyes to the thoughts and feelings of the children I love and support in my hometown who are living similar lives as Regina.

I couldn't put this book down. What an amazing story and a great inspiration. This is one of the best books I've read!

I could not put this book down. It is so good. It is so sad to see what all the children went through. It was so hard at times to not cry and wish someone would help them. So glad I got this book.

What a truly heartbreaking and remarkable story! I cried my eyes out for all of you. To Regina and her siblings, my heart ached for the experiences you had to endure as children. No one should have to go through YEARS of abuse at the hands of a parent or otherwise. SHAME on all our agency's that stood by and let it happen. As a homeowner on Long Island and also born and raised in Queens, I am saddened to think this is happening in our country where so many agencies are in place to prevent such atrocities. Congratulations Regina on opening our eyes and for an extremely well written book! Good luck always to all The Calcaterra children.

I don’t even know where to start. This book is just that powerful. I’ve been putting off writing this review because I was trying to figure out how to put into words the impact it had on me and I’ve finally realized that I’m speechless. Absolutely speechless. And we all know that never happens. I read this book from cover to cover (until 4 am) and cried for the Calcaterra kids on numerous occasions. I’m getting my Master’s in Public Policy, so this book impacted me on two levels. The first was the heartbreaking story of the Calcaterra siblings, whose childhoods are demonstrative of what is wrong with our child welfare system. There were times that I wanted to scream because I was so frustrated with the protocols. The second impact has to do with Regina Calcaterra –  public policy expert. She is an incredible woman who has made her way in a man’s world, not to mention everything she had to overcome to get there. She had to conquer both the gender gap and her past. She successfully completed college and her law degree, which is no easy feat for a foster child who’s told to marry well. I can safely say that she has secured her spot on my most-admired women list (next to Hillary Clinton). I can only hope that I can enact the kind of positive change that she has. But back to the book. Etched in Sand is the true story of Regina Calcaterra and her four siblings who were forced to endure a horrific and abusive childhood. Separated and bounced around from foster home to foster home, the close-knit siblings suffered the abuse of not only their mother (when she didn’t disappear for weeks on end), but also their foster parents. When they were placed back with with their mother, Regina had to steal food to provide for her younger siblings. It’s all heart-wrenching, but perhaps the most tragic part about their story is that they were failed by social services, whose bureaucratic red tape left them fighting for themselves. Far from being a woe-is-me tale, this is one of perseverance and redemption. Despite the odds, all of the children survived and thrived later in life, especially Regina. Having experienced firsthand the failures of our public policies regarding aging-out foster kids, she is a strong advocate and board member for You Gotta Believe, which focuses on placing older children in foster homes. She has also put her public policy expertise to good use as the Executive Director to NYS Governor Cuomo’s Moreland Commission on Utility Storm Preparedness and Response. I could go on about her various accomplishments, but instead I’ll direct you to the author box or her website. The point is – you must read this book. Regardless of whether you’re a man or woman, into public policy, or experienced with the foster care system, this book WILL have an impact on you. And thanks to TLC Book Tours, I have the opportunity to send one lucky winner a copy of this book. But if you don’t win, I politely demand that you purchase it.