Damaged

Damaged chronicles foster carer Cathy Glass's experience caring for Jodie, a traumatized eight-year-old girl who has endured severe abuse. The book details Glass's attempts to help Jodie while navigating the complex child welfare system in the UK. Glass documents the daily challenges of caring for a child with extreme behavioral issues resulting from past trauma. The narrative follows their journey together over several months as they work with social services, mental health professionals, and school officials. Through firsthand accounts and observations, Glass reveals the realities of fostering children who have experienced abuse and the impact on both carers and the children themselves. The book maintains focus on Jodie's story while offering glimpses into the broader foster care system. The memoir stands as an examination of childhood trauma, resilience, and the critical importance of early intervention in cases of abuse. Its raw portrayal of one child's experience illuminates larger systemic issues within child protective services.

Readers describe this memoir as emotionally raw and impactful, with many noting they finished it in one sitting. The direct, unembellished writing style helps convey the reality of fostering traumatized children. Readers appreciated: - The honest portrayal of both successes and failures in foster care - Clear explanations of how the UK care system works - The balance between difficult subject matter and moments of hope - Practical insights into fostering challenges Common criticisms: - Some repetitive passages - Occasional shifts between past/present tense - A few readers found the ending abrupt Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (29,000+ ratings) Amazon UK: 4.7/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon US: 4.6/5 (1,900+ ratings) One frequent reader comment notes: "Shows the reality of fostering without sensationalizing trauma." Another states: "Made me better understand what foster families face day-to-day."

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🔹 Author Cathy Glass has fostered more than 150 children over 25 years, using her experiences to write multiple bestselling books about foster care while protecting the identities of the children through pseudonyms. 🔹 The book chronicles the true story of Jodie, a severely traumatized 8-year-old who was the most disturbed child Glass had ever fostered, displaying extreme violent behavior and concerning sexual knowledge. 🔹 "Cathy Glass" is a pen name the author uses to protect the privacy of both her family and the foster children she writes about, maintaining anonymity while sharing these important stories. 🔹 Following the success of "Damaged," Glass has written over 30 books about fostering experiences, with many becoming Sunday Times bestsellers and being translated into multiple languages. 🔹 The book helped raise awareness about childhood trauma and sexual abuse, leading to increased discussions about child protection policies and the importance of supporting foster families.