In the turbulent 1960s, a renegade Capuchin friar set out to end the foster-care-to-prison pipeline. His actions inspired a community, sparked a movement and built an enduring grassroots organization. For over fifty years, the Downey Side adoption agency has been rescuing our neediest children from the nation's blighted foster care system. This David versus Goliath story continues today. America's Youngest Hostages looks inside the system from the points of view of social workers, parents and foster children themselves. With half a million children held hostage by a system designed to perpetuate itself, this book is a call to action for ordinary Americans. All proceeds from the sale of this book support Downey Side's mission of finding permanent families for hard-to-place children in foster care.