Review - Damaged by Cathy Glass

Title: Damaged
Author: Cathy Glass
Pages: 339
Release Date: January 1^st 2007
Format: Paperback
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Synopsis: Although Jodie is only eight years old, she is violent, aggressive, and has already been through numerous foster families. Her last hope is Cathy Glass. At the Social Services office, Cathy (an experienced foster carer) is pressured into taking Jodie as a new placement. Jodie's challenging behaviour has seen off five carers in four months. Despite her reservations, Cathy decides to accept Jodie to protect her from being placed in an institution. Jodie arrives, and her first act is to soil herself, and then wipe it on her face, grinning wickedly. Jodie meets Cathy's teenage children, and greets them with a sharp kick to the shins. That night, Cathy finds Jodie covered in blood, having cut her own wrist, and smeared the blood over her face. As Jodie begins to trust Cathy her behaviour improves. Over time, with childish honesty, she reveals details of her abuse at the hands of her parents and others. It becomes clear that Jodie's parents were involved in a sickening paedophile ring, with neighbours and Social Services not seeing what should have been obvious signs. Unfortunately Jodie becomes increasingly withdrawn, and it's clear she needs psychiatric therapy. Cathy urges the Social Services to provide funding, but instead they decide to take Jodie away from her, and place her in a residential unit. Although the paedophile ring is investigated and brought to justice, Jodie's future is still up in the air. Cathy promises that she will stand by her no matter what -- her love for the abandoned Jodie is unbreakable
 
My Review: Jodie’s has been suffering from abuse at the hands of her family for years and the social services did nothing for a long time because they were scared of the family.
 
When she comes to Cathy she has already had 5 foster carers in the 4 months had been in care. Jodie is nasty and a total nightmare but Cathy is determined to help this child who so many have given up on in the past but Jodie is too damaged for even a profession like Cathy to help.
 
This story is one that made me feel angry and sad at the same time; angry that this child was left for so long that the repercussions of it left the child so badly damaged that there didn’t seem to be anything that could be done to help her and sad for her at the same time because if she was given the help sooner or cared for by her parents like she should have been then this would not have happened.
 
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