Beautiful Child

From the bestselling author of One Child comes this amazing, true story of a mute and withdrawn seven—year—old girl and the special education teacher determined never to abandon a child in need.

Seven-year-old Venus Fox never spoke, never listened, never even acknowledged the presence of another human being in the room with her. Yet an accidental playground “bump” would release a rage frightening to behold. The school year that followed would be one of the most trying, perplexing, and ultimately rewarding of Torey Hayden’s career, as she struggled to reach a silent child in obvious pain. It would be a strenuous journey beset by seemingly insurmountable obstacles and darkened by truly terrible revelations—yet encouraged by sometimes small, sometimes dazzling breakthroughs—as a dedicated teacher remained committed to helping a “hopeless” girl, and patiently and lovingly leading her toward the light of a new day.

More than two decades ago, in her unforgettable international bestseller One Child, author Torey Hayden chronicled her poignant struggle to help a severely troubled little girl. Over the ensuing years, this dedicated special education teacher has faced many other heartbreaking challenges -- and has never abandoned a child in need.

Beautiful Child

Seven-year-old Venus Fox's unresponsiveness was so complete that Torey Hayden initially believed the child was deaf. Venus never spoke, never listened, never even acknowledged the presence of another human being in the room with her. Yet an accidental playground bump would release a rage frightening to behold, turning the little girl into a whirling dynamo of dangerous malice.

Of the five children in Torey's classroom that September, Venus posed the greatest challenge -- though the other four had serious problems of their own that could not be overlooked. The six-year-old twins Shane and Zane suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and its accompanying mix of high agitation and low concentration. At nine, cocky, aggressive Billy had already been expelled from school twice. Eight-year-old Jesse suffered from Tourette's syndrome. And then there was Venus. Though all of the children had different needs and afflictions, they had two things in common: a profound, sometimes violent dislike of one another, and the desire to be almost anywhere other than Torey's class.

The school year that followed would prove to be one of the most trying, perplexing, and ultimately rewarding of Torey's career, as she struggled to reach a silent child in obvious pain and need and, at the same time, create an atmosphere of learning and cooperation in a class bent on chaos. It would be a strenuous journey beset by seemingly insurmountable obstacles and darkened by truly terrible revelations -- yet encouraged by sometimes small, sometimes dazzling breakthroughs -- as an intrepid teacher remained committed to helping a hopeless girl, and lead her toward the light of a new day.

In this remarkably moving account, Torey Hayden once again displays the insight, intelligence, humor, and, most important, the indomitable heart that have made her previous books not only phenomenal bestsellers worldwide but required reading for anyone personally touched by or interested in the treatment of emotionally disturbed children.

“The world needs more like Torey Hayden.” - Boston Globe

“Hayden is a fine storyteller.” - Washington Post

“A rich tapestry of a group of special needs youngsters and the adults who try to help them.” - Publishers Weekly

“Moving...As lively and as surprising as the kids it so deftly portrays, BEAUTIFUL CHILD persuades us that even the most withdrawn and troubled child can be reached if someone takes the time, pays attention, and sincerely, deeply cares.” - O magazine

“Fresh and compelling...[Hayden] spins out the story with gusto and a storyteller’s art.” - Chicago Tribune

“Told with compassion and sensitivity, BEAUTIFUL CHILD takes the reader into a world where unfailing patience and dogged determination don’t always yield tangible results, but where the few and hard-won victories can be life-changing.” - BookPage

“Torey Hayden gives one hope for the future of public schools, indeed for the future of the human race.” - Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

“It has been a long time since you read a book with the 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