Another Forgotten Child Review
8:07 pm
Summary:
Eight-year-old Aimee was on the child protection register at birth. Her five older siblings were taken into care many years ago. So no one can understand why she was left at home to suffer for so long. It seems Aimee was forgotten.The social services are looking for a very experienced foster carer to look after Aimee and, when she reads the referral, Cathy understands why. Despite her reservations, Cathy agrees to Aimee on – there is something about her that reminds Cathy of Jodie (the subject of ‘Damaged’ and the most disturbed child Cathy has cared for), and reading the report instantly tugs at her heart strings.
When she arrives, Aimee is angry. And she has every right to be. She has spent the first eight years of her life living with her drug-dependent mother in a flat that the social worker described as ‘not fit for human habitation’. Aimee is so grateful as she snuggles into her bed at Cathy’s house on the first night that it brings Cathy to tears.
Aimee’s aggressive mother is constantly causing trouble at contact, and makes sweeping allegations against Cathy and her family in front of her daughter as well. It is a trying time for Cathy, and it makes it difficult for Aimee to settle. But as Aimee begins to trust Cathy, she starts to open up. And the more Cathy learns about Aimee’s life before she came into care, the more horrified she becomes.
It’s clear that Aimee should have been rescued much sooner and as her journey seems to be coming to a happy end, Cathy can’t help but reflect on all the other ‘forgotten children’ that are still suffering…
When I first started reading this book, I read all 20 chapters that day. I couldn't stop reading it. I brought the book along with me to where ever I went. This includes trips to the toilet heh heh heh. I chose this book because honestly, it is important for children like Aimee to have their stories told. This book gives the insight to foster care and child abuse from the foster care provider’s perspective. I feel that this perspective is a unique way to experience the chain of events that occurs as the child transitions from a very difficult life into learning how to be a child again and assimilate properly into “normal” society where they are a part of a healthy, safe environment.
Id give this book 3/5 stars.
While I enjoyed the story, I felt that there was some room for improvement.
I felt that the book was a little longer than necessary. There were moments where the writing style would flow nicely. In other parts of the book, it almost seemed to pause while the author explained herself to the reader. I felt that this narrative took away from the story that didn’t need as many explanations. I also noticed several spelling and grammar errors throughout the book. (For example, “percent” was written as “per cent.”) Finally, there were some phrases and terms I was not familiar with, as this book is set in English culture (and I’m American). (For example, biscuits meant cookies; boot meant trunk of a car). Nothing major. I could figure most of it out. (The culture differences did not impact my final rating.)
I just want to comment on the cover of this book. I think the cover gets 5 stars! Each book in this series features the face of a small child that fits the description of how one would picture that child to look. I believe that putting a face on a story like this reminds the reader of how young these children are to have experienced so much in their lifetime. I really like the modern font used on both sides as well as the clean, white background. The metallic, foil title really stands out nicely. Overall, it looks very well-thought-out.
I recommend this book to anyone eager to learn more about child abuse and the foster care system. Cathy’s experience did offer much insight into various aspects of both topics.
SJY
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