63 pages • 2 hours read
They Cage the Animals at Night
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Summary and Study Guide
Overview
They Cage the Animals at Night is an autobiographical work by Jennings Michael Burch, published by Berkley in 1984. The bestselling memoir follows a period in the childhood of Jennings Michael Burch in which he passed in and out of the American foster care system. Jennings is forced to cope with abusive and negligent foster homes as well as a family that is constantly on the verge of collapsing. Over the course of these years, Jennings perseveres and matures by holding on to his kindness and by caring for others despite the coldness of his environment.
Plot Summary
The book opens at the zoo, where a grown Jennings takes care of his three children and remembers how the zoo was once a refuge for him. The main narrative begins with Jennings’ mother dropping him off at a children’s home; she tells him she will be right back. At the home, Jennings experiences abuse and a precarious environment that discourages friendship, yet through his compassion he befriends children named Mark and Stacy. He is lent out to a severely abusive family at one point, where he is beaten and starved, before he makes it back to the home.
Unlock all 63 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features: