Customer Reviews

Murphy's Boy

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When readers are first introduced to Kevin, then 15, he is a ward of the state in a psychiatric facility. He has barricaded himself under a table and his voice had been unheard since his admission to the place when he was seven.

In time, Kevin is drawn out from under the table and begins using materials provided during therapy sessions to free himself from his internal torment. Kevin, described as a skilled artist, used drawing to present events that took place early in his life. In time, Kevin begins to speak and he discloses an early life replete with brutality and horror; he and his sisters were sexually abused and beaten by their stepfather and one younger sister was beaten to death. Kevin and this sister were especially close and it is through dogged determination that the child's school, death and social services records are unearthed. The girl had been "buried" twice: the first time when she was killed and the second time when the social services bureaucratic agencies involved in Kevin's case felt that disclosure of the child's murder would preclude him from being viewed objectively. This reasoning seems bizarre and is never explained.

Kevin's natural expression was often poignant; in one passage, he talks of "mirror-ghosts;" people who have, in his words died of "heart rot" because they have never been loved. The song "Where is Love" from "Oliver!" would be the song to underscore a good portion of this book.

Kevin's progress accelerates; he learns to swim over the summer after some setbacks; he works with another child who is part of the Big Sister/Big Brother program and the pair appear to work well together; by fall of that year, Kevin was given a clean bill of health and promoted to a group home. Sadly, this is a short lived success after Kevin breaks a worker's arm after the latter tells him he can never be normal. The boy then serves the better part of 10 months in a hospital. Once released, he is assigned to a boys' ranch, which did not sound like the place to meet his needs.

Over time, after contending with inappropriate placements and setbacks, Kevin is welcomed into a group home where he can serve as a mentor to his dorm mates. He insists on being enrolled in a public high school, which his new guardians endorse and from there, his progress is truly heartwarming. Like the mythical phoenix bird, Kevin literally arose from the ashes of his past and strove to create a better life for himself.

Torey Hayden's books are always fascinating glimpses into the minds of disturbed children. "Murphy's Boy" is an especially gripping account of Hayden's actual work with a bizarre, mute, 15-year-old boy. In the beginning of the book, Kevin hardly seems human. He cowers under tables, sweating and shaking, never making a sound. Torey is unsure whether Kevin is capable of speech, but she begins working with him towards that end. A startling transformation occurs in Kevin after he finds his voice. Suddenly he is not only human, but intelligent, cunning and dangerous. Filled with hatred towards his abusive step-father, Kevin teters on the edge of insanity. The reader fears for the author as she delves deeper and deeper into the boy's horrifying past, uncovering a devastating history of abuse and torture.

This book is fairly dark overall, although it does have its lighter moments, and it has an uplifting ending. For anyone interested in child psychology, I highly recommend this book.

I read this book in high school & recently re-read it. Torey is to be commended for her undying idealism & hope with severely disturbed kids. Also excellent was the vivid description of elective mutism...a little known psychological re-action to trauma & fear where a person, usually a child goes MUTE & doesn't speak at all. (If you read Ann Martin's Baby-Sitters' Club #131, Mary Anne Spier goes through something similar when her house burns to the ground-she goes nearly mute in fear). Torey gets Kevin to speak with patience & understanding. I love how she probes into the human mind & not only with Kevin, but with other people in her life, she has a fascination for why people behave the way they do. When Kevin finally gets the courage to speak, he reveals horrifying abuse in his background & one awful incident where he watched his sister get beaten to death! The way the sister's death was described was really shocking & chilling & even more scary was that Torey discovers that this abusive stepfather was allowed to return home after only four years in prison! Boy, Kevin's mother was APPALLING in that she chose to keep her awful husband at home & put Kevin in an institition! Poor Kevin! I could see why he had a lot of hate & anger toward both of them. It was good that Torey got angry at that piece of information. I'm a writer & some people consider me a bit peculiar myself & once someone asked me if I identified with the kids Torey worked with & I said no, I identify with Torey because Torey is idealistic, liberal & open-minded like me. I'm also interested in what makes people act they way they do. Even though parts of the book are haunting & sad, it also had its funny parts, especially with another kid, Charity that Torey works with as a Big Sister volunteer. Charity is funny, mischievous, frank, & says what's on her mind. I laughed out loud in the scene where Charity offers Torey a smashed piece of cake & Torey takes it & humoring her, eats it & pretends that it tastes great & thanks Charity & Charity then adds, "I tried to give it to our dog, but he spit it out." All in all, the book is inspiring & it's great that Torey never gives up on Kevin, even when he goes through difficult periods. I like how the descriptions of the atmosphere & people & their feelings are vivid & real.

Teacher Torey Hayden takes an unusual case, a fifteen year old boy named Kevin who doesn't speak, or is "electively mute." With Torey's help, Kevin begins to speak again. His progress at the hospital, however, is erratic because of horrifying circumstances that brought him into custodial care. His sister was beaten to death by their alcoholic father, and the father also physically abused Kevin, and urged his sisters to abuse him sexually as well.

As one might expect,the road to recovery is not smooth at all. Kevin is given several placements with foster parents and other caretakers which do not work out. However, with Torey's aid, Kevin begins taking small steps toward becoming independent. In the end, he goes to high school and survives the academic and social challenges. He also finds a group home that caters to mentally disabled adults and does well there. An inspiring story.

Well, I love Torey's work, I really do. But, Part I of Murphy's Boy was boring and somewhat hard to follow. In one paragraph, she'd be somewhere with someone and the next would be a totally different time and scene. It jumped around like a soap opera, but nowhere near as bad.

Part II was much better, but too expedited. It was almost like saying in one chapter someone found out they were pregnant and in the next the baby had been born--- nothing said of the pregnancy in between. Part III ended too soon and I really didn't like the ending.

It left more questions than it answered in some ways. For instance, what became of Kevin's real father? He only
mentions him once in the book. And were the girls his full or half-sisters?

Personally, I wanted to knock his mother to the moon !!! How could anyone, especially a mother, let someone MURDER her child and stand by and do NOTHING? And, then, take the evil, brutal, twit back and allow him to abuse the others AND in the end give up her children to the state so she didn't have to give up that horrible man??????

I love Torey's non-fiction work. This was not my favorite, but it really shows Torey's spirit. She never gave up long after even the most long-suffering of us would have.

The first part of this book seemed very slow to me. I didn't want to keep reading it at first. I'm sure in reality, that mimics Hayden's feelings about working with Kevin, but it's not the best way to entice readers.

About halfway through the book, however, it really stepped up and became interesting. Once some of Kevin's background was revealed and there was more action from him in the story, I didn't want to put the book down.

I would encourage people who enjoy abuse or therapy type books to read this story; just remember to hang in there if the first part seems slow. I do believe this is a much better book than A Child Called It, which I have also recently read.

This is the fourth book I have purchased and read by Torey Hayden and each has been a touching, poignant account of Torey's experiences with abused, neglected and handicapped children who, because of Torey's love and perserverance, broke free. Murphy's Boy was my favorite. You will laugh, cry and get angry at the injustices this child has suffered but manages to overcome because of Torey's committment to him. I can't read more than two of her stories at a time because they are so emotionally draining. Yet, I have enjoyed each and I highly recommend them to everyone.

Murphy's Boy is the most moving book I have ever read in my life. I could not put this book down. It was extremely well-written and very easy to read. As this is a true story it made me think that we have not truly suffered like this child. The world needs more Torey Haydens.

Kevin Richter is a 15 year old boy who has spent the last 8 years of his life in silence. Everyone thinks he is a hopeless case. Everyone, except Torey Hayden. A wonderful woman with expertise in elective mutism. Hayden works miracles with 15 year old Kevin and discovers his past, a horror story no one will forget! This book takes you through Kevin's life, his past and present. When all else fails and no one believes Kevin can turn his life around, Torey comes through once again. So sit back and relax with this book, and let it take you to a past unforgettable.

This was one of the best books I have read this year! I was extremely touched by the writer's sensitive willingness to be satisfied with "small progresses", and how she dealt with the tidal wave of emotion hidden beneath a wall of silence. I would highly recommend this book!