The Scarred Heart : Understanding and Identifying Kids Who Kill [Paperback]

Dr. Helen Smith (Author), Callisto Publishing (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0615112234 | ISBN-13: 978-0615112237 | Publication Date: June 30, 2000

Violent kids: they're everywhere, or so we're told. The evening news is full of blood curdling stories of youth violence. Schools are trying all sorts of approaches in the hopes of preventing yet another massacre. Adults have done a lot of talking about juvenile violence, but few of them have spent any time talking to the kids themselves. Dr. Helen Smith has. This book is based on her experience interviewing violent children and teenagers in a variety of settings, from the gang-infested slums of New York City to the schools of rural East Tennessee. It also reflects the findings of her massive national survey of violent and nonviolent youths aged 10-19--the first of its kind in history. From her experience, and their voices, come suggestions for healing the scarred hearts that lead to juvenile violence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a must-read book for parents, school personnel, clinicians, and all concerned citizens. -- Dr. Sandra Thomas

About the Author

Dr. Helen Smith, a forensic psychologist in Knoxville, Tennessee, has a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and masters' degrees from the New School for Social Research and the City University of New York. Dr. Smith has personally evaluated over 5000 mentally disturbed adults and children from Harlem, New York to rural Tennessee and acted as an expert in various murder trials. Her popular writings have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, Houston Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, the Memphis Commercial Appeal and various online magazones. She has appeared on national and local radio and television to discuss kids who kill. She also has provided legislative testimony on school violence in the aftermath of the Springfield, Oregon and Jonesboro school killings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 271 pages
• Publisher: Callisto Pub (June 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615112234
• ISBN-13: 978-0615112237
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,435,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't pay $100 for a used copy!, January 7, 2004

By 

popshopper (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scarred Heart : Understanding and Identifying Kids Who Kill (Paperback)

The author, upon seeing the high prices for used copies, has
seen fit to to "put the book (which is out of print, and which
won't see a new edition anytime soon because she's working on
another project) up for free download in PDF form on her website."
(quoting her InstaPundit hubby).

GoTo: http://violentkids.com/scarred_heart.html

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parents and Professionals: You Need to Read This Book!, September 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Scarred Heart : Understanding and Identifying Kids Who Kill (Paperback)

Dr. Smith cuts through the usual psychobabble in her accounts of troubled young people, accounts which are compelling and blood-curdling at the same time. Her first-person soliloquies of youthful killers have the ring of authenticity, and her no-nonsense approach to identifying and helping the potentially violent child obviously come from her rich experience. Any parent or professional working with young people will profit from reading this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A grateful parent in Knoxville, TN, July 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Scarred Heart : Understanding and Identifying Kids Who Kill (Paperback)

Dr. Smith could have been staring into my son's eyes when she wrote this book. We had convinced ourselves his acting out was "just a stage," but reading "The Scarred Heart" frightened us into taking action before our son became another one of Dr. Smith's statistics. I recommend it to all parents, everywhere, who are questioning the "ok'ness" of their kids.