Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Reviews
Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence by Robin Karr-Morse, Meredith S. Wiley
jackie_michelle's review
5.0
The best book I've read related to early childhood development and the impact it has on society at large. The writing and research are presented in a way that is accessible to readers without a mental health or academic background.
dasha_dar's review
4.0
This is one of the most informative books I've read this year. It looks at cases of extremely violent children (ones who kill other people's infants, are arrested for violent crimes while under the age of 10, that sort of thing) and looks at the possible causes, focusing on about 4 months into gestation and 3 years of age.
This isn't so much a book about parenting, though, as it is about raising awareness that our country does not have an effective system in helping parents and children in less than ideal environments. While it analyzes individual reasons violence can occur (parental absence, drug abuse, trauma) it is very clear that there are many complexities as to why a child is violent. Since it is complex, helping these children is difficult. But from a preventative side, it is the best book I have read on this subject. I feel that anyone working with children on any level should read this book. Not only does it talk about how different circumstances create violent children, but children with various emotional and learning disabilities.
I do think that one could question whether some studies used are used correctly or in an unbiased manner; yet when one is discussing the prevention of harm towards children/preventing children from harming others, I don't really care.
This isn't so much a book about parenting, though, as it is about raising awareness that our country does not have an effective system in helping parents and children in less than ideal environments. While it analyzes individual reasons violence can occur (parental absence, drug abuse, trauma) it is very clear that there are many complexities as to why a child is violent. Since it is complex, helping these children is difficult. But from a preventative side, it is the best book I have read on this subject. I feel that anyone working with children on any level should read this book. Not only does it talk about how different circumstances create violent children, but children with various emotional and learning disabilities.
I do think that one could question whether some studies used are used correctly or in an unbiased manner; yet when one is discussing the prevention of harm towards children/preventing children from harming others, I don't really care.
jananza90's review
2.0
This was a tough book to read. Not scholarly, but the stories that were discussed were quite gruesome. I ended up skipping to the one chapter I had to "teach" for a class and didn't actually finish the whole thing.
brinastewart's review
3.0
This was a very good book for understanding how the violence is rooted into the basic needs being met, abuse, and neglect. Very interesting to read.
jennifer_c_s's review
4.0
The objective of this book is to make readers aware of the importance of the first period of a child’s life. The back cover refers to ‘startling new evidence’ that violent behaviour is fundamentally linked to abuse and neglect in the first two years of life. But who is the intended audience?
My assumption is that the audience is policy makers and relevant professionals. While the book is relatively easy to read, it is not one that I would choose to give an intending parent. Which is not to say that intending parents shouldn’t read it, just simply that by the time that parenthood is on the horizon there are many other more immediate issues to address.
This book was published in 1997. By reference to the life of, ‘Jeffrey’ a young murderer; the authors have set out to identify the key factors typifying the profile of a violent and impulsive but not premeditated murder. They do this by examining aspects of Jeffrey’s life, drawing on current knowledge in child development, identifying possible contributory factors and, most importantly, identifying areas where intervention may assist.
This book covers more than the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate that so many of us have participated in. It does not purport to have all of the answers, but it does do a good job of raising many of the issues. Parenting is hard work, and it is especially hard for those who have not had the benefit of good role models or practical support. If societies value their children, then we need to work together – across levels of government and professional divides – to support both the children and their parents or caregivers during this critical period. After all, not only is their future in our hands, our future is also in theirs.
My assumption is that the audience is policy makers and relevant professionals. While the book is relatively easy to read, it is not one that I would choose to give an intending parent. Which is not to say that intending parents shouldn’t read it, just simply that by the time that parenthood is on the horizon there are many other more immediate issues to address.
This book was published in 1997. By reference to the life of, ‘Jeffrey’ a young murderer; the authors have set out to identify the key factors typifying the profile of a violent and impulsive but not premeditated murder. They do this by examining aspects of Jeffrey’s life, drawing on current knowledge in child development, identifying possible contributory factors and, most importantly, identifying areas where intervention may assist.
This book covers more than the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate that so many of us have participated in. It does not purport to have all of the answers, but it does do a good job of raising many of the issues. Parenting is hard work, and it is especially hard for those who have not had the benefit of good role models or practical support. If societies value their children, then we need to work together – across levels of government and professional divides – to support both the children and their parents or caregivers during this critical period. After all, not only is their future in our hands, our future is also in theirs.
dietsmarrissjohnson's review
informative
sad
slow-paced
2.5
A book filled with 300 pages of statistics, many of which seemed very repetitive. This book may have been more effective in a much condensed form.