Etched in Sand : A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island

Regina Calcaterra's emotionally honest and reflective memoir recounts how she and her four siblings survived an abusive and painful childhood, caring for one another while enduring a series of foster homes and intermittent homelessness - all in the shadows between Manhattan and the Hamptons. With beautiful writing and an authentic voice, In the Shadow of the Hamptons shares Regina's true life rags-to-riches story of how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her siblings together and protecting them from their mother's deranged outbursts. At the age of fourteen, Regina's journey changed dramatically when she chose to become legally emancipated. This difficult decision allowed her to finally escape from her mentally unbalanced mother and achieve real independence. Her commitment to improving herself through education - even putting herself through college - established her belief that the American Dream is still within reach for those who have the desire and the determination to succeed. In the Shadow of the Hamptons is also the story of how Regina found the family she had never known when she became involved in the groundbreaking legal case that established a young adult's right to know his or her biological heritage. Most of all, Regina's memoir is a story of tenacity. At a time when fewer than two percent of foster children achieve a college degree, she rose to become a partner in a high-powered law firm through a steadfast commitment to hard work and sheer bare-knuckled will. Today she has come full circle, now serving the Long Island community where she grew up as Chief Deputy County Executive to Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone.