Spoilt

by Terry Denby

In the coming weeks and months I was further humiliated by Auntie Blodwen. The beatings were usually around the head or on the back of the legs, the arms or bare bottom. Auntie Agnes would hold me down in the office, the cloakroom, or in the cellar, while Auntie Blodwen laid into me. I was now totally exposed to the wilfulness and madness of these adults ...I was in care. Terry begins life on an estate in East London known as 'The Buildings'. Rarely attending school, he wanders the streets for hours, collecting cigarette butts while his mother entertains men and sings in local pubs. But when he returns to find the 'welfare' on his door, he realises his troubles have only just begun ...His mother gives him up without a fight and Terry finds himself in a care home run by the tyrannical Auntie Blodwen. Terry is brutally beaten on a regular basis and shut for hours in the coal cellar. His only strength gleaned from the children who share this nightmare, and his friendship with his guardian's dog, Jenny.Denied all the opportunities children so desperately need, Terry's story builds a picture of a bewildered and deeply troubled child who is let down time and time again by the very people he needs the most. But this powerful memoir shows how even the most deprived child can make their own luck and eventually find happiness.

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2008

Reviews

[Lisa Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not one for stories of the "child rocking in the corner clutching teddy" variety so I normally avoid this type of book. But this is so much more than that. His absence as a child in his story of his life as a child is beyond comprehensible. If this is the history of the life of Child in care, no wonder it's taken us this long to get politicians to meet with young people. (Report this week from the select committee). Well worth a read to gain a deeper understanding of where we were and where we are and how short that path is..... Children in many areas, still remain invisible just as Terry was. Thank you for sharing your story Terry....