Little Prisoners: A Tragic Story of Siblings Trapped in a World of Abuse and Suffering

by Casey Watson

Little Prisoners is a harrowing, yet moving memoir about two innocent and frightened 'unfosterable' children who do not know what it means to be loved.

The shock that strikes Casey and her family when Ashton and Olivia arrive is immeasurable. Two frightened little waifs stand before them, hair running wild with head lice, filthy nails and skin covered in scabs. Ashton, aged nine, and Olivia, aged six, are the eldest of five siblings, taken away from their family because they were considered at risk.

Originally a temporary, emergency placement, the weeks turn into months. And gradually the children start to feel like they truly belong to a family and to reveal the horror of what happened to them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Abuse, Memoir, True Crime, Fostering, Crime, Biography

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2012

Reviews

[Ruth Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always hard to read about the foster children in Casey Watson’s books. This one was even more so, not only dealing with terrible neglect but also sexual abuse and incest.

Watson’s writing style is fluid and easy and she does an excellent job of breathing life into Ashton and Olivia.

Distressing and hard to read. It made me cry.

Not for the faint-hearted.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but disturbing book. Disturbing not just because of the plight of the children, but also disturbing because so many people are unaware that this type of - or amount of - abuse exists. As a former teacher I know of similar instances. In once case a young man made it to ninth grade, and he would still soil himself knowing full well what he was doing. I found out he had been sodomized as a child for quite a few years, and this was a result of that abuse. Finally, by the time he was in ninth grade, he was placed somewhere where he could get the psychological help he truly needed. I'll never understand a social service system that could be so slow. I think about this boy from time-to-time and pray he is doing well. We need more people like Mike and Casey in this world.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had a similar family to the one in this book in the town where I grew up.

[Megan ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Little Prisoners was a very sad book which touched upon subjects that were devastating. I often had to remind myself that this was a true story because I couldn't quite believe that people could be so heartless.

Obviously, I can't really give my opinion on the characters as they are real people but I did feel like Casey (the author and narrator) sometimes made herself seem like the best possible person who could do nothing wrong which is very unrealistic.

The writing was also not particularly good and I found myself getting annoyed at the way it was written. It just seemed very repetitive and I don't think Watson is a very talented author. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Casey Watson actually is a writer which kind of gives her an excuse. I like that although she isn't a particularly talented author, she still writes books based on the foster children she has had so people can learn more about the subject.

[Andrew Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Cathy Glass books, I find Casey's style of fostering and writing slightly more negative and less engaging. I think this may be because Casey does seem to get too attached. On a positive side her determination and tenacity, as well as empathy for these damaged children is extraordinary and it is only through this that these two children had a better chance in life.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredibly sad and shocking story! I’ve read many of Cathy Glass’s books (this is only the second book by Casey Watson I’ve read), and up until now I thought I’ve heard all there is to hear about human depravity; how cruel and abusive some parents can be to their offspring. It’s just so tragic. I have a little boy whom I love with all my heart, so reading about these two siblings and the horrid background they come from, broke my heart over and over again.

The only thing that sometimes bothered me about this book is how naïve Casey Watson seems to be at times. Take Christmas and Easter for instance. She made both the holidays into a big show to make it special and unforgettable for those two neglected kids. But she seemed baffled with how underwhelmed they both were at all her efforts. I thought to myself: if their mother couldn’t care to feed them, why in the world would she care to decorate a Christmas tree for them or take them to the beach. It didn’t surprise me at all that they’ve never celebrated Christmas or Easter or had never seen the ocean before. If food were never a priority in their house, why would the rest be?

Despite Ms Watson’s seeming naivety, I felt that the love, care and patience she and her husband showed towards Olivia and Ashton was simply fantastic. People like the Watsons and the Glass family are heaven-sent. It’s a pity social services don’t do more to support them. Overall, as sad and heartbreaking as this read was, I’m glad it had a happy ending for all involved.

[katyjanereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. I picked this book up at Walmart thinking it would be a good readalike for A Child Called It and it was.
2. I didn't realize this author had written so many other books and now I can't wait to read the rest.
3. I love that she's an actual foster mom, so we get the nitty gritty of the system and what the parents and kids go through. I'm a high school English teacher and I work with 4 foster parents in the high school alone, so I see this first hand. Our school is one of the biggest populations of foster children. So, I also work with these kids every day.
4. This story appalled me. I was so angry at "Gwampa" but angrier at "the system" because nothing gets done. It takes forever and at the end of this book nothing was still being done about the grandpa.
5. I loved Olivia's words like "liccle" and "kerfluffle".
6. When Ashton told Casey that he loved her. I lost it and just cried for the rest of the book.
7. The most heartbreaking quote of the book, "What a lottery life was. What decreed the circumstances a baby was born into? What roll of the celestial dice saw to it that those poor children, currently residing in our family, ended up in such a hell hole as the one just described?"
8. I truly hope these kids will be okay.
9. Things that shocked me: how dirty the kids were at the beginning (scabies, lice, dirt in toes), their sexual behavior, and their bathroom behavior (or lack thereof).

[Lori Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disturbing account of two young children put into the UK foster care system.

I wasn't sure how to rate this one. On the one hand, it was gratifying to see positive changes in the kids...difficult to comprehend school-age children not knowing how to bathe or when to use the toilet. But there was a certain vague smugness in the author's tone, and when I realized she writes books about her other care children with tabloid-type problems, I felt ..... can't put my finger on it, but it bothered me.

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was harrowing, and a stark picture of the cycle of abuse.

It always amazes me how children like these ones slip under the radar of social services, but also I am well aware that social services are damned either way. Taking children into care requires sufficient evidence, and getting that evidence is made hard when the poor kids are coached into saying nothing.

I could feel Casey's frustration at the system in general in this one, more so than usual (though I get that frustration from every book I've read involving foster carers). At the same time, I have no idea how they would begin to make the system better, not without swinging too far in the other direction. I wish I had the answers.

Ashton and Olivia's story was awful, but I think Casey and her family did them a world of good in the end. I just hope that someone ends up prosecuted.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough read. I was hoping it would be difficult like the Cathy Glass books and also very positive like hers. What I really meant and hoped for was that these children weren’t treated horribly wrong before their placement. But I was wrong. The most difficult of topics - sexual abuse/incest - is tackled in this memoir. To think that family members could treat their kin as these kids have been treated is appalling and sickening. Thank god for people like Casey and Mike who take these children into their home and do whatever is needed to care and love these poor children.

[Jodee Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve decided to only give 5 stars to a book if it can change something in my life. This book can.

This book helped me look at another side of child behavior. It reminded me of the power abuse can hold over generations. It helped me see the power of a puppy!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story broke my heart.. Casey and Mile warmed it though

[J. A. Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first memoir I've read of Casey Watson's and it won't be the last. She has a very down-to-earth way of sharing with her readers the trials and tribulations of being a foster parent. "Little Prisoners" starts when two children, brother and sister, are taken from their mother and brought to Casey's home. The children are infested with scabies and lice and are near starving. They have horrid toilet habits and are nearly like wild animals. Worse, the children have been sexually abused and don't even know what's been done to them was wrong. It is a very sad story of how sick society can be and how innocent children become the victims. Upon finishing, I can only hope and pray these two children grow up to be whole and free from the atrocities laid upon them.

[Arrica Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey Watson and her family have my utmost respect for their tenacity and love for Ashton and Olivia. They have brought into light the horrifying condition these children were born and raised up in and the challenges faced in order to re-align these children back into the right path. Challenges that we, as silent readers couldn't possibly comprehend and understand. It is good to know that there's still faith in humanity and people like Casey, Mike, Anna and the foster carers who are sincere and go all out to help these poor kids get a chance to experience a fruitful future, away from their abusive birth family and sufferings.

[Carla Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashton and Olivia's lives are forever changed by the care of one family.

Casey and her family take in foster care kids that need a home fast. They are not the kind that keep the kids for a long stay. However, Ashton and Olivia stayed a little longer than most. It is horrible how these two little children fell through the cracks in the social system...but Casey doesn't give up once she has them...be sure to read how a woman with determination gets the job done for children in her care.

[Susan Kasza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked more information on what happened to the kids after this book ended. Also, there was a lot of foreshadowing that I found annoying, and actually made the events seem less impactful that if she had just described them.

[Trinka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for all county social workers to see what their decisions do. Extremely well written horrible subject

[Lish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey Watson and Rosie Lewis are by all means my favourite authors of all time. I have read all of Rosie Lewis except for her newest one and I have been slowly reading Casey Watsons books chronologically and this was the most recent.

This book made me physically cringe in the beginning with the graphics of it and I immediately felt so much sympathy for both kids. Obviously Casey didn’t foster the other siblings but I wish I had heard more about them, does anyone know if their foster Carter wrote books (long shot I know haha)
And I also really hoped there would’ve been an ending of some form of arrest for that family but it is great to hear that legal action was still being taken.

It’s also interesting how they are 10 years later. Makes you wonder considering how long ago this was written.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spotted this in a ‘if you like Cathy Glass’ list. The content I guess is similar, the execution very different. I found it fascinating being so familiar with Cathy Glass’ style to read about fostering from a very different family’s perspective. There were a couple of things that made me very uncomfortable, that I found strange in the retelling. Cathy Glass goes over and above in keeping her charges safe, I didn’t feel the same here. There were too many occasions in the book where the children just weren’t adequately supervised. Why in the world is a 7-year old being hauled home by a PC and an angry neighbour? There were also many references to smoking, including in the car and just before handling a newborn. In this time that’s just something you don’t brag about.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first Casey Watson book I ever read and I was hooked having been abused myself listening to how much love, care and time Casey and her family puts into all their foster placements just melts my heart she is what I wished someone would have done for me but sadly I fell through the net..

This book gives me hope for those that are most vulnerable.. These two are a serious handful but Casey finds a way through to them. I love the way her work is written and the story of these two with only each other against the world until Casey comes along means you can't put the book down...Heartfelt love from heartbreaking situations Casey and her family give children a chance to be children again to be treasured as all children should be.

[Cheryl Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I​ ​read​ ​through​ ​the​ ​story​ ​about​ ​the​ ​Little​ ​Prisoners​ ​which​ ​was​ ​composed​ ​by​ ​Casey​ ​Watson,​ ​a real​ ​temporary​ ​caregiver​ ​for​ ​the​ ​kids​ ​who​ ​are​ ​experiencing​ ​abuse​ ​and​ ​neglect.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​the​ ​first time​ ​that​ ​I​ ​took​ ​close​ ​look​ ​at​ ​these​ ​cases,​ ​and​ ​figured​ ​out​ ​the​ ​complex​ ​relationships​ ​in​ ​certain cases.

I was totally involved in the situation which the book described and thought that it's optimistic the children with this kind of background and experiences to find their own lives and survive here in the CPR supported system.

[Maxine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting yet tragic read as most of these types of stories are. However as compelling as it was to read about these two little ones lives I found the writing style of the author not the best and confusing at times due to the way in which it was written in places. Also unlike some other similar authors of similar stories I didn’t seem to gel as much with ‘Casey’ can’t quite put my finger on why, perhaps it was how she referenced the children at times I’m not sure. Nonetheless an interesting read and always enlightening to read about those that are in a fostering role and the work they do. Admirable work.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book, and it was very easy to read as far as the writing goes, but it was very hard to read about the topic. This book totally changed my line of thinking. I've always thought that in order to be a pedophile, you have to just be evil. But these children are not evil, yet they are bound to grow up to be pedophiles. At no fault of their own. It was groomed into them. The fact that a 10 year old boy can assault his 7 year old sister or the fact that a 7 year old can molest a baby is just devastating. I really don't know what to think anymore about anything. This book just changed everything about how I feel about people and "evil" in general.

[Joanie Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give this book one star not because of the writing, it is well written. The author and her husband are amazing people the work they do has to be unbelievably heart breaking. It's the story it's self. I have never read anything so heartbreaking & disturbing. When I picked this book up in the store I expected something else entirely, something inspirational with a hallmark type happy ending. This is not that kind of book. This book left me depressed & heartbroken. There is a special place in hell for anyone that would harm a child, the "family" of these poor children belong there. ☹️😢

[Jill K Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written chapter of the Watson Family's journey through fostering the unfosterable. This volume describes a pair of young siblings caught in a vicious cycle. Their mother had not been parented well and this was repeated with her children in a terrifying way.
Casey describes the roller coaster ride of bringing these little ones into a healthier and happier world than the one they came from.
I especially enjoyed reading how Casey and Mike's own adult children were an integral part of the story and how the situation affected both of them.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fascinating read

Oh lord. How can people damage children like Olivia and Ashton?!? How is that even allowed to happen? Thank goodness for people like Casey Watson and her family. It's not enough that she takes these children into her home, but the fact that she writes about it so the rest of the world knows that these poor kids need a safe place to be. She's doing an amazing thing.

[Jennifer Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

The things that people do to children is just unfathomable! I am disgusted by this pairs family! Gwandad and dad definitely deserve to be castrated and then some. I pray that these two and their little siblings have a good life and find people to love them dearly and give them hope and faith in life. I also feel that their mother should be sent to extensive counselling and maybe eventually when the kids are of age they can come to form a relationship with their mother.

[Eva Pimentel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried almost all the book. Beautifully written. This is the first fostering book I dare to read; everything seems so hard for me to believe I just can’t think about these things happening to kids. Casey is definitely going to heaven for this beautiful vocation she’s accepting. Can’t wait to read more about this topic. Learned a lot due the examples, dialogues and explanations it contains.

[Jenny McAteer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing people are foster carers

Very disturbing story. It's amazing to think that anyone can treat anyone let alone children the way these children were treated. Wonderful transformation. Would have preferred more of an epilogue there was no real information about what happened to the children

[Laura Feghia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but felt myself that I wanted to really scream at there family for what they have done to these poor kids, thankfully Casey and mike did best with them with little help from anyone else, so glad the kids didn’t have to return back home but also gutted that they hate to find new forever homes for them but not together ...... but all in all they knew it was for the best