Customer Reviews

The Scarred Heart : Understanding and Identifying Kids Who Kill

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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.

For all the brutal reality of the deeds and people Dr. Smith describes, this is a refreshing antidote to the apocalyptic hysteria that usually dominates the discussion of violent kids. She helps us see that these are people, caught in obsessive emotions or skewed perceptions, who are often doing the best they can to make sense of their world. Dr. Smith gives us much concrete reason to believe that we'll be able to reach many of those kids before it's too late, and that we'll be able to make changes in our society that will make these painful outcomes less likely in the future.

No one involved with young people today should miss following Helen Smith as she enters a maze of violence in search of the minds and souls of these kids who have killed!

this is a book that ALL OF US who grew up in the era of "kind hearts and gentle people" should read! these killings are so bizarre that they defied understanding prior to reading dr. smith's book. perhaps if we would ALL tell the truth and do the right thing (when in doubt, DON'T) we could help change our society for the better and concurrently set a better example for younger (pre-geezer) people. congratulations for dr. smith's brave venture into this disturbing situation.

I've been fortunate enough to read a prepublication version of this book. It's terrific. Smith's real-world experience really shows by comparison to the many other books written in this area. The reader may feel that he or she is standing at Smith's elbow as she interviews teenage murderers in a prison, or listens to a tormented "geek" pour out his suffering. Yet the book doesn't lapse into anecdotal accounts: Smith keeps a very clear eye on the big picture, and offers not only insights into what these kids are thinking, but also a wide array of practical proposals for dealing with juvenile violence. This book should be read by anyone with an interest -- professional or personal -- in juvenile violence, and by those who simply want to see what life is like on the frontlines with today's disturbed youth.

I enjoyed this book personally, because I would like to go into forensic psychology as a career. Also the book itself was very intresting. The Scarred Heart is a great book because it is written in a certain way that is more directed towards you, as a civilian, on what to watch out for with dangerous kids. It opened my eyes to how many kids are angry with the world. I believe most people who read this book will be surprised with what they have read. This book is easy to follow and keeps you intrested. The Scarred Heart is for anyone who is worried about our kids today.

I enjoyed this book personally, because I would like to go into forensic psychology as a career. Also the book itself was very intresting. The Scarred Heart is a great book because it is written in a certain way that is more directed towards you, as a civilian, on what to watch out for with dangerous kids. It opened my eyes to how many kids are angry with the world. I believe most people who read this book will be surprised with what they have read. This book is easy to follow and keeps you intrested. The Scarred Heart is for anyone who is worried about our kids today.

While we have no such problems in Ghana, this book is an important insight into the problems facing American society. Dr. Smith is clearly an expert in her field, and the book is very readable. It is nicely laid-out, too.