These books are just so emotionally draining. Not because of the kids themselves; their stories are sad, but the way they handle their lives, often with such positivity, is amazing. No, what exhausts me is the fact that there are such horrible people in the world, that would do such horrible things to children. The author, Torey Hayden, is a teacher of special -needs children; in some cases, that means giving extra homework help to a kid struggling with math, but in other cases (as in this book ) it means trying to reach out to a kindergartener with autism, or helping a 10 year old manage severe anger issues, or providing a safe learning space for a pregnant 12 year old. A pregnant. 12 year old. Whose parents refuse to discuss her pregnancy or her post-delivery plans.The majority of my anger and frustration centers around the story of Lori, a young girl who, as a result of child abuse, has suffered brain damage. In most regards she's a typical little girl, but she's physically unable to read; her brain is unable to recognize the different letters and words. She comes to Torey's class for extra help, mainly because her main 1st grade teacher is an idiot who doesn't understand the difference between someone who's being lazy and not trying, and someone who has a physical freaking handicap and cannot freaking do reading, no matter how hard she tries! This idiot teacher makes Lori stand in front of her entire class and read; when she can't read a book, her teacher moves to a lower level book and tries again, gradually moving to ever lower skill levels, the entire time berating Lori for her "stupidity" and "laziness", until Lori vomits from nerves and runs from the room.While reading this book, I had to constantly remind myself that it was taking place in the 1970s, when special education was a completely different animal. Mainstreaming, or involving special - needs children in the regular classroom as much as possible, was apparently a big thing, and kids who couldn't keep up were (apparently ) out of luck. When I read these books from Karen's list, I try to think how she would have reacted to them. I feel pretty sure that she would have been yelling at the 1st grade teacher and throwing the book in disgust. And crying a little when Tomaso has a breakthrough, or when Boo, the autistic boy, interacts with Torey. I know that's what I was doing.
"Jadi, beritahu aku rahasia agar tetap sabar dan bertahan dalam tekanan dari segala sisi: sistem yang tak kunjung tepat, orang-orang yang tak mengerti, anak-anak yang tak juga keluar dari dunianya sendiri. Beritahu aku caranya, Torey. Beritahu aku." Begitulah yang saya terus saya katakan setiap kali mengakhiri buku bacaan karya Torey Hayden. Setelah terhipnotis berhari-hari, saya tetap terpengaruh kisah-kisah membahagiakan pun ketidakberdayaan Torey dan anak-anak yang tak beruntung itu, berhari-hari setelahnya. Sebuah buku catatan perjalanan yang menakjubkan!!Buku "Mereka Bukan Anakku: Jalinan Kadih yang Tersisih" adalah salah satu buku yang mengangkat kisah perjuangan Torey Hayden dalam sebuah ruangan di sudut gedung sekolah. Kelas khusus. Kelas yang bagi sebagian orang tidak ada gunanya, buang-buang waktu dan tenaga, dan dipandang sebelah mata. Tapi bagi sebagian kecil-- termasuk yang selalu datang ke kelas itu setiap harinya-- kelas itu adalah kehidupan, dewa penolong, tempat pelarian, tempat mengadu, tempat mencari apa yang hilang, tempat menenangkan jiwa dan pikiran. Bagi Torey sendiri, kelas itu adalah tempat untuk mengenal yang tak bisa dikenal, tempat menemukan dirinya sendiri, tempat kebahagiaan yang dia cari berada.Ada empat anak istimewa yang menjadi pusat perhatian Torey dalam buku ini. Tiga di antaranya selalu mempertanyakan mengapa ada "orang asing" yang mau peduli pada mereka, dan mengapa "orang asing" itu meminta mereka untuk mengerti dan peduli pada sesuatu yang tidak bisa dimengerti dan tidak mau peduli? Sedangkan yang satunya, terlalu menikmati dunianya sendiri meskipun ia "pulang" sesekali dan melihat apa yang dikerjakan Torey.Boo, Lori, Tomaso dan Claudia. Empat bocah dari latarbelakang dan permasalahan yang berbeda bersatu dalam satu ruang. Bukan dari Torey kita akan banyak belajar. Tapi dari mereka semua tamparan itu muncul. Mereka memang mencari guru untuk diri mereka sendiri ke ruangan itu. Tapi sesungguhnya, merekalah yang mengajarkan banyak hal pada Torey, padaku, dan kamu-- kita, yang melahap habis buku ini sembari menikmati secangkir kopi atau teh di senja yang tenang.
What do You think about Somebody Else's Kids (2002)?
Ingin tahu mengapa saya memberi 5 bintang untuk buku ini?Karena sama seperti buku-buku Hayden lainnya, buku ini mengajarkan kasih sayang.Hayden kini mengajar di sebuah kelas dengan empat murid bermasalah, salah satunya hamil karena pergaulan yang salah. Bayangkan seperti apa jadinya Hayden. Seorang anak yang tidak dapat berbicara, bahkan barang meniru perkataan orang lain, seorang anak yang stress dengan kekerasan domestik rumah tangga, seorang anak disleksia karena tekanan psikis, dan seorang anak berumur 12 tahun yang hamil dan dikeluarkan dari sekolah Katolik tempatnya belajar.Disini Torey juga belajar bagaimana menyikapi murid-muridnya yang berbeda, bagaimana menentukan sistem belajar, dan bagaimana menjadi ibu yang baik bagi mereka. Ironi, karena di Indonesia, pendidik anak-anak super bukanlah predikat yang dibanggakan khalayak. Pendidik merupakan manusia luar biasa dengan cadangan cinta kasih yang banyak dan kesabaran malaikat. Hayden, you are awesome!
—Afina
This was the first of Torey Hayden's books that I read - I stumbled across it in a charity shop. It is a diffcult topic, particularly as it is based on real children, yet I found it to be inspiring. The world needs many more people like Torey Hayden and I am glad that these children were fortunate enough, after all that they had experienced, to somehow be brought together with Torey - without her their lives may have been very different.I found myself getting totally immersed in it, didn't want to put it down (many very late nights); I loved it enough to go on to read several more, and there are many more I intend to read.Hayden's books are not for everyone, if you want to believe the world is a wonderful place in which nothing bad every happens, then don't read them.However, if you feel you can take other people's negative experiences in order to make your life (and hopefully others) the best that they can be, then you definitely should read them.
—Michaela Coneley
After reading ONE CHILD and GHOST GIRL, I went back to the bookstore to pick up all the rest of Torey L. Hayden's books. Her style of writing is so easy and engaging. The characters in her stories are powerful and you are drawn to them all. None of the characters have one side to them, Hayden lets us see that everyone has good and bad. She is a truly gifted teacher and writer, and I am sure her works have sent many a young person in the direction of helping troubled youths and children. I know that I have lent my set of books to my young friend who has since gone on to do child welfare in Inuvik, they affected her totally and completely, as they did myself.
—Tiffany
