Customer Reviews

Damaged

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cathy Glass writes a powerful visual book which cannot fail to unleash a stream of emotions in the reader. The disturbing account of little Jodie's eight long suffering years filled me with despair, and more. The incompetence and short sightedness of the Social Services brought intense anger. But, thanks to her carer, Cathy, who introduces stability, structure and most of all love to this damaged child, made me realize there is always hope.
This is a well written page turner.

This book sat on my Mom's shelf for over a year...it was given to her by her friend from England and she never really intended to read it.

I picked it up and read it in one sitting...beginning at 9 PM and finishing somewhere around 3 AM. I kept saying, "Just one more chapter...just one more page...then I MUST go to bed" but I could not put down the story of Jodie and Cathy.

This story evokes a gamut of emotions...from harrowing sorrow to fierce anger. But, ultimately, it left me feeling hopeful...and grateful. Grateful that there are people in this world who stand up for the Jodies of the world.

Jodie is a little girl who spent her first eight years in an abusive nightmare with her biological parents and their revolting circle of "friends". Once freed from that prison, she went through four foster carers in five months. You see, Jodie *is* damaged...damaged by her parents and damaged by the social system that failed her. Her violent personality reflects that. How can anyone come out of the other side of what she has been through and not be damaged/fragmented/lost. But her one, small, stroke of luck was ending up in Cathy's home. She and her amazing children provided Jodie with a safety net that she would never have been granted with from, most likely, any other family.

This book will make you very, very angry. It may possibly make you weep. But you will also rejoice...and, like me, be thankful for the amazing Cathy...and the love she provided that saved a little, lost girl.

I love kids and when I read this book I found myself with a strong urge to see all the bad in the world come upon those who would hurt a little child such as Jodie. I kept trying to imagine as I read, what would happen next or how the book would turn out in the end, then I remembered that this is A TRUE STORY.
If you are faint of heart, be careful reading this heartbreaking story about an 8 year old girl whose life was destroyed and if not for the caring of one woman, would have been condemned to a life of horror forever. I highly recommend this book, Cathy Glass did a wonderful job in telling this tragic true story.

If you know someone who doesn't believe child abuse exists, this is a great gift for that person.
If you know someone who is a survivor this is a great book, if you want to understand true feelings, read it.

The author (and I use author rather than Cathy Glass because Glass is a pseudonym she writes under)of this book is a foster carer in Great Britain. It was interesting, as an aside, to compare the foster care/children's social service systems between the United States and Great Britain. Other than that, I wouldn't say "Damaged" was interesting. It was heartwrenching, profoundly moving, tragic. It made me sob and feel vengeful, not only for "Jodie" but for all of our innocent children that are defiled across this world by the very people who should be protecting them the most fiercely - their parents.

I have the utmost admiration for most foster caregivers and most social service people. To some it is just a job but to people like the author it is their life's calling, one that I could never do.

I would not recommend this book for early teens, at least without adult supervision and discussion, or for people who don't deal well with graphic sexual content and violence, especially if it is directed towards children. I thought the author handled these sequences in the book very professionally but they are what they are- child sexual abuse. The title of the book should be "Destroyed" because this little girl was permanently, irrevocably destroyed - she will never be whole. And what does that say for the neighbors that turned a blind eye or the social service system that didn't follow through as it should have?

This book reminded me of the impact another author had on my life - Torey L. Hayden, who is a special education teacher writing about some of her special needs students. The first of her books I read was One Child and she went on to write more. I highly recommend both authors. Just be prepared.

I read this book in two days. Cathy Glass is an amazing writer and an amazing person. Made me cry buckets and although it does not have a "fairytale" ending it leaves a lot of hope out there, knowing there are people like Cathy in this world. I also read her other book Hidden, which is equally good.

First things first, I love this book! It is very well written but the story is unbelievably heartbreaking! I had to put the book down a few times and just take a break from it. The things that happened to this little girl are horrid!!! I've read many books that dealt with child abuse, drug use, and many other books of the kind. But Damaged was the first book I've read that dealt with sexual abuse. Cathy Glass is an amazing foster mother and I commend her for the hard work that she does. I cannot imagine having to learn from the child herself what has happened to her in her short life. It's ridiculous. My heart absolutely breaks for this child. She will be in my heart forever and ever. Thank you Cathy Glass for caring enough to tell this little girls story so that maybe it will help someone who's gone through the same thing. Maybe this story will catch somebody's attention about a child they know of who may be going through sexual abuse and take he or she out of the situation before it is too late. Every child deserves the chance to live a happy childhood. Children are little blessings from Heaven. They are so innocent and fragile. I hate that there are people out there who do not feel the same way. A child's duty is to run in the park, paint pictures of the parents they love, and to just be a child. NO ONE has the right to take that away from a child.

Overall: 5 Stars

Plot/Storyline: 5 Stars

Cathy Glass does a brave thing in this book by telling the story of one of her "failures." By "failures," I mean that the child was not "repaired" to the point of being able to enter society by finding a permanent family. This was by no means a failure on Cathy's part, as she did everything that anyone, outside of a trained psychiatrist, could have done.

What amazed me about the story was Cathy's perserverance in keeping Jodie. Sure, a couple of times she admitted to wanting to "send her back." However, she never did so voluntarily, as I feel that many foster parents would have done. Ms. Glass was supremely honest in what she considered to be her shortcomings, but I considered to be her bravery and strength of spirit.

Jodie's story was a horrifying one that will leave the reader gasping and crying. Unfortunately, it was also a story of something that is too often an occurance in our society. Cathy does a terrific job of detailing Jodie's past with the knowledge that she gained from Jodie. She tells of her experiences in a succinct manner, shocking the reader without resorting to blatant tactics.

I think I was most horrified by Cathy's portrayal of the Social Worker's failings.

Character Development: 5 Stars

Cathy not only does an excellent job of allowing the reader to get to know Jodie; she also reveals much of herself in the telling. I felt as though I was getting to know her as well as her charge and her family.

The reader is also privy to the personalities of her children, which gives the story a more rounded effect. It particularly shows the major contrast between Jodie and "normal" children.

Writing Style: 5 Stars

As in her first novel that I read, Ms. Glass' writing style was excellent for the story. It was simply told, without a lot of fanfare. The descriptions were well done, and the dialogue was realistic.

Rating: R for Adult Themes and Child Sexual Abuse

The story itself was an interesting one--the realism of the backstory was heartbreaking and you can't help but feel for Jodie. However, the style of writing wasn't engaging, and parts of the story get repetitive.

Also, I don't know if I buy the (spoilers!) letter at the end. Jodie can't comprehend any of the events around her, can't tell right from wrong, has constant hallucinations, and can't tell past from present...but somehow has a remarkable moment of reflection and clarity to write Cathy that letter? Nah.

This was such an intriguing book, I couldn't stop thinking about it whenever I had to lay it down. The author is a natural story teller, the book is filled with her and her family's emotional pain while fostering a little girl named Jodie. She will quickly draw you into the sad and tragic life of this little girl. Even though I suspected what had happened to Jodie, when it was revealed in the book, it sent not only dread but shivers of fear through me to know that this happens and is happening to children all over the world as we speak. Unthinkable that parents could do something so vile to their own child. I admire and respect Cathy Glass for the work she does in helping children, what a wonderful person she is! If you read one book this year it should be this one, it's just so sad that help came too late to truly help Jodie.
And on a last note, this book shows how social services breaks down and some of the problems involved with these "so-called" social workers. Cathy does make excuses for some of them but in my opinion there is no room for error when we are talking about the safety and well-being of chldren. Jodies social worker in the book SHOULD not only be fired from her position but prohibited from working with children ever again. It's people like her that allowed this little girls life to be ruined when they could of saved her when she was first put on the "at risk" list. What is wrong with these people? How could anyone turn a blind eye to such a situation, I just don't understand that. Makes me very sad.

Excellent read!! I can't wait to read her other books now!