Publisher Description

*Shortlisted for the Young Minds Book Prize 2006*

Shattered Lives bears witness to the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and highlights the effects of early traumatic episodes. Chapters take the form of letters to a child capturing their life experiences, hugely impacted by sexual abuse, parental substance misuse and loss, leading to feelings of shame, rejection and worthlessness. Batmanghelidjh offers understanding for those baffled by these hard-to-reach children and warns against stigmatizing them for their problem behaviour. In her critique of existing structures, she exposes the plight of children who are overlooked by the authorities and denounces those who value bureaucracy over the welfare of the individual child. Society's failure to acknowledge the truth of their experiences and act to change the environment in which such mistreatment can flourish is, she strongly argues, leading to the death of childhood. The book is a clarion call for change.

Notes

Offers a moving insight into the troubled loves of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and highlights the effects of early traumatic episodes.

Author Biography

Camila Batmanghelidjh trained as a psychotherapist and for more than twenty years has worked with exceptionally disturbed children and young people in the two charities she has founded, The Place 2 Be and Kids Company. Focusing on the inner city, these have concentrated on giving vulnerable children greater resilience in the face of traumatic life experiences. Kids Company has been the subject of several documentaries, and in 2005 Camila was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year

Table of Contents

Introduction. 1. The Witnessing. 2. Introduction to Therapeutic Thinking. 3. Exploring the Impact of Sexual Abuse - Letter to Chardonnay. 4. Shame - Letter to Daisy. 5. Adaptive Violence - Letter to Mr Mason. 6. Psychosocial Vulnerabilities Leading to Violence - Letter to Rocky. 7. Cradled in Terror - Children's Capacity to be Violent. 8. Legitimizing Neglect? Achieving the Best for Clients and Workers - Letter to Flower. 9. Parental Addictions - Letter to Julie. 10. Letter to Deny, Cry and Try. Conclusion. Appendix 1: The Basic "Who's Who?" of the Therapy World. Appendix 2: Substance Misuse: A Tourist's Guide.

Review

'This wonderful bombshell of a book is a sustained, honourable and timely paen of fury on behalf of the children whose murdered childhood haunts and damages us all. In these circumstances "neutrality is offensive" from all professionals and indeed adults who disguise the real level of pain they witness in children for the sake of easier research, policy, relationship with peers and superiors.' Valerie Sinason, PhD, MACP, MInst Psychoanal, FRSA, child psychotherapist and adult psychoanalyst 'Camilla Batmangelidgh is a remarkable woman, a child who grew up to fight for children and childhood. This is a truly remarkable book. We must all ensure that it becomes life changing. Politicians should read it with a view to examining why and how we let children fall between the cracks of societal aspiration, legislation and protection, to be damaged and then do damage to others. Public servants should read it to remember why they exist. As parents we should read it and then love and understand our children a little better in the future. Read it and weep. Read it and resolve that we must do better. If it was hard to write and at times hard to read, imagine what it was to live.' Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty (the National Council for Civil Liberties)

Prizes

Short-listed for YoungMinds Book Award 2006

Long Description

Shattered Lives offers a moving insight into the troubled lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and highlights the effects of early traumatic episodes.Each chapter tells the story of a child's particular trauma - whether sexual abuse, parental drug abuse, or loss - and illustrates the feelings of shame, rejection, and worthlessness that have resulted from their negative experiences. The author offers valuable advice for those wanting to better understand and communicate with these hard-to-reach children and warns against the stigmatization of children who present problem behaviours. In a critique of existing structures, she exposes the plight of children who are overlooked by the authorities and denounces those who value bureaucracy over the welfare of individual children. Drawing on more than 20 years' experience of working with children, Batmanghelidjh brings together a wealth of insights into how to help children to regain control and minimize the ramifications of their abuse upon future development.This accessible, affecting text will be an eye-opening read for anyone with an interest in children's welfare, from the general reader to counsellors, therapists and social workers.Praise for the book:'Camila's work with children who have suffered abuse, trauma and emotional deprivation is outstanding. To hear her reflect on their experience is always to have mind and heart expanded, and it is wonderful that we now have such reflection available in this book for a wider public - so that the urgency of what she is talking about just might at last make an impact on the public and on government.' - Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury'Shattered Lives is a much needed and timely book. No one understands or has done more with socially excluded children in Britain than Camila Batmanghelidjh. She responds to them with respect and understanding and has broken through where so many others have failed. In an age of widening disparities between rich and poor, this is a book of hope. It is also a call for action from so many more of us to expand and support the opportunities that Camila and Kids Company have forged. They need to be replicated across Britain if we are to avoid creating an entire generation of excluded and destroyed young people.' - Jon Snow, journalist and broadcaster'Camila Batmanghelidjh is a remarkable woman, a child who grew up to fight for children and childhood. This is a truly remarkable book. We must all ensure that it becomes life changing. Politicians should read it with a view to examining why and how we let children fall between the cracks of societal aspiration, legislation and protection, to be damaged and then do damage to others. Public servants should read it to remember why they exist. As parents we should read it and then love and understand our children a little better in the future. Read it and weep. Read it and resolve that we must do better. If it was hard to write and at times hard to read, imagine what it was to live.' - Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty (the National Council for Civil Liberties)'I can't remember ever having been so affected by a book about the country I live in. Each child you write about tells me something new about the kids I see on the street.' - Danny Kruger, Chief Leader Writer, The Daily Telegraph'It's so clear, it hurts.' - Ruby Wax

Review Text

'This wonderful bombshell of a book is a sustained, honourable and timely paen of fury on behalf of the children whose murdered childhood haunts and damages us all. In these circumstances ''neutrality is offensive'' from all professionals and indeed adults who disguise the real level of pain they witness in children for the sake of easier research, policy, relationship with peers and superiors.' Valerie Sinason, PhD, MACP, MInst Psychoanal, FRSA, child psychotherapist and adult psychoanalyst 'Camilla Batmangelidgh is a remarkable woman, a child who grew up to fight for children and childhood. This is a truly remarkable book. We must all ensure that it becomes life changing. Politicians should read it with a view to examining why and how we let children fall between the cracks of societal aspiration, legislation and protection, to be damaged and then do damage to others. Public servants should read it to remember why they exist. As parents we should read it and then love and understand our children a little better in the future. Read it and weep. Read it and resolve that we must do better. If it was hard to write and at times hard to read, imagine what it was to live.' Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty (the National Council for Civil Liberties)

Review Quote

This is a book which made me weep. It is in the very best Jessica Kingsley tradition of books which take a radical, innovative or immensely practical approach to matters, and most often all three. This particular book provokes a leap of the imagination to show what can be possible in work with disturbed children - given an inspired therapist, a charismatic individual prepared to mortgage her home in order to keep the work going, and a team of willing staff and volunteer mentors. The book mainly takes the form of a series of letters from Camila Batmanghelidjh to children who had been subject to abuse and neglect in their lives. A letter to 'Chardonnay' touches the pain of a child who was sexually abused by her father and other men; a letter to 'Daisy' acknowledges the extremes of abuse and impoverishment at the hands of her mother and then neglect from social services; a letter to'Mr Mason' depicts the vulnerability of a boy subject to the vacillations of a drug-addicted mother and a cruel stepfather and the growing anger and violence within in response to experience which showed that power is often perverse and destructive, and that a brutalised life creates a brutal being. There are other letters, too, which signify an apology to each of the children within, and which so very clearly demonstrate the kind of extraordinary stamina which is needed to reach and sustain those young people who are so desperate, dangerous, delinquent and destroyed... It is an important and moving book for all who work with, study, have responsibillity for, or simply care about, children. - The Howard Journal

Promotional "Headline"

Shattered Lives bears witness to the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and highlights the effects of early traumatic episodes. Chapters take the form of letters to a child capturing their life experiences, hugely impacted by sexual abuse, parental substance misuse and loss, leading to feelings of shame, and worthlessness.

Description for Reader

*Shortlisted for the Young Minds Book Prize 2006* Shattered Lives bears witness to the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and highlights the effects of early traumatic episodes. Chapters take the form of letters to a child capturing their life experiences, hugely impacted by sexual abuse, parental substance misuse and loss, leading to feelings of shame, rejection and worthlessness. Batmanghelidjh offers understanding for those baffled by these hard-to-reach children and warns against stigmatizing them for their problem behaviour. In her critique of existing structures, she exposes the plight of children who are overlooked by the authorities and denounces those who value bureaucracy over the welfare of the individual child. Society's failure to acknowledge the truth of their experiences and act to change the environment in which such mistreatment can flourish is, she strongly argues, leading to the death of childhood. The book is a clarion call for change.

Description for Sales People

High-profile author - founder and director of the well-known charity Kids Company, which was the subject of the recent BBC2 documentary 'Tough Kids - Tough Love'. Camila was named 'Social Entrepreneur of the Year' at the 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards.

Details