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Sheila #1

One Child

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This beautiful and deeply moving tale recounts educational psychologist Torey Hayden's battle to unlock the emotions of a troubled and sexually abused child who, with the help of Hayden, was finally able to overcome her dark past and realise her full potential. Six-year-old Sheila was 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 recognised 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.

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

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About the author

Torey L. Hayden

42 books1,549 followers
Victoria Lynn Hayden, known as Torey L. Hayden (born May 21, 1951 in Livingston, Montana) is a child psychologist, special education teacher, university lecturer and writer of non-fiction books based on her real-life experiences with teaching and counselling children with special needs.

Subjects covered in her books include autism, Tourette syndrome, sexual abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, and elective mutism (now called selective mutism), her specialty.

Hayden attended high school in Billings, Montana and graduated in 1969. She then attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.

A little time after having written her most famous book One Child, Hayden moved to Wales in 1980 and got married to a Scot called Ken two years later. In 1985, she gave birth to her daughter Sheena. Hayden is now divorced.

She has also written three books of fiction in addition to her non-fiction books.

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5 stars
8,001 (50%)
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196 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,240 reviews
Profile Image for Maria Espadinha.
1,149 reviews499 followers
January 26, 2024
Os Futuros Psicopatas


Foram nados e criados no desamor!
Maltratados, Torturados, Abusados, Violentados...
Desconhecem a ternura e a alegria de viver mas são amigos íntimos do ódio e dos seus parentes chegados — a raiva, a violência e a tortura!
São pequenos monstros e futuros psicopatas! Só conhecem e induzem infelicidade!...
São um lixo social rejeitado por todos. Mas há quem se dedique a reciclá-los!
E esta é a tocante história que nos conta como um desses seres indesejáveis foi gradualmente recuperado...
O antídoto é sempre o amor e a compreensão administrados com paciência e sabedoria!

Uma leitura chocante que nos confronta com as vítimas geradas na podridão social, informando-nos algo mais sobre o mundo em que vivemos!!!
Profile Image for Msjess.
12 reviews37 followers
October 29, 2012
I remember reading this story as a child and being engrossed in it. It's reminiscent of "A child called It" because of its extreme depiction of a child in severe abuse and neglect.

Reading again as an adult and as an educator who works with at risk children I was horrified. The story is a memoir written by a special ed teacher. She clearly wants to be praised and lauded for her amazing breakthrough with Sheila but all I could think was that Sheila needed to be put into foster care. She was clearly being abused and neglected, there many warning signs such as the lack of hygiene, her rages, hell the visit to her home. I was baffled as to why Sheila did not seem to be getting any sort of psychological evaluation for hurting the little boy. Even Torey said she didn't want to ask.

Worst was when Sheila was sexually assaulted and much is made of how brave Sheila was and how she was so strong...but there was no mention of her getting therapy or being removed from her family's home. At the end it's considered a triumph that she cried because she was remembering her trauma. It wasn't a triumph. It was a sign that she was hurting was going to have a lot of pain to work through.

I have not read the equal but apparently in it Torey tracks Sheila down because her book has been a success and readers were clamoring for a sequel, not because she actually wanted to see how Sheila was doing. And worse she seemed upset that Sheila was mad at her instead of grateful. I don't blame Sheila at all for being mad at Torey for failing to do the right thing as a mandatory reporter and as a human being.
Profile Image for Kat.
344 reviews1,210 followers
October 25, 2020
This true story chronicles the experiences of the author, Torey Hayden, a special education teacher at the time, and a very troubled, yet gifted 6-year old girl named Sheila who was placed in her small class of kids with varying degrees of disability. Sheila was put there by the courts as a temporary placement while awaiting an opening in the children’s unit of the state mental hospital - a result of her unprovoked and serious attack on a 3-year old boy. What follows is the journey of discovery over the 5 months Hayden worked with her, that this little girl wasn’t a monster in need of caging, but a child who’d experienced a highly traumatic background and was struggling to cope with it. It was also discovered that she was extremely intelligent, which further convinced Hayden that the course being set for the child by the system wasn’t appropriate and should be fought.

Hayden’s efforts to bring Sheila out of her personal darkness and form a trusting relationship with her and her peers is the basis of the book. Watching Torey and Sheila navigate their way into each others' lives and hearts is truly special, and in turns both uplifting and heart-breaking. I work with children Sheila’s age, so this one particularly hit me in the heart. Reading about a child’s trauma is hard. What I appreciated, though, is that it’s a very human book. We see Sheila at her worst, but we also see those moments of breakthrough, where all you want is for her to succeed and have a happy life. Hayden isn’t a saint, and she struggles with her own frustration of trying to reach the girl, but I can only admire her commitment and efforts to reach a child most people would have given up on. It’s a tough, but rewarding and insightful read. I will warn, though, not to expect a clear-cut resolution to the story. This book was published in 1980, and Hayden wrote a 1995 sequel: The Tiger's Child: What Ever Happened to Sheila? that answers some of those questions. My review for that: The Tiger's Child

★★★★ Stars

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

SPOILER: THE FOLLOWING TRIGGER WARNING REVEALS A MAJOR EVENT IN THE BOOK

There is an instance related by the author of severe child sexual abuse and the after effects that may be very upsetting to some. If that is a problem for you, you should avoid the book
Profile Image for Farah.
174 reviews36 followers
April 2, 2011
Bacalah buku ini disaat kamu gundah.
Saat pacarmu membatalkan janji kencan disaat-saat terakhir, saat ibumu di rumah sedang gencar-gencarnya marah-marah, saat pekerjaan kamu di kantor terasa begitu menekan, saat kamu merasa dunia tak lagi bersahabat dengan kamu.
Baca buku ini, dan kamu akan tahu.

Tahu rasanya bersyukur kamu tidak mengalami kehidupan seperti Sheila, atau anak-anak lainnya di kelas Torey.
Tahu rasanya bersyukur bahwa apa yang kamu hadapi kali ini adalah permasalahan hidup yang sepele.
Bukan seperti menangani pribadi-pribadi rumit yang harus ditangani Torey setiap hari.
Tahu bahwa sebuah buku bisa membalikkan seluruh perasaan gundahmu dan membuatmu menjadi seseorang yang bersyukur dengan hidupmu yang menurutmu lagi semrawut, jelas ini bukan buku yang biasa-biasa saja.
Bacalah buku ini, dan kamu akan mensyukuri hidupmu.

Sheila akan selalu mengingatkanmu bahwa kamu memiliki kehidupan yang tidak pernah ia dapatkan.
Dan dia akan mengingatkan kamu, berapa banyak kerugian yang akan kamu dapatkan jika kamu menyia-nyiakan hidupmu ini.
Kehidupan yang kalau bisa, lebih baik diberikan saja padanya.
Tidak, bukan diberikan.
Dikaruniakan.
Karena bagi Sheila, setiap hari adalah berjuang.
Berjuang untuk memahami bagaimana bentuk kasih sayang yang sesungguhnya.
Berjuang untuk menerima bahwa, iya, itu menyakitkan, mengetahui bahwa ibunya membuangnya sejak kecil. Dan trauma itu tidak pernah bisa hilang.
Ia mengendap, mengubah wujud menjadi sesuatu yang lain.
Kenangan yang meracuni pikiran.

Bacalah buku ini, kemudian lihatlah sekelilingmu.
Ada banyak Sheila-sheila lain yang mungkin menangis dalam diam.
Jika kamu bisa menjadi Torey bagi mereka, lakukanlah sesuatu.
Bukankah itu yang Torey inginkan saat dia membagi kisah mengenai Sheila?
Profile Image for Gary.
1,021 reviews246 followers
January 24, 2022
Both heartbreaking/harrowing and uplifting at the same time, this book tells how one young teacher Torey Hayden would not give up on a very disturbed and violent little girl who lived under the most appalling circumstances.
And underneath found a genius and a gem.
Well worth the time.
Profile Image for Inga Gajauskienė.
147 reviews15 followers
March 31, 2021
Sukrečianti istorija. Labai liūdna, kad Šeilai teko patirti vaikystėje tokį atstumima, nemeilę, skausmą o vėliau dar ir prievartą. Iš tiesų taip sunku patikėti kad kai kurie žmonės gali būti tokie žiaurūs vaikams...
Profile Image for John McIlveen.
Author 37 books151 followers
September 16, 2009
Sheila came into Torey Hayden’s class for “special children” at the age of 6 after having tied a 3-year-old child to a tree and critically burned him.

ONE CHILD is Torey Hayden’s story of her attempt to tap the unbelievable capacity of this tortured child.

Parts of this book – the savage sexual molestation – will enrage you. Parts of this book – Sheila’s quiet description of her anger and fears and doubts – will make you cry. And parts of this book – Sheila’s gradual realization of her own potential – may make you cheer.

Whatever your reaction, I think you will agree that it has been a long time since you have read a book with the sheer emotional impact of ONE CHILD.
Profile Image for Andrius Baležentis.
300 reviews72 followers
February 19, 2024
Šią knygą skaičiau vienu atsikvėpimu ir itin asmeniškai, nes turiu nuostabią draugę, kuri irgi dirba su specialiųjų poreikių vaikais. Visą istoriją girdėjau draugės balsu, mačiau jos akimis, jaučiau jos išgyvenimus. Tai ypatingai jautrus, sunkus ir tuo pačiu šviesus, tiesus pasakojimas, atkreipiantis dėmesį į specialųjį ugdymą ir tylius, kantrius, išmintingus herojus, kurie dirba šį darbą.
O tuo pačiu knyga stipriai sujaudina ir pažadina vidinį atidumą aplinkiniams. Visada vertinga pamėginti matyti ne tik paskemes ar rezultatus, bet ir jų priežastis.
Profile Image for Rosie.
449 reviews55 followers
June 20, 2017
"A dignidade envolve-a como um manto. De súbito éramos iguais. Deixou de existir uma mulher e uma criança. Eu já não era a mais inteligente, a mais esperta, a mais forte. Éramos iguais na nossa humanidade."

É com esta humildade, com esta simplicidade e verdade que Torey se mostra. Despida de preconceitos, sem certezas absolutas e irrefutáveis mas antes na condição de aprendizagem contínua, de dúvidas, de erros e de avanços. É cativante esta transparência na narração.
Este é o segundo livro que leio da autora e fiquei convencida: quero tê-los todos.


Esta matéria apaixona-me. A sua autenticidade provoca, claro, um aperto no coração e soluços travados. A indignação é tamanha e tão forte, que apetece agir. Fica uma necessidade premente de ir para o terreno e fazer algo, de nos envolvermos, de não desperdiçar tanto tempo e dinheiro quando há quem tanto precise.

Senti uma lacuna em não ter sido revelado um aspecto importante sobre determinado acontecimento, mas creio que a própria Torey não teve o tempo necessário ao seu dispor para o obter. Considerou mais importante e urgente outro tipo de trabalho (e havia tanto a fazer...) protelando esse facto para mais tarde. Entretanto tomei conhecimento que existe um segundo livro sobre esta menina.

Em suma, fiquei fã incondicional!
59 reviews3 followers
March 3, 2024
Na man atrodo ši knyga bus mano top 2024 metų knygų. Perskaičiau per ne pilną savaitę. Tą savaitę vis galvojau apie mokytoją ir pačią Šeilą. Ir kodėl aš šitos knygos nemačiau nei knygų mugėje nei knygynuose?
Profile Image for Mandy.
803 reviews1 follower
April 6, 2009
This book is about a special ed teacher and her relationship with "one child". The child, Sheila, has been severely abused, left on the interstate by her mother, neglected by her father and is only 6 years old. The story is a true store of how Hayden helped Sheila come out of her shell and trust someone will not abandon her and begin to love again.

I liked the story, however, the teacher/author, Hayden annoyed me. I felt she made herself into a hero, and very few teachers could be like her and endure what she had to. She tended to justify EVERYTHING she did, right or wrong. She is a good story teller but thinks entirely too much of herself, in my opinion.

I am curious whatever happened to little Sheila. Her story is heartbreaking...
Profile Image for Bea .
2,031 reviews134 followers
January 19, 2018
I read this when it first came out and it cemented my desire to be a teacher. I still want to be Torey when I grow up. Also, my copy is long gone and I need to get another and re-read this.
Profile Image for Knygu_burtai.
207 reviews23 followers
September 6, 2025
"- Negi tau niekada nesinori verkti?
- Aš niekada neverkiu.
- Kodėl?
- Kad niekas negalėtų manęs įskaudinti. <...> Niekas negali manęs įskaudinti. Jie nežino, kad man skauda, jei aš neverkiu. Todėl negali įskaudinti. Manęs niekas neprivers verkti. Netgi tėtis, kai muša mane."

Begalo skaudi istorija apie mergaitę, kuriai reikėjo žmogaus, kuris parodytų bent šiek tiek meilės ir rūpesčio, kad nesijaustų apleista ir niekam nereikalinga. Skaičiau ir ne sykį verkiau, nes buvo labai skaudu dėl dalykų, kurie vyko. Tačiau tuo pat metu džiaugiausi, kad yra tokių žmonių kaip knygos autorė, kuriai tikrai rūpi apleisti, nuskriausti ir mažai kam, attodytų, reikalingi vaikai.
Profile Image for Knygu_jura.
499 reviews253 followers
September 4, 2022
Kaip ilgai norėjau perskaityti šią knygą! Vis matydavau ar girdėdavau liaupses ir pagyras jai, o niekur nusipirkti nerasdavau. Tai labai džiaugiuosi, kad leidykla nusprendė ją perleisti, nes tikiu, kad ne tik aš jos taip laukiau! Ir neveltui, nors gal kiek lūkesčiai ir per dideli buvo. Istorija apie mokytoją, galiu pasakyti - nuostabią mokytoją, kurios mokiniai turi tys negalią, sergantys ar turintys emocinių sutrikimų. Trumpai tariant - atstumtieji, kurių niekas nenori mokyti. Vieną dieną pas ja patenka mergaitė, kuri atrodo blogiausia iš visų ir tik vienintelei mokytojai pavyksta įžvelgti, kas slepiasi po kiautu.

Smurtas, skurdas, prievarta, netektys - temos, kurios sukasi šioje knygoje ir daugiau ar mažiau paliečia veikėjus. Istorija papasakota sakyčiau, kad labai... natūraliai. Lyg sėdėčiau su drauge ir klausyčiausi jos pasakojimo apie tai, su kuo jai teko susidurti. Knyga labai emocionali ir jautri, apie dalykus, kurie skaudina, apie dalykus, kurie traumuoja ir kuriuos, kartais, sunku suvokti. Apie didelę stiprybę ir tai, kad už to slepiasi tik žmogus, moteris, turinti didžiulę širdį. Tačiau, gal prisidėjo tai, kad girdėjau tik gerus atsiliepimus apie šią knygą ir kaip ji "išneša stogą", bet manęs ji taip nepalietė. Jei ieškote tikros istorijos apie skaudžius dalykus - rekomenduoju!
Profile Image for Erica Teixeira.
59 reviews6 followers
June 8, 2018
No final, desejei tanto que este livro não fosse baseado em factos verídicos...
Gostei bastante desta história, ensina-nos a ver sempre a perspectiva do outro, a nos colocarmos na pele de uma criança pequena e tentar perceber os seus actos.
Recomendo vivamente, principalmente a quem lida com crianças especiais com alguma regularidade.
Profile Image for Angie.
1,380 reviews264 followers
October 26, 2014
The first thing I want to tell you is how much this book made me cry. Buckets full. Maybe even enough to fill an ocean. Ugly cry, even. Unashamed, let-it-all-out, bawling. That’s how much. I’m not even exaggerating. This is significant, because tearjerker movies get me to cry often, but in contrast, only a handful of books have managed to dissolve me into tears. With One Child, I cried often, and I cried long and hard. It’s not only Sheila’s circumstances that made me cry, but also because I was so grateful that there is a teacher who cared enough to save this little girl whom everyone had given up on.

Let me share a little about Sheila. She is a six-year-old girl who committed a terrible crime. It wasn’t her first crime, but it was probably her worst. At the age of six she had already had run ins with the police three times, and after her last crime the courts had decided that she should be placed in a state institution for mentally disturbed patients. Unfortunately for the state, but fortunately for Sheila, there wasn’t space available to accommodate her in the local state institution, and she was placed in a classroom for handicapped, abused, and mentally disturbed children. The teacher for that classroom at the time was Miss Torey (the author of this book). According to state regulations, Torey could only accommodate eight children in her classroom due to the severity of their conditions. Yet, she had no choice but to accept problem-child Sheila into her classroom.

When I say Sheila is a problem-child, I don’t mean it lightly. The things she does is incredibly shocking, but here I also want to mention that she is no ordinary child. She has an IQ of over 170. Obviously, until Sheila has landed in Torey’s classroom, no-one has figured it out yet because Sheila is such a difficult child who goes out of her way to make herself unlovable. She lives in poverty with her alcoholic, ex-convict father, in a one-room shack in a migrant camp. You might wonder where Sheila’s mother is, and I can only tell you that that is another heartbreaking part of Sheila’s life. No acceptable excuse can be made for what Sheila’s mother did to her. It’s just too appalling.

Anyway, the entire story centers around Miss Torey and Sheila forming an unbreakable bond and how they changed each others’ lives, and also how it changed Sheila. This little girl who never cries and who only knows rejection, abuse, and abandonment, has to learn to love, be accepted, deal with her anger, and adjust to normal society - what is socially acceptable, and what is not. Often I found myself smiling about how Sheila perceives the world and her surroundings, and how she tries to make sense of her life. The other kids in the same classroom also crept into my heart. So many times did I go “aaawwwhhh” because of something or other that Sheila, Torey or any of the other kids did or say, and then the tears would start all over again.

I’ve read many abuse stories, whether it’s written in books or news articles, but never have I been as shocked as when I read what Sheila’s uncle did to her. You think you’ve heard it all with regard to the extent of human depravity, and then you read something like that...

The story has a good ending, but not, in my opinion, a satisfying one. I desperately wanted a different ending for Sheila at home. I didn’t agree with the welfare system’s opinion of Sheila’s home life. I appreciated every single effort Torey made to improve Sheila’s life and I am grateful that there are teachers who really care about their students. One Child is a book worth reading, albeit not an easy one because it plays havoc with your emotions. Whether this really happened or not, it is a reminder that the world is filled with people who have no limits to the cruelties they bestow on defenseless little children (and animals, for that matter). At the same time it also showcases that, once in a while, a gem such as Torey comes along who dedicates her time and all of herself to protecting, loving, and making a difference in the lives of little ones who can’t fend for themselves.

As much as I want to recommend this book to everyone, I also have to issue a warning that it contains content of a disturbing nature. Sheila’s story needed to be told and I’m grateful to Ms Hayden for sharing it with us. However, read it at own risk (such as crying buckets of tears and having your heart break into tiny little pieces over and over again).
Profile Image for Gabrielė|Kartu su knyga.
745 reviews319 followers
December 21, 2022
Vos šešerių metų Šeila - toji, kuriai per savo trumpą gyvenimą teko nemažai išgyventi. Mamos palikta greitkelio pakelėje, o namuose tėvo ranka greičiau išperdavo nei paglostydavo..
Taip mergaitė pateko į protiškai atsilikusiųjų klasę. Kiti teigia, jog toji klasė tik bepročiams..
Nuo pat pirmos susitikimo dienos Tori pajuto tai, ko neįžvelgė niekas kitas. Šeila - be galo protinga bei smalsi mergaitė.
Moteris pasiryžta sugrąžinti juoką, šypsenas bei vaikystės džiaugsmą į Šeilos gyvenimą.
Taip prasideda jų bendra kelionė, kuri abiems suteiks be galo daug 🙏🏼

Džiaugiuosi, jog pagaliau teko laimė ir man perskaityti šią knygą. Nors pati knyga tikrai skaudi bei jautri, bet mano akimis tikrai verta būti perskaityta.
Tori.. Tai žmogus iš didžiosios raidės. Tik be galo mylintis vaikus bei savo profesiją asmuo pasiryžtų tam, kam ryžosi būtent ji. Nežinau kokio didumo širdį turi ši moteris, bet be galo džiaugiuosi, jog joje surado vietos ir šiems likimo nuskriaustiems vaikams. O Šeila protinga ne pagal savo amžių mergytė, kuriai gyvenimas nebuvo lengvas.. Tačiau likimas suvedė ją ir Tori ir mergaitė nuostabios moters dėka sužinojo kas yra meilė, draugystė bei pasitikėjimas.
Šioje knygoje sutikome daug puikių žmonių. Vienas iš jų buvo Čadas. Istorija su suknele mane sujaudino labai labai.. ❤️‍🩹
O Šeilos dėdės poelgis mane tiesiog paliko be žado.. Sunkiai paaiškinimas bei protu suvokiamas elgesys.. Džiugu, jog viskas baigėsi laimingai.
Rekomenduočiau šią knygą perskaityti tikrų istorijų gerbėjams, taip pat ir pedagogams. Tikiu, jog ši jautri, bet tuo pačiu ir įkvepianti istorija nepaliks abejingų.
Profile Image for Gretos knygos.
767 reviews209 followers
Read
August 9, 2023
Jautri mažos mergaitės istorija, pateikta jaunos mokytojos akimis. Iš pat pradžių buvo aišku, kiek mergaitė turėjo iškęsti, nes visgi taip nenutinka, kad šešiametis staiga nustoja kalbėti ir destruktyviai reaguoja į kiekvieną smulkmeną. Arba tiesiog, lyg koks laukinis žvėrelis, bijo žmonių. Tiesiog kraupu skaityti ir įsivaizduoti kaip mokytoja turi susidoroti su visu tuo. Ypač, kai Šeila toje klasėje viena iš maždaug dešimties vaikų. Vienas jų aklas, pora autizmu sergančių, kiti tiesiog turintys psichinių sutrikimų. Nepaisant to, visa istorija papasakota su tokia atjauta ir meile, kad tiesiog žaviesi mokytojos kantrybe ir atsidavimu savo darbui. Istorijos eigoje keičiantis Šeilai, pasikeičia ir kiti veikėjai: mergaitės tėvas, mokyklos direktorius, kiti vaikai. Ir, žinoma, visi į gerąją pusę. Knygai įpusėjus, atrodo viskas ritasi į gerumo pusę, tačiau vėl incidentas su tėvo broliu, kuris mane šokiravo. Visa istorija tiesiog juoda - balta, juoda - balta... Daug meilės, daug rūpinimosi vienas kitu ir jaukumo. Rekomenduoju pasiilgusiems žmogiškos šilumos.
Profile Image for Ana.
588 reviews66 followers
April 10, 2017
Esta citação retirado do livro será o melhor resumo do que acabei de ler.
"Algumas destas crianças vivem com pesadelos tão medonhos nas suas cabeças, que cada movimento fica imbuído de um terror desconhecido. Algumas vivem debaixo de uma violência e perversidade impossível de expressar por palavras. Algumas vivem sem a dignidade concedida aos animais. Algumas vivem sem amor. Algumas vivem sem esperança. No entanto, aguentam. E, na sua maioria, aceitam, por desconhecerem outro tipo de atitude."
Profile Image for Laura Noi.
566 reviews18 followers
September 1, 2015
Magnifico.
Devo leggere tutti i libri scritti da questa donna meravigliosa.
Questo è un libro che avevo a casa da un po' di tempo, l'avevo trovato usato in un mercatino. Ho aspettato tanto a leggerlo perchè dalla trama mi faceva "paura". Paura nel senso che mi avrebbe fatto soffrire, insomma parliamo di una bambina che ha subito violenze e soprusi e soprattutto è una storia vera. A me queste cose mettono i brividi, le voglio leggere, so che devo farlo ma ne ho sempre paura.
Alla fine mi sono decisa, avevo bisogno di una lettura che mi trasmettesse emozioni e così mi sono lanciata su questo.
Prima di tutto non è assolutamente un libro di cui aver "paura". Non si sofferma sugli aspetti negativi e violenti della vita di Shaila ma sulla relazione tra lei e Torey, la sua insegnante. Torey oltre che un'ottima scrittrice è un'insegnante strepitosa, è una donna che ama il suo lavoro e te lo trasmette con ogni parola e con ogni gesto. Nel libro emergono tutte le sue paure, le sue difficoltà nella relazione con questa bambina difficile e poi la sua rabbia e il suo coraggio.
Impossibile non affezionarsi a lei, non desiderare che le maestre siano davvero come lei con questo amore immenso verso i bambini, anche quelli "matti". Impossibile non affezionarsi a Shaila, ai suoi occhioni, alla sua dignità. Impossibile non sentire un po' propria quella classe speciale.Impossibile non piangere. Ma sono lacrime buone, liberatorie.
Leggete questo libro, non ve ne pentirete.
Profile Image for Rita.
467 reviews65 followers
July 1, 2015
É triste observarmos no mundo casos como o de Sheila.
Sheila e Torey foram-me cativando ao longo destas páginas trágicas e tão cheias de falhas.
Ao mesmo tempo fico feliz por existirem educadoras e professoras como Torey que não só ensinam como também cicatrizam feridas com o amor, amizade e a esperança depositada nas crianças com problemas.
Todos pensavam que Sheila não tinha solução, porém Torey insistiu e provou o contrário.
Profile Image for Glen Grunau.
271 reviews20 followers
March 11, 2018
I am not prone to crying at movies or books but this simple story had me in tears on several occasions.

This story was from a different era. When the child welfare system was ill equipped to deal with child abuse and children known to be suffering from severe neglect were left in horrific conditions. There were not enough social workers, foster homes, or welfare checks to go around. When child trauma and reactive attachment was managed by professionals with authoritative and controlling practices. If children like Sheila were to have a chance, then they needed someone like Torey Hayden to go beyond duty and offer the embrace of love.

Which begs the question: Is human indifference sometimes the result of having a better equipped (although still so far from perfect) child welfare system? It is so easy just to call the social worker when we observe child abuse and neglect and feel like this is all that is required of us.

I recall my first job interview after my undergraduate degree. It was at Browndale Group Homes in Burnaby. Their prescribed treatment for kids with attachment disorder was prolonged and unremitting physical restraint - until all of the anger and fear and emotion of the child was bled out of them. Soon thereafter this "holding" fell out of favour as the research and treatment of attachment disorder evolved.

A story from my own work with children, that happened one year after this book was written. My first post-degree job included my assignment as a youth care worker to a boy named Jeff. He and his single mother loved in poverty in a small trailer in Burnaby. I did not know his story, only that he and his mother were under the watchful eye of child welfare. My time with Jeff was short-lived as I soon moved on to a different job. My only clear recollection of my time with him was the visit I had with him and his mother in their small trailer . . . and the time I was meeting with his school teacher in a classroom and looked out the window to see Jeff jumping out of my VW after releasing the handbrake. I could see my car starting to roll down the hill. Running at full speed I still could not catch up and thankfully some alert motorist drove in front of my vehicle and was able to bring both cars to a stop after until my car nudged up against his.

One Child illustrates how the compassion and love and unwavering dedication of one educator was transformative in the life of a highly disturbed and "unreachable" 6 year old child. The power was in the story; there was nothing spectacular in how it was written. But it was honestly written. I appreciated the vulnerabiity of the author when she chose to include her own weaker moments and failed attempts. I was grateful for her compassion to recognize that in the life of every victimizer there is a victim.

How to explain my own emotional reaction to the book? Good stories about vulnerable children, whether in a novel or on the movie screen, always seem to touch me more most deeply. Maybe this is related to a story of Jesus. Once his friends were upset because Jesus was spending time with little children when he had important adults to teach. Something about his response tells me that we need to pay close attention to what children can teach us: “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

If you have read this book, you might be interested in this "where are they now" follow-up: http://www.torey-hayden.com/one_child...
Profile Image for Ruth Turner.
408 reviews124 followers
October 31, 2014


It's so difficult to rate and review true books about child abuse, and this one is no exception.

Well written, easy to read and a cast of delightful characters. Especially the "crazy kidses." I loved them.

However, there was one thing about this book that I have to mention because it affected my overall view of the story.

Sheila, six years old and the main character of the story, is sexually abused by her uncle. When he tried to have sex with her she was too small, so he cut her with a knife. Torey, her teacher, has to explain what happened to the other children in her class. These are special needs children, mentally, emotionally and physically disadvantaged and they were worried about their friend who was bleeding when she came to school and then rushed to hospital.

"Remember I told you that Sheila got hurt at
home. And remember back when we were
talking about the ways people can touch
you? I was telling you how sometimes
people want to put their hands places on a
little kid's body that they have no right to
touch."

"Yeah, like down where it's private on you,
huh?" said William.

I nodded. "Well, someone in Sheila's family
touched her where he shouldn't have and
when Sheila got unhappy about it, he hurt
her."

Foreheads wrinkled. Their eyes were intent.
Even Max stopped rocking.

"What did he do to her?" William asked.

"Cut her."

The children thought they were old enough to be told the truth, so that's what she gave them. She does speculate on whether she's done the right thing in being so honest, and decides that she has.

This horrified me so much that I almost didn't finish the book. There's truth and there's truth, and I think I'd struggle with any children being given this much information, let alone a group of special needs kiddies.

I think it will be quite some time before I read another of her books.

*climbs down off soap box*

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sara.
670 reviews145 followers
June 30, 2018
actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

I liked this book. My rating was low but that doesn't mean it's a bad book because it's not. It's just because I've read other of her stories that touched me even more than this one. Overall, I had a great time reading it.

Torey Hayden was one of the authors that made me get into reading and psychology. I love her books and they will always have a special place in my heart. I love reading about how she deals with the kids and adults and also about their problematic lives. She's a woman with a big patience, let me tell you. We can learn a lot from her books. I hope to read more of her books in the future.

Profile Image for Rita.
227 reviews30 followers
July 20, 2016
Gostei muito da obra, aborda diversos temas bastante interessantes e tem uma mensagem muito forte sobre superação e a força do amor e da compreensão.

Considerei a obra um pouco previsível, todavia adorei os temas, as personagens e a mensagem subjacente na obra. Mal vejo a hora de poder ler mais obras desta autora.
Profile Image for Gabriela Couto.
139 reviews6 followers
August 31, 2024
É difícil expressar o aperto que sinto no coração.

A minha licenciatura transformou profundamente a maneira de ver e analisar as crianças, até que comecei a defender a ideia - talvez um pouco radical - de que todas as pessoas que querem ter filhos deveriam ser submetidas a avaliações psicológicas para ver se estão aptas. Se estiverem, ótimo. Caso contrário, e se ainda tiverem o desejo de ser pais, deveriam fazer um curso de práticas parentais para se prepararem adequadamente para lidar com crianças.
Tenho quase a certeza de que esta medida reduziria significativamente a delinquência juvenil e, principalmente, evitaria que muitas crianças fossem maltratadas.

Quem me dera que todas as crianças abusadas tivessem a sorte de encontrar uma professora como Torey nas suas vidas 😭

PROTECT CHILDREN AT ALL COSTS!!!!!
Profile Image for Lidia Almeida.
21 reviews1 follower
May 12, 2025
Uma história dura mas ao mesmo tempo bonita sobre trauma, sobre violência, sobre viver em condições adversas tremendas, com pobreza extrema, com violência, com abuso sexual e amor que nasceu desta "tragédia".. onde uma Professora resolveu lutar por uma menina... Uma história onde crianças com problemas mentais são descartadas, escondidas e negligenciadas em prol da "normalidade"... uma história verifica para nos lembrar que o amor salva... Torey, Sheila Anton e Whitney❤️
Profile Image for PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps .
2,690 reviews250 followers
May 2, 2019
I’ve been a Torey Hayden fan for decades and am delighted to rediscover her books in Kindle version as my eyes focus better on ebooks thanks to cataracts and age. Fixed the cataracts, age not so much. I’ve read her books multiple times over the years. I can’t say they directly influenced my decision to become a child psychologist, but Torey planted seeds of interest in being able to help children improve their ability to cope with psychological challenges.

Hayden has worked as an educator for emotionally disturbed children in various settings. ONE CHILD is the story of Sheila, an abused, neglected and angry child whose behavior challenges the ever patient Hayden. In TIGER’S EYE, a follow up book written years later, Torey finds Sheila as a teen and we see what’s happened since and the limitations of Hayden’s ability to help Sheila.

A huge recommendation for this and all Hayden’s books.
Profile Image for Ana.
559 reviews11 followers
October 16, 2024
Muito interessante, gostei muito de ler! (4,5*)
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