You see them on the street corner. Disappearing into the shadows. Spread-eagled against a squad car or hiding their faces on their way to arraignment. They are children deprived of a childhood. Boys and girls who never cuddled on a loving mother's lap or went fishing with a father. Eventually, they end up dead or in prison. The lucky ones arrive at Camden County Youth Center, a national model for youthful offenders. They are confronted by a director who learned lessons of faith in God, self-respect, and discipline as a child in a Japanese concentration camp. They meet youth workers tough enough to handle them, wise enough to teach them, and tender enough to care. And they learn ... about a different way of living. About their own value and the value of others. About what it's like to be loved. Hungry Ghosts is the story of how Mary Taylor Previte turned a "snakepit" into one of the most outstanding programs in the nation for juvenile corrections. This beautifully written narrative offers a glimpse into the world of teenage criminals through the eyes of someone who believes that God's love still reaches the hearts of the unlovely.