Customer Reviews

What Happened to Johnnie Jordan? The Story of a Child Turning Violent

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

 

 

This is a really, really good book. Society is so quick to lock up kids who commit awful, heinous crimes, but nobody it seems wants to look inside their heads to find out what makes them tick. Toth tells a terrific, sobering and engrossing story about Johnnie Jordan, who brutally murdered the only person who was ever nice to him -- without explanation. Amazingly, no one in Toledo, Ohio -- not the police, not the judges, not the social workers -- wanted to find out why. Toth did her own investigation and came up with some startling answers.

A top-rate book....a little wordy in places, but the author was being very specific about showing you this young man's upbringing, and familial background. A truly hard and tough look at the failures of an over-burdened foster-care system, not-to-mention two DEEPLY messed up parents.

This is a story of a child that we, as a society, have failed from day one. As a CASA volunteer my heart bleeds for this child that NOBODY cared about, that NOBODY helped and that NOBODY wishes to remember. We locked him and threw away the key because as a society we could not face him and acknowledge our errors in dealing with children in foster care, we are too scared. What is more scary to me is that his caseworker Tamara is still working and probably ruining other kids' lives. Where is compassion in our world? Certainly not in the welfare system of this country nor in our legal gurus who charged him as adult.

I found this book to be quite one sided. Way to much pity was given to little Johnny. We all have to get along in the world. Sometimes it is not easy but it has to be done. Johnny comes across to me as a spoiled brat who wants his way. In other words, his way or no way.Everyone has tragedies in their lives, we learn from these experiences he was so poor me. He should get the same treatment his foster mother did. BOO to the author on this one. Maybe she should take the BRAT in. Not worth your money