Product Description

Six year old Sheila had been abandoned by her mother on a highway when she was four. A survivor of horrific abuse, she never spoke, never cried, and was placed in a class for severely retarded children after committing an atrocious act of violence against another child. Everyone thought Sheila was beyond salvation, - except her teacher, Torey Hayden. With patience, skill, and abiding love, she fought long and hard to release a haunted little girl from her secret nightmare - and nurture the spark of genius she recognized trapped within Sheila's silence. This is the remarkable story of their journey together - an odyssey of hope, courage and inspiring devotion that opened the heart and mind of one lost child to a new world of discovery and joy. Torey Hayden deserves the kind of respect I can't give many people. She isn't just valuable, she's incredible. The world needs more like Torey Hayden. - Boston Globe

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #257416 in Books
• Published on: 1981-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
"Parts of this book will enrage you. Parts of this book may make you cry. And parts may make you cheer. But whatever your reaction, I think you will agree that it has been a long time since you have read a book with the sheer emtional impact of "One Child.""-- "The New York Times""Page after page proves again the power of love and the resiliency of life."-- "The Los Angeles Times"

Customer Reviews

Emotive and powerful - a compelling read!
I first read this book several years ago when i was a student in Canada, it having been published in North America before being released in the UK. It is essentially a biography of a special needs teacher in the US, and involves the reader with stories of her class, with very few aspects of her personal life shown. The book mainly focuses on her meeting and "taming" of Sheila, a very troubled little girl who joins her class.

Torey Hayden has no trouble in keeping the reader engaged; life in her classroom never seems to dim, and the emotional struggles that she must go through to manage Sheila are difficult but rewarding to read about.

BEST book I have ever read!!!
What more can I say? I read this book for the first time several years ago, and I have re-read it over and over. I have a great respect and admiration for Torey Hayden. Her writing inspired me to pursue a career in education and it has changed the way I relate to people, especially children. I heard that One Child is required reading for some college education courses, and it should be! It is great for teachers, parents, or ANYONE! It kept my interest even though I don't normally read very much. If you think you might be interested in this book, please read it-you won't be sorry! Be sure to have a box of tissues handy. :)

A Heart Wrenching Master-piece
I first read One Child in 2000 and found the story so moving I have read it once a year since. The book brings to many feelings for me to convey to you but I will bullet point the general gist:

1.A beautiful little girl called Shelia commits a crime against another child at the age of 7.
2.Torey haydon, a teacher for children with profound emotional problems has Shelia join the class while a placement opens in the local hospital for mentally Ill people.
3.Shelia is a disruptive, angry mute and makes teaching difficult for Torey.
4.Torey slowly unravels Shelia’s past and discovers a world of abuse, torture, dysfunction and brings Shelia to face her situation.

Torey brings Shelia to life and everyone that reads it will be feeling the same. Shelia is a girl everyone wants to know and help. Although Shelia has experienced things we could not imagine, she is still strong and carries such charm and innocence. I no it sounds cheesy but One Child has made me think different about life. One Child is the only book i have ever read in my life apart from the squeal, Tiger's child where you can read what happened next to Shelia as a teenager. One Child will captivate you and leave you feeling happy but also sad and you will want more. Please read this book, boy girl, child or adult. It seems relevant for everyone and I can 100% guarantee you will not retreat it. Anyone trying to write a review on this book will do no justice, the story line is simple and so easy to follow but it’s the feeling you have reading every line. It’s packed with emotion and you will not be able to put it down. Simply Beautiful!