Jesus Land (2005)

''Life may not be fair,'' says Scheeres toward the end of this marvelous remembrance of her adopted brother, David, ''but when you have someone to believe in, life can be managed, and sometimes, even miraculous.'' What a miracle that Jesus Land's lovable duo — bound together by the pain of childhood in an Indiana home ruled by loveless religious zealots — survived their grueling stint at Escuela Caribe, a Dominican Republic reform school/holy-rolling nuthouse that nearly sucked dry their fragile teenage souls. In a spare voice teeming with furious dignity, Scheeres recounts that awful period as she honors David, a gentle, goofy black youngster whose restraint in the face of racism and religious bigotry both inspired and humbled her. Jesus Land will break your heart and mend it again, but it won't stop haunting you.