Damaged

Damaged: The Heartbreaking True Story of a Forgotten Child by Cathy Glass

This is the story of an 8-year old little girl who is stuck in the foster care system. With my intense feelings about abused children, this was a difficult read.

Jodie is violent and hard to love. By the time she comes to live with Cathy Glass she has already been through several other foster families. Both her Mother and Father, along with several others, were all sexually abusing Jodie. Years of constant abuse made this little girl into someone who was unable to trust and unsure of how to act in normal circumstances.

Cathy tells her story is a straight forward, honest way. She does not minimize the difficulties in taking care of a damaged child, but instead gives hope that there are people who devote their lives to helping children in these situations.

The only thing that bothered me about this, is that I felt Jodie should be the one telling her story, if and when she is able to do so. I wasn't sure it was Glass's place to recount the horrors of Jodie's childhood. On the flip side, I admire Glass for giving this little girl a life, and also spreading the word about children in need of good foster parents.

A recommend for those that are involved with abused children, or for people who love children.