The bestselling author of Damaged tells the true story of Donna, who came into foster care aged ten, having been abused, victimised and rejected by her family. Donna had been in foster care with her two young brothers for three weeks when she is abruptly moved to Cathy's. When Donna arrives she is silent, withdrawn and walks with her shoulders hunched forward and her head down. Donna is clearly a very haunted child and refuses to interact with Cathy's children Adrian and Paula. After patience and encouragement from Cathy, Donna slowly starts to talk and tells Cathy that she blames herself for her and her brothers being placed in care. The social services were aware that Donna and her brothers had been neglected by their alcoholic mother, but no one realised the extent of the abuse they were forced to suffer. The truth of the physical torment she was put through slowly emerges, and as Donna grows to trust Cathy she tells her how her mother used to make her wash herself with wire wool so that she could get rid of her skin colour as her mother was so ashamed that Donna was mixed race. The psychological wounds caused by the bullying she received also start to resurface when Donna starts reenacting the ways she was treated at home by hitting and bullying Paula, so much so that Cathy can't let Donna out of her sight. As the pressure begins to mount on Cathy to help this child, things start to get worse and Donna begins behaving in erratic ways, trashing her bedroom and being regularly abusive towards Cathy's children. Cathy begins to wonder if she can find a way to help this child or if Donna's scars run too deep.
About the Author
Cathy has been a foster carer for over 20 years, during which time she has looked after more than 70 children, of all ages and backgrounds. Cathy runs training courses on fostering for her local Social Services, and helps draft new fostering procedures and guidelines. She has three teenage children of her own; one of whom was adopted after a long-term foster placement. The name Cathy Glass is a pseudonym.
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Reviews
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This story is definitely not for the faint hearted. It was hard to read - not so much in the sense of the way in which it is written - but the story of Donna itself is hard to stomach. It was a good book though. It made me realise the importance of certain things.
Although the story is difficult to stomach, Cathy Glass has written this story so well that in some parts of the book, you actually feel like you are in the room with her and the children.
Two things bothered me about the writting. The first thing that bothered me about this story is how the author seems to point out the obvious. Another part of the writting that I did not enjoy is how some of her sentences seemed to drag on for ages. I'm not sure if this is meant to represent anything but it's a bit annoying.
In saying that though, I will definitely be reading her other books because the story of the child she is telling is so remarkable that it is hard to not keep on reading.
This book is fantastic. It’s a great book for anyone. It keeps you interested and captivated. It is definitely worth buying. Whether it be for yourself or others, it’s a must have. I would recommend it to anyone. If you are looking for a good book then this is it. I hope you will like this book just as much as me. Tremendous.
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