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One Child

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One Child

By: Torey Hayden, Kati Nicholl (abridged by)
Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
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About this listen

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.

©2012 Torey Hayden (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Children's Health Parenting & Families Relationships Inspiring

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Critic reviews

‘Torey Hayden deserves the kind of respect I can’t give many people. She isn’t valuable, she’s incredible. The world needs more like Torey Hayden.’ – Boston Globe

‘It has been a long time since you have read a book with the sheer emotional impact of One Child.’ – New York Times

‘Page after page proves again the power of love and the resiliency of life.’ – Los Angeles Times
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Thank you for transporting me back to my childhood, reading this book while sifting through Reader's Digest after Reader's Digest.

A fitting performance of my favourite book.

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I first read this book approx. 10 years ago, and loved it so much I decided to read it again.

such a lovely story

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This book is an amazing story of sadness and joy, giving you the sense of how one person can change the life of so many heart breaking events. Healing the scars with love and commitment from what life throws at such young children.

tears of joy flow like a trickling stream.

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As soon as I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. It is heart breaking in places and heart warming in others. I would highly recommend reading x The narrator is very good also and I'd easy to listen to x

Couldn't put it down

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I'd listen to Laurel Lefkow's narration all day long. She bought the book to life.

The narration!

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I first heard of Torey when I was on my first teaching practice and had an elective mute in the class. I wanted to hear an expert's methods of reaching her.

Sixteen years later and I am still working with special children, this time in an EBD unit. It amazes me how easy Torey makes it seem, but then I remember that we are hearing about a full year in a few hours, and it makes me feel better.

I don't have a favourite book ofTorey's as they are all excellent, but this is definitely in the running for favourite. Not just for Sheila, all of the children are fabulous characters, and I now recognise a couple from youngsters I have worked with.

So thank you Torey. If not for you I may have been in a regular mainstream classroom, with regular mainstream kids, not the little charmers who amaze and fascinate me every single day.

Sheila is one special child

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Such a moving story of the endless patience and wisdom of Tory and the changing of a small - very special child. Beautifully read.
Deserving of 5 stars all round

Moving

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