DNF *spoiler alert for the first half of the book*This is the second book that I've read by Torey Hayden, and I think it will be the last.It's well written and easy to read, as far as the writing style goes, but that's the only good thing I have to say.As for the story itself, I don't believe a word of it.Jadie, the central character in this story, suffers from selective mutism, but only at school. For years, teachers and the school psychologist have been trying to get her to speak, with no success. Torey Hayden, the new teacher at the school, and in charge of the small class of special needs children, has her speaking before the end of her first day. Really?Reuben, a nine year old boy suffering from autism, went to use the toilet. Some little time later "Reuben was heard crying, and when the toilet door was unlocked Jadie was sitting on the toilet, her dress hiked up around her waist and her underpants around her ankles. Reuben, standing in front of her, his overalls down, was howling pathetically as Jadie clutched his penis."Jadie ran off, and when Rueuben finally removed his own hand from his penis, it was red and swollen, with "human teeth marks".Soooo...Torey explained and apologized to Rueben's nanny, who'd come to pick him up after school. "Turning a whimpering Reuben over to his nanny, I explained briefly what had happened and apologized profusely. His parents could phone me, I said, if they wished to discuss the matter further, and I gave my home telephone number." She didn't see the need to speak to the parents herself? And the parents didn't contact her, or the Headmaster? Their autistic son is upset, with bite marks on his penis, and they say nothing?There is another incident involving Jadie, Jeremiah and a male puppy, which I won't relate here. Suffice it to say that I'm extremely broad minded and nothing much shocks me. But this did. I was also dumbfounded. Torey spoke briefly with Jadie about the incident, and then related what happened to the school psychologist. They suspect sexual abuse but decided they needed concrete evidence, so they did nothing. Again, really? Two similar incidents, one involving a male puppy, where Jadie is overheard telling Jeremiah that she knows how to suck milk out of a penis, and the school psychologist doesn't even speak with Jadie? Jeremiah, an eight year old boy of Sioux heritage, is quite a handful. He's often aggressive and constantly uses foul language, including the f* word, not only at the other students, but also the teaching staff. No attempt is ever made to correct this. In fact, no one even blinks an eye, even when he's trying to teach Rueben to say f***.Jeremiah doesn't have learning disabilities. "His pugnacious behavior was so extreme, his mouth so foul that the parents in his previous school had banded together to keep him from returning, even with resource help." So he'd ended up here in a last-ditch attempt to save him from custodial detention." So they place him in a special needs class where he's allowed to swear and behave a badly as he likes?At about half way, Jeremiah used the word "nigger". Phillip, a black boy in the class, who was born drug addicted and is in foster care, comes to school with a Christmas snow globe that his birth mother sent him. Jeremiah states that his is better because it came from Disneyland and "not no nigger dimestore." And that, folks, was the end for me!
This book is gripping and heartwrenching. It is a story that I just had to finish once I started, and I read the entire book in one sitting. But once I finished the book, I almost wished I hadn't read it. There are some very grapic and disturbing images in this book. It made me feel bad to even let my mind wander to these kinds of places. The very sad thing about this book is that it is a true story. And whether you believe Jadie truly experienced these things or not, I really do believe she experienced what she said she did--at least to some extent. No little child could simply make-up the kinds of things Jadie recalls. That is why at the end of the book, while the author makes no concrete statement as to whether Jadie's experiences were 100% true, I believe they did happen to her. Maybe every detail was not recalled entirely accurately, but there is a lot of evil in this world...and I don't take that for granted. I also think that if a child acted the way Jadie did in this day and age, a lot more people would suspect abuse. It seemed like all her teachers and even the psychologist simply believe Jadie was just a "messed up" kid. How sad. Proceed with caution with this book, it is extremely disturbing to those who are sensitive to such matters and especially if you are a spiritual person.
What do You think about Ghost Girl (1992)?
After reading ONE CHILD, I followed up with this book, and found the same thing - I read it in one afternoon, I couldn't put it down. Hayden has an easy style of writing that carries the reader into the story, and she makes it easy to find compassion with all the characters. It is amazing what kind of job she had and the children she met and helped along the way. This book, as with all Hayden's books, moved me completely, and I lent it to a young girl who later went into child welfare and sociology.
—Tiffany
Really, really disturbing....as this is a true story, untainted, non-fictionalized. Unlike in fiction, it does not have all the answers, and as a reader, I don't feel free to formulate any either. At the end, I can only hope and pray for a good life for both Jadie and Amber, and for Sapphire of course.Torey Hayden is a good storyteller as I believe she is a teacher. The book was written for someone with no psychology background easy to understand. Not only that, I found myself really immersed in the book, wanting to get to the end of it to find out what happened. Apart from the "entertainment" value, this book is also a valuable resource material for other special education teachers and other professionals working with special children.Torey Hayden is now a favorite author in my list, and I will definitely seek out her other books.
—Nenette
I don't like how the case ended/concluded, but I acknowledged the possibilities in it, as Torey described it. I came across with children victims of sexual violence during my work, and yes, there are organized pedophiles and pedophile ring, and occult violence using children as sacrifices/objects. I also do not like the "ending" of their cases. But hey, this is the real world, the freaking-insane world, and children must live and try to survive in it. Fortunately in the end Jadie did have her ch
—Irene
