Beautiful Child: The Story Of A Child Trapped In Silence And The Teacher Who Refused To Give Up On Her

Description

In the tradition of David Pelzer's A Child Called 'It' comes the unsettling story of a mute, almost catatonic seven-year-old and the special education teacher who tries to save her from the silence and abuse of her world. Hayden has chronicled experiences from her long career as a special education teacher in several books, including One Child and The Tiger's Child. Successes in this difficult and often frustrating field can be few and hard won, a fact which Hayden deftly illustrates while simultaneously offering hope and joy in small victories. This time she brings to life the story of a scruffy seven-year-old, Venus, who is so unresponsive that Hayden searches for signs of deafness, brain damage or mental retardation. The author is relentless in her attempt to diagnose the cause of Venus's 'almost catatonic' state, which is punctuated by occasional violent outbursts. In this first-person narrative, Hayden also shares her own thoughts, worries and reflections on the strained relationship with a mismatched classroom aide, creating a rich tapestry of the dynamics of a group of special needs youngsters and the adults who try to help them.

Torey Hayden is an educational psychologist and a former special education teacher who, since 1979, has chronicled her struggles in the classroom in a succession of bestselling books. She currently lives and writes in North Wales, U.K., with her husband and daughter.

"Fresh and compelling...[Hayden] spins out the story with gusto and a storyteller's art." -- Chicago Tribune "Page after page proves again the power of love and the resiliency of life." -- Los Angeles Times "Torey Hayden gives one hope for the future of public schools, indeed for the future of the human race." -- Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People "The world needs more like Torey Hayden." -- Boston Globe "Hayden is a fine storyteller." -- Washington Post "A rich tapestry of a group of special needs youngsters and the adults who try to help them." -- Publishers Weekly "It has been a long time since you read a book with the emotional impact of One Child." -- New York Times