One Child - Torey Hayden

Title: One Child
Author: Torey Hayden
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 325
Date read: March, 2012

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 fourth book I've read by Torey Hayden, and I think it may just be my favourite. Not that it left me any less heartsore than usual, mind you :-S But at least the end was more uplifting than some. Sheila is a darling and I was pleased to see that it seemed as if her father was starting to realize that too. I don't think I could do what Torey does, but I have great respect for how clearly her love for the kids show.

I wish I knew what happened to Sheila after the end of the book though!