Firstly, before I go any further, I encourage anyone considering adoption to go and buy this book now. It is neither an information book about adoption, nor a lovely story by adoptive parents. Quite simply, it is an incredible insight into the impact of early trauma on a child’s brain.
I’ve always enjoyed (not the right word) reading books about children who’ve had a bad start to life and overcome incredible difficulties so I knew I would enjoy this book before I started. However, I sometimes find them a bit dramatic and over the top so I don’t read them regularly. This book is similar in a lot of ways, telling the tragic and emotional stories about children who have experienced awful things. What it also does, which I really liked, was give you some science on brain development and the impact that these experiences have on the brain.
At first, I found the science bit really hard going and it almost put me off. But, my the end of the book, I felt like I really understood WHY children who have suffered neglect/abuse behave the way they do. There is also detail on the work that he did with the children which gives some ideas for therapeutic parenting but mainly encouraged me to read more about how to do this. I’ve already recommended the book to my mum and sister and I highly recommend it to anyone involved in adoption,