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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark, interesting, yet true, March 18, 2003
This review is from: Ghost Girl: The True Story of a Child in Peril and the Teacher Who Saved Her (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the first book I've read from author Torey Hayden. While I was reading, it reminded me of author Dave Pelzer's book, "A Child Called It." While the content may be similar in that children are affected by the actions of adults, Ghost Girl is clearly different. As Hayden went on to describe the dialogue and experiences Jadie had gone though, there were many times when I was forced to set the book down in order to contemplate what I was reading. The pictures I created in my mind made me sick to my stomach. I could not even fathom what Jadie had to endure. Yet Hayden had the compassion to do what was right, which was to just care. Hayden's caring is what saved Jadie and her sisters from continued abuse. Yet questions went unanswered: were Jadie's descriptions psychotic or from real experience dealing with the occult and Satanism? We may never know and I really don't think it is the main point of Hayden's book. I think Torey Hayden's writing is complete and very intriguing. She has already become a favorite author for education and I look forward to reading her other books of children with special needs. NOTE: While this book will keep the reader interested, it can be very dark, horrid, and at times, scary.
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39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A SAFE PLACE WHERE THE GAG ORDER WAS LIFTED, March 19, 2002
This review is from: Ghost Girl: The True Story of a Child in Peril and the Teacher Who Saved Her (Mass Market Paperback)
Once again Torey Hayden has written an outstanding book about her work with children. This book is mainly about Jadie, who, at 8 is (s)electively mute, walks hunched over and expresses fears that initially seem bizarre. At the opening of the book, Torey Hayden meets Jadie and her classmates after half term break. Within a short space of time during that first day together, Jadie broke her self imposed silence and spoke softly when asked a direct question. From that point on, Jadie's verbal progress is remarkable. A bright, expressive child, Jadie described a bizarre life outside of the classroom that certainly makes for a strong case for ritual abuse. Luckily Jadie was provided with a classroom environment in which she felt safe. Jadie feared spiders because she believed they could hear her and "tell on her" if she divulged anything that could be construed as a breach of confidence. She explained her posture as a means of "keeping her insides from falling out;" she fears the number 6 and worries about her younger sister surviving her sixth birthday; she said adults she knew told her how at six one gains power and how people can hurt others with impunity; she describes drinking blood as "oily" and "slipping down." Ghosts and themes of death are trenchant; many of Jadie's early drawings are of ghosts and she said that she and her little sisters were ghosts at night. She also believed that a playmate who had allegedly died had become a ghost and that that child's ghost had gotten into her, Jadie. Each fear she expressed can be traced to ritual abuse. In many cases, ritual abusers claim that spiders as well as insects spy on children and report anything the children might tell. Imbibing blood and other body fluids is often a cult activity and the number 6 has a long history of having dark magical properties attributed to it. Jadie's fear that her sister would not survive past that age appears to underscore this belief. Her strong aversion for Halloween is another good case in point as Halloween is considered a high holiday in cult circles. Jadie wanted no part of it. Another point that leans towards ritual abuse was Jadie's sexual precocity and acting out. She described adult acts and even said how she and her sisters were so abused. Although Jadie had a good command of language from the telling, the question remains as to what really took place. This is a very chilling book that will certainly leave indelible impressions upon the minds of all who read it. It is easy to make good cases for ritual abuse, but that is remains an open question. Jadie was a very brave and soldierly little girl who tried to protect her sisters and explain a part of her life that can at best be described as hazy and shadowy.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
engrossing read - please write follow up, July 30, 2001
This review is from: Ghost Girl: The True Story of a Child in Peril and the Teacher Who Saved Her (Mass Market Paperback)
Once again, Torey Hayden has written a captivating account of her experiences with a fascinating and trouble young child. As usual, the author's loving attention and professional insight help uncover hidden layers of traumatic emotion causing this child's unusual behavior. I believe the girl is the real star of this book though. Her behavior and attempts at healing in reaction to apparently appauling abuse is a testament to the depth and complexity of the human psyche. While the epilogue paints a happy ending for the girl, I can't help but feel frustrated with the final chapters in the book -- at how long it took even a smart sensitive teacher to take seriously a girl's graphic descriptions of sexual abuse, at the entire professional community's naivete concerning the existence of ritual child abuse groups in this country, and the inability of the police to solve the case. For example, the girl demonstrates competence at operating video equipment (something her parents did not own in the 1980s) and describes being abused on TV, but the adults interpret this as a sign of mental disturbance, pretending to be in a TV show, not her familiarity with the making of child pornographic videos. I'm sure all the readers of this book are craving a follow-up book on the girl, who is now a healthy adult who apparently sticks to her story of ritual abuse.
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