Jennings Michael Burch

{{Infobox writer

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| pseudonym =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1941|04|27}}

| birth_place = Manhattan, New York

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|01|15|1941|04|27}}

| death_place = Carmel, New York

| resting_place =

| occupation = Writer

| language =

| nationality =

| ethnicity =

| citizenship =

| education =

| alma_mater = John Jay College

| period =

| genre =

| subject =

| movement =

| notableworks = They Cage the Animals At Night

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| relatives =

| awards =

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| module =

| portaldisp =

}}

Jennings Michael Burch (April 27, 1941 – January 15, 2013){{cite news|title=Jennings Michael Burch dead at 71|work=Putnam County Courier|date=January 17, 2013|url=http://www.putnamcountycourier.com/news/2013-01-17/Front_Page/Jennings_Michael_Burch_Dead_at_71.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190653/http://www.putnamcountycourier.com/news/2013-01-17/Front_Page/Jennings_Michael_Burch_Dead_at_71.html|archive-date=October 29, 2013}} was an American writer and author of the 1984 best-selling autobiography They Cage the Animals At Night.{{cite news|title=Michael Jackson aimed to direct movie about foster children|publisher=Reuters|date=July 17, 2009|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-jackson-idUKTRE56L1OS20090722|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306025355/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-jackson-idUKTRE56L1OS20090722|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 6, 2016}}Burch, Jennings Michael, [http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/jennings+m+burch/they+cage+the+animals+at+night/5047146/ They Cage The Animals At Night] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017084215/http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/jennings+m+burch/they+cage+the+animals+at+night/5047146/ |date=2012-10-17 }} New American Library. {{ISBN|978-0-451-15941-0}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jacksons-unrealized-dream-career-in-the-film-industry-20090722|title=Michael Jackson's Unrealized Dream: Career in the Film Industry | Rolling Stone|publisher=rollingstone.com|accessdate=2015-04-13}}

Early life and education

Jennings Michael Burch was born in the South Bronx, New York and spent most of his childhood in foster homes. Burch's mother, a single parent, first placed her children in foster care in 1949, when Jennings was eight and a half. Between 1949 and 1954, Burch stayed in 32 foster homes, moved with his family{{which|date=October 2013}} three times, and stayed with at least three sets of foster parents. He also lost his biological brother Jerome, whom he hardly knew.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}}

He earned a B.A. in forensic psychology from John Jay College in Manhattan, New York City, New York.{{cite book|title=They Cage the Animals at Night|author=Burch, J.M.|date=1985|publisher=Penguin Group USA|isbn=9780451159410|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780451159410|url-access=registration|accessdate=2015-04-13}}

Career

He worked as a New York City policeman, a chauffeur, a theater manager, a magazine pressman, and a short-order cook.

Personal life

Burch was married three times. He had two biological daughters (first marriage), one adopted daughter, (second marriage) and a son (third marriage).

References