HARD CANDY: Nobody Ever Flies over the Cuckoo's Nest; Written by Charles A. Carroll is a must read.
This book should be sitting on the desk of every governor, senator, representative, every director, educator and all students in departments of human and social services, psychology and public health available as a ready reference to the bureaucratic nightmare and lost humanity of a system set up to protect and care for our abandoned children and our mental and physically deficient citizens of all ages. Hard Candy is a must read for anyone who even pretends to care about the welfare of our children. This is an unforgettable saga of the will of a young human spirit to survive incarceration in one of our nation's institutions with living conditions so sadistic, brutal and degrading that "child abuse' doesn't come near describing this disgrace.
I had the privilege of meeting the author and reading an advanced copy of this soon to be released book. The ever gracious host, Charles has devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge and generating awareness about the abuse that still occurs to this day inside such institutions. Do not for one moment think that his is a tale of yesteryear and we have fixed the problems, improved the system.
Told with the innocent clarity of a young child interspersed with the accumulated knowledge and hindsight analysis of the adult, this true story travels through a decade during which the author as a young boy was repeatedly abandoned by the system and lost in the tombs of a bureaucratic hell.
Left on the doorsteps of an orphanage as a toddler with his less than one year older sibling who was probably borderline retarded, this is a tale of an enduring love between two brothers who had no one else in life but each other. Never loosing the impish grim and charming good looks, Charles along with his brother traveled from orphanage to foster home to state institution to foster home and back to state institution. As a court order required the brothers not to be separated, a terrified young Charles found himself joining his brother in a state facility for boys with mental disabilities, "a nuthouse" as one would call it. No one bothered to notice that this was not an appropriate placement for a perfectly normal little boy.
The story relates in chilling detail the daily living horror that was Charles' life. A normal youngster dumped in with society's outcasts in a nightmarish hell of abuse, hunger, filth, punishment, neglect and unending loneliness. A world where almost all adults he encountered continued the pattern of outright brutality and physical abuse or in true institutional form looked with strong blinders the other way and just did their time at the job. A world where children were left just to sit for years, suffering unending misery and boredom, never given the chance to develop their natural capabilities in any manner. The will to endure, protect his brother and survive kept Charles placing one small foot in front of the other each despairing day. The will to maintain his sanity in an insane place, to endure suffering no child should ever be expected to face and to survive to bear witness against an unjust and little known system gives Charles the strength to speak for the all but forgotten.
Michelle Portney
Author Joseph Yakel presents his own blend of humor and... Read More
Twin Falls Economic Report done by me; Twin Falls, ID... Read More
Don't panic. Jack Mitchell, the author of Hug Your Customers:... Read More
If you want to make a lot of money with... Read More
For me, poetry is often too obtuse and difficult for... Read More
Everything an individual or company does or produces contributes to... Read More
Dr. Frankel clearly identifies the common mistakes ?101 in all-that... Read More
"The dedication in this book is a work of poetry... Read More
Marone Memoirs ? An immigrant Story by author Sarah E.... Read More
Based on a mammoth research study conducted by the Gallup... Read More
HARD CANDY: Nobody Ever Flies over the Cuckoo's Nest; Written... Read More
The Rich Jerk "Making Money on the internet is Easy"... Read More
Author: Thomas C. Oden Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco;... Read More
"This has to be one of the best detective novels... Read More
Just think. If the Vikings had made just that little... Read More
To rise and flourish in the world, you need to... Read More
Going Deeper by Jean-Claude Koven is certainly a nicely presented,... Read More
Sportcraft Treadmills - Lowww EndSportcraft treadmills are late entries from... Read More
What is the Emperor Wearing?Once upon a time, an emperor... Read More
Practice What You Preach: What Managers Must Do to Create... Read More
This modern, aristocratic book portrays real-life events and how hard... Read More
The Power of 2: Win Big with People in Your... Read More
Ever wonder why most small businesses-- no matter how huge... Read More
For those of you who've been on another planet for... Read More
Ever wonder why most small businesses-- no matter how huge... Read More
When asked what gave her the idea for the story,... Read More
This land is my memories. For two thousand years this... Read More
Author Joseph Yakel is leading a two-pronged charge to provide... Read More
"Scott Underhill takes readers on a stimulating, emotional ride in... Read More
Today Lavaine is doing well and able to go about... Read More
This article is based on the following book:What Is The... Read More
What does it take to get in touch with your... Read More
How To Write and Publish Your Own eBook in as... Read More
There has been a lot of publicity lately centered on... Read More
Washington Historian Remembers Harriet Lane, the Greatest First LadyWASHINGTON DC:... Read More
Geeks & Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape... Read More
"Dawn Josephson, author of 14 books, has written a fantastic... Read More
"This has to be one of the best detective novels... Read More
Title: Critical Condition: How Health Care In America Became Big... Read More
The Power of 2: Win Big with People in Your... Read More
This beautifully laid out trade paperback has a gorgeous and... Read More
You're Fired is a book that tackles the real stories... Read More
Somebody once said there are more book titles beginning with... Read More
With this all possible the price could be lowered to... Read More
E-Books are making a big impact in the way we... Read More
This modern, aristocratic book portrays real-life events and how hard... Read More
We are all "self-employed" now.Today there is absolutely no job... Read More
Win-Win Partnerships ? Be on the Leading Edge with Synergistic... Read More
"The Demon Plague by Joreid McFate is a fantastic paranormal... Read More
In his ebook "Affiliate Mistakes Special Report," Chuck McCullough teaches... Read More
Create Your Own Future: How to Master 12 Critical Factors... Read More
Let me start with a small disclaimer: I am a... Read More
"Fern's Dragon is a wonderfully fun read that stimulates the... Read More
The City of Los Angeles Storm Water Program has recently... Read More
Author Joseph Yakel presents his own blend of humor and... Read More
Way back in business school we had to churn out... Read More
A missionary and his family were forced to camp outside... Read More
When the topic of family history comes up, where do... Read More
To achieve great things, you need a team. Building a... Read More
I have decided to start with this text as simply... Read More
These are some of the highlights of a connected story... Read More
The New York Times' columnist visits India often. I read... Read More
Brassy, ballsy and full of energy.A totem of two women's... Read More
Jack Welsh, the recently retired CEO of General Electric, presents... Read More
"Carol Bennett writes a stunning mystery-thriller. Her chilling entrance is... Read More
Title: Conspiracy Of Fools: A True Story Author: Kurt Eichenwald... Read More
Book Reviews |