Content Warning: Child Sexual, Emotional and Physical Abuse, Graphic description of homicide, Emotional and physical neglect

Irene Sullivan's Born and Raised to Murder is a poignant and unsettling examination of Leo Boatman’s tragic journey from a neglected childhood in foster care to a condemned prisoner on death row. This book offers an invaluable perspective on the critical shortcomings of our juvenile justice and foster care systems.

Sullivan provides an unflinching look at how repeated failures in these systems led to Boatman’s heinous crime. The book covers numerous adverse childhood experiences, including various forms of abuse and neglect, and includes graphic descriptions of homicide based on real events and court documents.

What I found particularly compelling was Sullivan’s focus not just on the problems but on potential solutions. She discusses how improvements in foster care and juvenile detention can reduce the likelihood of repeat offences and prevent career criminals. The book also highlights the severe consequences of not addressing childhood sexual assault seriously.

While I appreciated the depth and detail of the narrative, there was a small inaccuracy regarding the term "veterinarian technician," which should be "veterinary technician."

Overall, Born and Raised to Murder is an essential read for those interested in juvenile justice and child welfare, offering crucial insights and a call to action for much-needed reforms.

Very interesting...Not what I thought it was going to be but it kept my interest throughout. Definitely would recommend giving it a read.

This was a good book based on Leo with a different and troubled upbringing a sad story how things went wrong and how many lives were destroyed I found the court documents and proceedings interesting I enjoyed the true story of this book

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had so many thoughts reading Leo's story. From anger at the foster care system to anger at Leo to anger at the justice system. Then Chapter 26 came along and I was so glad that the clinical psychologist stated all the same issues I had noticed. (I have a degree in psychology so I was kind of analyzing Leo as I read his story.)
Leo was definitely let down by a lot of people who were supposed to care for him. The five solutions that make up Chapter 32 make a ton of sense but it's definitely an uphill battle to get those implemented.

Gosh, this was a difficult subject to read about. Sullivan has crafted a powerful book. It's important to uncover the truth, and she has. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I thought I understood much about foster care after being a foster mom for a year, but this story was eye-opening.

Things I really liked:
- I really like that this pushes a topic that isn't talked about nearly enough into the spotlight. It is a hard reality to face when a system you grew up in, hurts many people. It is never easy to talk about the ways that we let people (in our very own communities) down, but this surpasses all of those things. It discusses why and how we need reforms and until things change, we endanger members of our community.

Things you need to know before reading:
This is an extremely heavy read. Sometimes the lines are blurred between right and wrong. If your mentality is either black or white, then this book will challenge that world view. A lot of people know the stories of a person within the system, and even when they are uplifting and inspirational, it is not without its gut wrenching heartaches and people who cared enough to be a helping hand.

Although the books needs a little bit of editing, it is an important book that needs a lot of attention! I am recommending this to people who have big hearts and want to fix this system (or to at least make it better).

Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the eARC.

I have challenged myself to read more nonfiction and Irene Sullivan's book has really floored me. The entire time I am reading it I have to keep grounding myself in this is someone's actual life. Devastating.

Loved this! It is such an important topic, and this book is very enlightening and hopefully brings a lot of awareness with it.

all in all, I thought this book was written very well. The author did a wonderful job of keeping you knowledgeable about the boys situation.
The fact that this book was written based on someone’s actual life is definitely traumatizing, so reads beware!
Having young kids, it was difficult to read knowing that things like this actually happen in today’s society. Hopefully books like this can get the message out, and things will change.
I also enjoyed the fact that they had solutions, rather than just stating all of the problems with our foster system.

When Florida juvenile Irene Sullivan was reading about 2 college kids
She began to write to Leo Boatman aged 19 and wanted to know what he did for a violent act
I wanted to know that my story would never happened to another foster kid
I had an ARC

Sad story that will have you reaching for the tissues. Good read that kept me interested. Thank you for the chance to review this book.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness or pity. I just want to tell my story so that what happened to me never happens to another foster child again.” Leo Boatman

I wish this story was unique - but it isn't. There is a reason it's called the foster care to prison pipeline. So many children, no fault of their own, endure tortuous childhoods that lead to criminal behaviors as adults.

Leo Boatman's story is so very important because it is the story of millions of kids in America. We as a society need to do better.

What I particularly loved about this book was how it also included solutions or changes that can be made to make the next Leo Boatman's story different and end in a better life.

I work in the foster care system in Utah; and I will say I have heard the most horror stories coming out of the foster system of Florida where Leo Boatman has lived his entire life. It is scary that your luck of care, support and resources varies state by state.

But we all can do more. Look into your local foster care companies, programs, non-profits. Donate, volunteer, get involved. Become a mentor, a foster parent, a CASA (court appointed special advocate), etc.

I really enjoyed this book
Read it in less than a day
Definitely needs to come with a trigger warning
Would love to know how his life turns out

This book was a tough read but a good read. One that makes you think long after you turned the last page. One that makes you wonder how you can make a difference and stop another failure from happening. Having worked in the foster care system for a few years, this book was near and dear to my heart.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and did not have to write a review. All opinions are solely mine.

This was such a sad and interesting book. The first half was so hard to put down, learning about Leos life growing up, it was heart breaking. You find yourself rooting for him from the start and watching his life spiral with no help from anyone is a gut punch. The last part does read a little dry as most of it is direct court documents, I understood them but I can see some readers struggling with them if they arent use to the lingo. This book is a solid 4 stars for me.

This book absolutely broke me. Would I recommend it? Abso-freaking-lutely! This book was such an eye opener and really made it difficult for me at some parts because I kept envisioning my kids.

I have been on a challenge this year to read more nonfiction books, and I am so glad that I got approved to read this one! This is one of those books that will stick with you long after you finish reading it.

This is a very important story to not only tell, but to read as well. More people need to understand what it's like to grow up in the system. I was fortunate enough to not have to go through that, but now I have a completely different understanding and attitude towards those that grew up in the system.

In Born and Raised to Murder: A Failure of Foster Care, Irene Sullivan uses her correspondence with Leo Boatman, convicted of the killing of two college students in a national park when he was nineteen, as a jumping off point for a polemic about the inadequacies of social care in America, and how the foster care system, which is supposed to step in when parents are unable to care for their children, is often directly responsible for a child's continued failure to thrive, and for the perpetuation of cycles of violence, abuse, addiction and criminal behaviour.

Sullivan's correspondence with Boatman gives the reader a unique insight into the origins of a violent criminal, the detailed history which she provides injecting pathos into the facts of his case. Boatman is portrayed with sensitivity and empathy, yet Sullivan isn't afraid to hold him accountable for his behaviour and to interrogate where he has been the architect of his own situation. However, she largely believes that Boatman's victims died because of systemic failure at every level; she goes so far as to say that, had Boatman been given probation when he first started offending, rather than being detained in San Antonio Boys Village, his victims could well be alive today. Sullivan uses Boatman's experiences of being incarcerated between the ages of 13 and 19 (he killed his two victims upon his release) to argue for a juvenile justice system which does more to understand why young offenders offend, and which focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Furthermore, she examines how the lack of oversight of juveniles leaving prison raises the risk of reoffending exponentially; as she writes, 'Boatman was a loaded weapon ready to fire that was tossed into the general public, and no one was assigned to watch over the danger posed... What did the State of Florida think was going to happen?'

Sullivan does a deep dive into the correlation between an abusive home environment and insecure attachment, and the kinds of emotions and behaviours which can be catalysts for violence: anxiety, aggression, defiance, impulsivity, hopelessness, guilt and shame. She highlights the lack of facility to treat these issues when they arise with any sort of therapeutic treatment.

To take a story of a convicted, self-confessed murderer and use it to argue that all children deserve care and nurture - even when incarcerated - is an ambitious play, but author Irene Sullivan is uniquely qualified to tell and understand Boatman's story: as a juvenile court judge in Florida for decades, she has seen the most heinous acts children are capable of committing, but also the tragic circumstances which contextualised those acts. She is able to do what many cannot and look past the anger, violence and cruelty to see the child who has often been failed by all the people and the systems which should have protected them. I applaud her for lending her voice to America's most vulnerable children; they are those most likely to need - but least likely to have - a champion.

And Sullivan is not just here to launch a diatribe against the American social care and juvenile justice systems; the book includes a detailed summary of the changes she believes could be enacted to redress the harm that has been done, and which continues to be done. She also hopes that readers will allow her book to reframe Leo Boatman as an individual in their minds. 'Although Leo owes a debt to society for these murders, we owe Leo something as well,' she writes, before encouraging the reader to think about the shape this could take and the impact it could have.

On a final note, while Born and Raised to Murder is a fascinating, important book, readers should exercise caution as it deals extensively with child abuse, including sexual abuse, much of it described in the first person through Boatman's recollections. A good chunk of the text is essentially authored by Boatman, which some readers may find uncomfortable given that he took away any platform his victims may have had.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.