News outlets are famous for portraying disturbing stories of young kids, evoking an emotional turmoil in many readers. Often, these horrific articles are written after accounts of child abuse are reported. Nowadays, events such as these are broadcasted more often, creating a world in which readers are more desensitized to the individual tragedies occurring. Although many disturbing stories are becoming commonly known, there are still a few that are truly appalling, in which a reader cannot help but feel moved.
A foster caregiver, writing under the pseudonym of Cathy Glass, shares the story of one neurotic little girl in the book, Damaged: The Heartbreaking True Story of a Forgotten Child. A foster carer for more than twenty years, Glass had never before cared for a child like Jodie. In this primarily autobiographical story, we learn of the journey a foster mother and foster child take. This journey is full of hardships and heartbreaking tales, some that even fill a reader with extreme anger, but also include moments of joy and hope.
Jodie, an eight year old, has been through five foster homes in four months. Glass, a mother of three, accepts responsibility of Jodie after her previous foster carers could no longer handle her. Having cared for many difficult children before, Glass believed she would be able to use love and patience to reach the violent and aggressive child. However, Glass soon realizes that Jodie is unlike previous fosters.
As Glass begins to gain Jodie’s trust, she learns of the traumatic experiences that account for the little girl’s erratic behavior: smearing feces on walls, uncontrollable bowel movements, mood swings, and spontaneous violent actions. This book connects with readers in a way that makes them feel as if they are there, experiencing everything along with Glass and Jodie. The readers will believe they are right next to the little girl and caregiver, celebrating all of Jodie’s breakthroughs and triumphs.
The chronological order of the book allows for readers to travel along the journey that these two take, in search of a brighter future. In addition to caring for Jodie, Glass also experiences the consequences resulting from the many faults of the foster care system in Great Britain. Near the end of the novel, we learn that these flaws have affected Jodie in irreversible ways. Besides having a distant social worker, many disturbances went unresolved while Jodie lived with her biological parents. Readers will become violently angry at the negligence of social services and their inability to protect Jodie.
Although a relatively easy read in terms of comprehension, the complex nature of the story incorporates such detailed accounts of events that evoke different emotions from a reader. Personally, I became very emotionally involved while reading this heartbreaking story. Originally, I had picked the book off of the shelf because I have always had an interest in the foster care system; however, after digesting everything I had read, I realized that the book had enabled me to better understand my foster cousins. Any reader can take away that the powers of love, kindness, and patience are beneficial in any child’s development.
A foster caregiver, writing under the pseudonym of Cathy Glass, shares the story of one neurotic little girl in the book, Damaged: The Heartbreaking True Story of a Forgotten Child. A foster carer for more than twenty years, Glass had never before cared for a child like Jodie. In this primarily autobiographical story, we learn of the journey a foster mother and foster child take. This journey is full of hardships and heartbreaking tales, some that even fill a reader with extreme anger, but also include moments of joy and hope.
Jodie, an eight year old, has been through five foster homes in four months. Glass, a mother of three, accepts responsibility of Jodie after her previous foster carers could no longer handle her. Having cared for many difficult children before, Glass believed she would be able to use love and patience to reach the violent and aggressive child. However, Glass soon realizes that Jodie is unlike previous fosters.
As Glass begins to gain Jodie’s trust, she learns of the traumatic experiences that account for the little girl’s erratic behavior: smearing feces on walls, uncontrollable bowel movements, mood swings, and spontaneous violent actions. This book connects with readers in a way that makes them feel as if they are there, experiencing everything along with Glass and Jodie. The readers will believe they are right next to the little girl and caregiver, celebrating all of Jodie’s breakthroughs and triumphs.
The chronological order of the book allows for readers to travel along the journey that these two take, in search of a brighter future. In addition to caring for Jodie, Glass also experiences the consequences resulting from the many faults of the foster care system in Great Britain. Near the end of the novel, we learn that these flaws have affected Jodie in irreversible ways. Besides having a distant social worker, many disturbances went unresolved while Jodie lived with her biological parents. Readers will become violently angry at the negligence of social services and their inability to protect Jodie.
Although a relatively easy read in terms of comprehension, the complex nature of the story incorporates such detailed accounts of events that evoke different emotions from a reader. Personally, I became very emotionally involved while reading this heartbreaking story. Originally, I had picked the book off of the shelf because I have always had an interest in the foster care system; however, after digesting everything I had read, I realized that the book had enabled me to better understand my foster cousins. Any reader can take away that the powers of love, kindness, and patience are beneficial in any child’s development.