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Etched in Sand by [Regina Calcaterra] (Characters (Siblings (Camille:…
Summary
Their mother is less than helpful and they often live a life on the run or without a home with basic utilities or in foster care.
Regina and her siblings defy their tragic backgrounds and make lives for themselves despite the expectations of everyone and the foster care system.
Regina and her four siblings live a life of abuse and neglect in Long Island, New York.
Characters
Camille "Cookie" Calcaterra: Abusive, alcoholic mother. Undiagnosed mental health illness. Dies of cancer and never admits to her actions.
The Peterman's: Addie and Pete are Regina's and Camille's foster parents and arguably the only ones to have faith in them. They help the girls get emancipated. Relationship is rocky at first but eventually blossoms into mutual trust.
Ms. Davis and Ms. Harvey: Social workers. Ms. Davis convinces Regina to write an affadavit to get herself emancipated. Ms. Harvey takes over their case, however is very discouraging, telling Regina she won't be adopted and will most likely be homeless. Fails to help Norman and Rosie, citing that there is "nothing she can do."
The Accerbi's: Regina's father's family. Julia and Frank Accerbi search for Regina and try to get Paul, Frank's brother and Regina's father, to take responsibility.
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Siblings
Camille: Second Oldest, graduates high school and marries her husband Frank and starts a family of four children.
Norman: Third oldest and only son, not much is expressed about him but he lives in Pennsylvania. Was kidnapped by Cookie while in foster care.
Cherie: The oldest and found a way out through marriage. She had one son before getting divorced and then remarried and continued having a family.
Rosie: Youngest, graduates from college and gets married having two children. She cuts contact with her siblings for a decade before being ready for closure. Also kidnapped by Cookie. Lives in Utah.
Regina: Third oldest and author. She took a majority of Cookie's abuse and worked with her older siblings, Cherie and Camille, to take care of "the kids," Rosie and Norman. She find a way to go to college and is an attorney now and does charitable work and is a speaker.
Todd Ciaravino: Regina's partner. Shows understanding and is the only real loving intimate relationship Regina seems to express.
Physical
Cookie tends to flip out on the children in her drunken state and will punch, slap, grab, and throw the children around. The children suffered bruises and cuts. They had to take extra steps to prevent them from showing.
Emotional & Verbal
Most rampant form of abuse; often directed at Regina. This resulted in Regina not understanding why Cookie hated her and Regina started to self-harm as a result.
Sexual: Regina suffers this form of abuse at one of her foster homes by the older boys. We know this is what happened due to her description of the night and how she dealt with the trauma after. People around her failed to see the signs.
Neglect: The children were often left with no shelter or food. They had to steal and Regina often skipped meal to make sure the others are fed. She showed clear signs of malnutrition (weight loss, graying hair, and sunken skin). Cherie as a result developed pneumonia and had to be hospitalized.
Teachers
Mr. Brown: The first teacher we know of who noticed Regina's cuts and bruises. He tells her she will fail his class but he could help if she told him where her injuries came from. It is suspected he may have called CPS.
Mr. Brownstein: Regina's professor in college that ensures her that she will be alright and that she will pass. He becomes her listening ear that never judges her or place low expectations.
Ms. Van Dover: The one teacher that gave Regina any hope in her future. She made Regina special and made her feel seen. She encouraged Regina to stay in school and Regina took the advice to heart. She still keeps her Fifth grade yearbook with Ms. Van Dover's note...
A Teacher's Role: Teachers are mandated reporters and are required by law to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect. They are also the people to encourage students and make them feel safe inside school. Teachers can have the most impact with what they say and how trauma informed they are.
Interesting
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Litagation: How many legal loopholes Regina and her siblings have to go through to find and claim their freedom and lineage.
Foster Care System: How a system can be so broken and uncommunicative with other states.
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