abused children

Case studies explore the reasons why teenagers run away from home, the dangers of living on the streets, where to find help, and coping techniques for staying home.

The final entry in a trilogy of memoirs in which Dave Pelzer, brutally abused as a child, discusses the struggles he faced as an adult, and his determination to have a meaningful life.

Living in a broken-down camper hidden in a forest, fifteen year-old Carey and her younger sister, Jenessa, just have each other. After their mentally ill mother disappears for good and they are put into foster care, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, and find the reason why Jenessa has not spoken in over a year.

Torey Hayden worked hard to release Sheila, a six year old abandoned child, from her non-speaking nightmare. The full story was told in Hayden's first book, One Child. She then lost touch with Sheila until she encountered her seven years later, now a gangly teenager. Sheila was still troubled and searching for answers. Once again Sheila found the help she needed as Torey helped in her transition from teenager to young womanhood.

Discusses the sexual abuse of children, how they can protect themselves, where they can seek help, the kinds of help available, and how to increase public awareness of this problem.

The author reflects on her father's control and abusiveness and discusses how she broke free from his rules.

The author, Public Guardian of Cook County, Illinois, an area which includes metropolitan Chicago, uses case studies to expose the failure of the child welfare system, arguing that state agencies and courts are not adequately meeting the needs of abused and neglected children, and discusses ways to make the system work.

Explores the circumstances which led fourteen-year-old Johnnie Jordan to murder his elderly foster care mother, arguing that his life in the foster care system left him feeling unloved and unwanted and forcing him to take desperate measures.

Laurie Lico Albanese recounts her childhood in a typical blue-collar neighborhood and describes how she escaped the cycle that almost destroyed her parents' lives. Presented in free verse form.