Wednesday's Child - Couverture souple

Dunphy, Shane

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0717146103 ISBN 13 : 9780717146109

Editeur : Gill Books, 2009

Synopsis

Shane Dunphy was involved in social care for fifteen years. This book is a distilling of the cases he encountered in that time to make a single, year-long narrative. Apart from that compression, and some necessary changes of identifying details, everything in this book is true. And what the truth reveals!

Here are the cases of three dysfunctional families, struggling at the margins of scoiety that barely acknowledges the existence of such people. This is a portrait of fatalistic despair, of families so sunk into chronic poverty and neglect that they are beyond saving themselves or their children. All the elements of social dysfunction are present: the unkempt houses, truant children, endless television, anorexia, alcoholism, suicidal depression. Yet out of this mess there is hope as well as tragedy. Most of Wednesday's children don't make it, but some do. Some survive the most appalling childhood horrors to make it through to the normal adult world. But more are doomed. Despite the heroism of child protection workers and the best efforts of well-intentioned people, we still face a hidden mountain of avoidable human misery. Wednesday's Child is shocking and disturbing. And most of all, true.

In three amazing stories childcare worker Shane Dunphy reveals a world of hidden heartbreak and survival against the odds. When Shane meets her, Gillian is starving herself to death and in thrall to a mother more interested in abusing and manipulating her daughter than cherishing and protecting her. Though he tries to help, it seems Shane is just another adult destined to fail Gillian ... For the daughter of disturbed violent parents, Connie is an amazingly well-adjusted A-grade student. But when Shane finally gets behind the facade, he unearths a shattering truth behind her apparent normality... Cordelia, Victor and Ibar are three loving siblings left with a hopelessly alcoholic neglectful father. It's a race against time to see if their father can ever become the kind of Dad he wants to be, or if they are destined to be split up and sucked into the childcare merry-go-round...

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Shane Dunphy worked in social care, and specifically as a child care worker, for over fifteen years. During this time he worked extensively with children and their families. He is widely recognised as one of the leading experts in child protection in Ireland and is a regular contributor to television, radio and print on the subject.

Deeply moving and often harrowing, his writing provides a thought-provoking insight into the lives of some of the families who live within the social care system. His books have achieved critical acclaim nationwide. Wednesday’s Child was his first book and other books include Crying in the Dark, Hush, Little Baby, TheBoy in the Cupboard, Will Mummy Be Coming Back for Me?, Little Boy Lost and The Girl Who Couldn’t Smile.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Gill Books
• Date d'édition: 2009
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0717146103
• ISBN 13: 9780717146109
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 222
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible