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A review by magup
One Child by Torey Hayden
2.0
Hard to review. The writing is fine, but I'm really on the fence about how appropriate it is to turn a particular child's misery into entertainment and profit even in the guise of a teacher's memoir. It's one thing to write a "how I helped this kid" book for other teachers or therapists to use, but Hayden's books aren't that, and that part of her work rubs me the wrong way.
At the same time, reading reviews and comments on Hayden's work it's clear that her books have inspired many people to have greater compassion for emotionally disturbed kids, and even to choose similar work for themselves as a result of having read her books as young people. Like the argument that keeping animals in zoos is a benefit to wild animals by making people care about them, there may be some benefit to her work that outweighs my reservations.
At another level, the book is a good resource for young therapists or social workers who wonder why there are so many rules around ethics in working with children today. There are so many things that Hayden and her colleagues were allowed to do that would be verboten today, and the sequel to this book, The Tiger's Child, gives insight into why.
At the same time, reading reviews and comments on Hayden's work it's clear that her books have inspired many people to have greater compassion for emotionally disturbed kids, and even to choose similar work for themselves as a result of having read her books as young people. Like the argument that keeping animals in zoos is a benefit to wild animals by making people care about them, there may be some benefit to her work that outweighs my reservations.
At another level, the book is a good resource for young therapists or social workers who wonder why there are so many rules around ethics in working with children today. There are so many things that Hayden and her colleagues were allowed to do that would be verboten today, and the sequel to this book, The Tiger's Child, gives insight into why.