What do you think?
Rate this book
Devil's Child
Deserted by his mother and abandoned by his father at just three months old, Jerry Coyne was sent to live in a Catholic children's home run by nuns of the order of the Sisters of Nazareth.
Life soon settled into a rhythm and then, one day, the beatings started. Harsh, vicious punishments became part of everyday life for the bemused little boy as the nuns attempted to beat the Devil out of him. Jerry began to hide behind bad behaviour and at the age of 12, his defiance resulted in him being sent to a boarding for boys with behavioural problems. Life then got worse when his housemaster, the man whose job it was to take care of him, began a regime of mental, physical and sexual abuse.
Years of self-hatred and guilt led to Jerry suffering from a severe stammer and, eventually, he tried to hang himself. This was the turning point and, after finally finding the courage to go to the authorities, Jerry and numerous other victims came forward and were instrumental in the conviction and imprisonment of their abuser.
Devil's Child is the devastating true story of a childhood destroyed by abuse and of a young man's struggle to try to come to terms with the past and believe in the future.
Life soon settled into a rhythm and then, one day, the beatings started. Harsh, vicious punishments became part of everyday life for the bemused little boy as the nuns attempted to beat the Devil out of him. Jerry began to hide behind bad behaviour and at the age of 12, his defiance resulted in him being sent to a boarding for boys with behavioural problems. Life then got worse when his housemaster, the man whose job it was to take care of him, began a regime of mental, physical and sexual abuse.
Years of self-hatred and guilt led to Jerry suffering from a severe stammer and, eventually, he tried to hang himself. This was the turning point and, after finally finding the courage to go to the authorities, Jerry and numerous other victims came forward and were instrumental in the conviction and imprisonment of their abuser.
Devil's Child is the devastating true story of a childhood destroyed by abuse and of a young man's struggle to try to come to terms with the past and believe in the future.
- GenresAbuseNonfiction
277 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
6 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Jerry A. Coyne
7 books361 followersJerry Coyne is a professor in the department of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago. His concentration is speciation and ecological and evolutionary genetics, particularly as they involve Drosophila
His work is widely published, not only in scientific journals, but also in such mainstream venues as The New York Times, the Times Literary Supplement, and The New Republic. Coyne's peer-reviewed scientific publications include three papers in Nature and two in Science.
His research interests include population and evolutionary genetics, speciation, ecological and quantitative genetics, chromosome evolution, and sperm competition.
His work is widely published, not only in scientific journals, but also in such mainstream venues as The New York Times, the Times Literary Supplement, and The New Republic. Coyne's peer-reviewed scientific publications include three papers in Nature and two in Science.
His research interests include population and evolutionary genetics, speciation, ecological and quantitative genetics, chromosome evolution, and sperm competition.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 24, 2018
I have been finding it difficult to choose what to say about this book. This is a very personal account from Coyne, that suffered horrific abuse from people at a young age, who's sole purpose was to take care of him. I think what makes this more unbelievable is that Coyne suffered at the hands at not one agency, but two.
From the very first page, you can immediately tell, that this is not an easy read. It is terribly grim, and in some parts, I found it immensely difficult to digest. The fact that people like that even exist, is rather hard for me to comprehend.
I think that having to live through something that horrific, for such a prolonged period of time, and then be expected to carry on with a so called "normal life" is truly inspiring, and I'm not sure, that I could be as strong.
From the very first page, you can immediately tell, that this is not an easy read. It is terribly grim, and in some parts, I found it immensely difficult to digest. The fact that people like that even exist, is rather hard for me to comprehend.
I think that having to live through something that horrific, for such a prolonged period of time, and then be expected to carry on with a so called "normal life" is truly inspiring, and I'm not sure, that I could be as strong.
August 28, 2012
This is a really heart breaking story and it's scary to think that it's also true.
When I bought the book I didn't really realise that it was a true story but it is and Jerry Coyne is still living with these nightmares now. He wrote the book very well though and even though what I was reading was horrible to read, I couldn't put the book down. I was reading this on my way back from Denmark and I'd finished it within a few hours. I just couldn't stop reading it.
The poor man having to go through all of that, still he can't get over it and probably never will, my heart goes out to him. But he was so brave going into court and telling all those people what happened. Then he writes a book about it! I can't imagine how hard that must have been for him.
A really amazing, but heart breaking story that won't disappoint.
When I bought the book I didn't really realise that it was a true story but it is and Jerry Coyne is still living with these nightmares now. He wrote the book very well though and even though what I was reading was horrible to read, I couldn't put the book down. I was reading this on my way back from Denmark and I'd finished it within a few hours. I just couldn't stop reading it.
The poor man having to go through all of that, still he can't get over it and probably never will, my heart goes out to him. But he was so brave going into court and telling all those people what happened. Then he writes a book about it! I can't imagine how hard that must have been for him.
A really amazing, but heart breaking story that won't disappoint.
September 5, 2018
A chilling account of child abuse by the religious orders. Jerry describes in dramatic detail the regular violent and senseless torture by his religous captors of himself and captive innocent children. This abuse of power by the religous orders needs to be recorded in books such as this to honor survivors who lived through such tyrany and the children who died due to the severity of their abuse.
The abuse meted out toward defenceless children continues long after the captives left the order, wondering who they are as having little or no knowledge of their families. Jerry, like so many other captives, has experienced psychological and emotional abuse long after their circumstances change. Survivors often experienced repetitively in their mind what was the living nightmare of his child hood. Jerry led an adult life dominated by flashbacks and interpersonal difficulties with others.
Jerry experienced a ray of light in his life which offers hope to all survivors of religious institutional abuse.
The abuse meted out toward defenceless children continues long after the captives left the order, wondering who they are as having little or no knowledge of their families. Jerry, like so many other captives, has experienced psychological and emotional abuse long after their circumstances change. Survivors often experienced repetitively in their mind what was the living nightmare of his child hood. Jerry led an adult life dominated by flashbacks and interpersonal difficulties with others.
Jerry experienced a ray of light in his life which offers hope to all survivors of religious institutional abuse.
January 29, 2023
Devils Child is quite a sad story of a child hood destroyed by those who are ment to protect him. Young Jerry Coyne is sent to Nazareth house which is run by Nuns, after his parents abandoned him and his siblings.The Nuns are the one's that label him "The Devils Child", telling him it is there duty to beat the Devil out of him. Through out Jerry's childhood almost all the adults he comes into contact with abuse him in some way. It is only in his adult life justice is finally served. As for the Nuns they will reach God's judgement.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2016
"Çocuk istismarı, ne yazık ki fazlasıyla aşina olduğumuz bir konu: Kreşlerde, bakımevlerinde, yetimhanelerde hatta kimi zaman sıradan evlerde şiddete maruz kalan çocuklar hakkında haberler görmüşlüğümüz çoktur. Savunmasız yapıları ve istismara açık duruşlarıyla hayata en zor başlangıçlardan birisini yapan kahramanlardır onlar.
Jerry Coyne da bu kahramanlardan birisi; henüz üç aylıkken dört kardeşiyle beraber Katolik rahibeler tarafından işletilen Nazareth House isimli bakımevine bırakılan, ergenlik dönemini ise davranış bozukluğu olan çocukların gittiği bir yatılı okulda geçiren Coyne, tüm bu süre içerisinde sürekli cinsel ve fiziksel şiddete maruz kalmış. Bu deneyimlerin yetişkin hayatını da davranış bozuklukları ve kabuslarla işkenceye çevirmiş olması, bir gün başarısızlıkla sonuçlanan kendini öldürme girişiminin sonunda hukuki olarak hakkını aramaya yöneltmiş Coyne'u. Kitabın ismi ise bakımevinde gördüğü şiddet esnasında rahibeler tarafından kendisine takılan isimden geliyor: Şeytanın Çocuğu. "
http://ebediyenedebiyat.blogspot.com/...
Jerry Coyne da bu kahramanlardan birisi; henüz üç aylıkken dört kardeşiyle beraber Katolik rahibeler tarafından işletilen Nazareth House isimli bakımevine bırakılan, ergenlik dönemini ise davranış bozukluğu olan çocukların gittiği bir yatılı okulda geçiren Coyne, tüm bu süre içerisinde sürekli cinsel ve fiziksel şiddete maruz kalmış. Bu deneyimlerin yetişkin hayatını da davranış bozuklukları ve kabuslarla işkenceye çevirmiş olması, bir gün başarısızlıkla sonuçlanan kendini öldürme girişiminin sonunda hukuki olarak hakkını aramaya yöneltmiş Coyne'u. Kitabın ismi ise bakımevinde gördüğü şiddet esnasında rahibeler tarafından kendisine takılan isimden geliyor: Şeytanın Çocuğu. "
http://ebediyenedebiyat.blogspot.com/...
January 23, 2013
This is one of the most horrifying and sad books I have ever read, the things he went through as a child are shocking. However I couldn't put the book down and read it in one night.
November 15, 2020
Devil's Child, by Jerry Coyne.
It was hard for me to read this book as Jerry's experience of childhood trauma seems so surreal that it is somehow hard to believe things like this is happening. That there are some sick individuals seems to think that they have the god-like rights and power to ruin and abuse innocent souls. It is clear to see that these experiences, still haunts Jerry as an adult.
Thank you Jerry Coyne for sharing your traumatic childhood experience. I hope that those individuals, that people put trust in them to take care of innocent children, abused thier power and practice thier perverted acts to kids who are helpless and have nowhere to turn to, get what they deserve (struck by lightning, hit by a truck, etc). And I hope that people that had been abused will share thier stories too, as Jerry had hoped, so that sick perverted individuals will be put behind bars.
I hope that people who were put in charge to take care of children's welfare, have a full psychological and behavioral analysis before they are given the job. As thier exposure to children put them at risk of commiting abusive acts, both physical and mentally, which can f*ck up a child's life.
As an adult, I just wanted to say to other adults out there, when a child confides in you of what is happening to them, don't be a jerk (or a coward) and do the right thing. Reading this book somehow reminded me of The Trials of Gabrial Fernandez, a documented series on Netflix, which I encourage everyone to watch. Gabrial Fernandez's death is a wakeup call for everyone. It pisses me off to see how he was trying to reach out to EVERYONE, and NO ONE did anything (aside from the ones who were actually trying to help but was warned by thier superiors not to get involve).
.
P/s: Gabrial was 8 at the time of his death. He was tortured to death by his own mother and stepfather.
Overall I would give this book a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ as this book touches my ❤ to thr core.
😭😭😭
It was hard for me to read this book as Jerry's experience of childhood trauma seems so surreal that it is somehow hard to believe things like this is happening. That there are some sick individuals seems to think that they have the god-like rights and power to ruin and abuse innocent souls. It is clear to see that these experiences, still haunts Jerry as an adult.
Thank you Jerry Coyne for sharing your traumatic childhood experience. I hope that those individuals, that people put trust in them to take care of innocent children, abused thier power and practice thier perverted acts to kids who are helpless and have nowhere to turn to, get what they deserve (struck by lightning, hit by a truck, etc). And I hope that people that had been abused will share thier stories too, as Jerry had hoped, so that sick perverted individuals will be put behind bars.
I hope that people who were put in charge to take care of children's welfare, have a full psychological and behavioral analysis before they are given the job. As thier exposure to children put them at risk of commiting abusive acts, both physical and mentally, which can f*ck up a child's life.
As an adult, I just wanted to say to other adults out there, when a child confides in you of what is happening to them, don't be a jerk (or a coward) and do the right thing. Reading this book somehow reminded me of The Trials of Gabrial Fernandez, a documented series on Netflix, which I encourage everyone to watch. Gabrial Fernandez's death is a wakeup call for everyone. It pisses me off to see how he was trying to reach out to EVERYONE, and NO ONE did anything (aside from the ones who were actually trying to help but was warned by thier superiors not to get involve).
.
P/s: Gabrial was 8 at the time of his death. He was tortured to death by his own mother and stepfather.
Overall I would give this book a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ as this book touches my ❤ to thr core.
😭😭😭
October 23, 2023
Devil's Child, by Jerry Coyne.
It was hard for me to read this book as Jerry's experience of childhood trauma seems so surreal that it is somehow hard to believe things like this is happening. That there are some sick individuals seems to think that they have the god-like rights and power to ruin and abuse innocent souls. It is clear to see that these experiences, still haunts Jerry as an adult.
Thank you Jerry Coyne for sharing your traumatic childhood experience. I hope that those individuals, that people put trust in them to take care of innocent children, abusing thier power and practicing thier perverted acts to kids who are helpless and have nowhere to turn to, get what they deserve (struck by lightning, hit by a truck, etc). And I hope that people that had been abused will share thier stories too, as Jerry had hoped, so that sick perverted individuals will be put behind bars.
I hope that people who were put in charge to take care of children's welfare, have a full psychological and behavioral analysis before they are given the job. As thier exposure to children put them at risk of commiting abusive acts, both physical and mentally, which can f*ck up a child's life.
It was hard for me to read this book as Jerry's experience of childhood trauma seems so surreal that it is somehow hard to believe things like this is happening. That there are some sick individuals seems to think that they have the god-like rights and power to ruin and abuse innocent souls. It is clear to see that these experiences, still haunts Jerry as an adult.
Thank you Jerry Coyne for sharing your traumatic childhood experience. I hope that those individuals, that people put trust in them to take care of innocent children, abusing thier power and practicing thier perverted acts to kids who are helpless and have nowhere to turn to, get what they deserve (struck by lightning, hit by a truck, etc). And I hope that people that had been abused will share thier stories too, as Jerry had hoped, so that sick perverted individuals will be put behind bars.
I hope that people who were put in charge to take care of children's welfare, have a full psychological and behavioral analysis before they are given the job. As thier exposure to children put them at risk of commiting abusive acts, both physical and mentally, which can f*ck up a child's life.
January 1, 2020
Devil's child
A very powerful true story. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know what effect abuse can have on children and adults who have been through it, and not being able to get the point across
A very powerful true story. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know what effect abuse can have on children and adults who have been through it, and not being able to get the point across
February 4, 2019
I can not believe how much hurt this poor man has delt with. I have know Idea why I read books like this. As it breaks my heart.
Couldn't put it down as I needed to know what happened in the end.
Couldn't put it down as I needed to know what happened in the end.
June 8, 2018
Tamamen çocukluk travmalarıyla ilgili bir kitap. Okumayın. Cinsel ögeler var.
February 22, 2016
This is truly a horrific read. A young child/boy/teenager who is abused systematically by the people who are meant to be keeping him safe.
I have never truly understood why people hide behind religion and use it as an excuse for extreme and horrific violence. The nuns who were meant to care for Jerry as a toddler and boy, beat him senseless. Then his house master began sexually and physically abusing him, and tried to use mental cruelty to control him.
It makes you wonder how these authoritative people got away with such systematic abuse of their charges. It's disgusting.
I know that the care system is still dangerously flawed. But to blame an obviously disturbed boy who was lashing out for how he was being and had been abused.
Another read that pulled at my heart strings, as both a survivor myself and a mother.
I have never truly understood why people hide behind religion and use it as an excuse for extreme and horrific violence. The nuns who were meant to care for Jerry as a toddler and boy, beat him senseless. Then his house master began sexually and physically abusing him, and tried to use mental cruelty to control him.
It makes you wonder how these authoritative people got away with such systematic abuse of their charges. It's disgusting.
I know that the care system is still dangerously flawed. But to blame an obviously disturbed boy who was lashing out for how he was being and had been abused.
Another read that pulled at my heart strings, as both a survivor myself and a mother.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2015
Memoire of the horrifying abuse the author suffered in not one but two "care" institutions that should have helped him. How he even survived is beyond me! x
May 20, 2015
word will never be enough to describe this book.
January 4, 2016
This was heartbreaking, it is hard enough to imagine a single person harming children let alone MULTIPLE institutions failing so utterly in there purpose.
May 30, 2018
tahmini başlama tarihi
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews