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Summary: "Turning Stones" and Changing Lives
Review: "Turning Stones" is a wonderful eye opening book. Marc Parent's stories made me realize that child abuse occurs everyday. I never would have imagined some of the living conditions Parent describes. Thanks to brave people like Parent, children are saved from this abuse everyday. "Turning Stones" was extremely touching, and made me want to go out in the field to help save children. I now have much respect for anyone with the strength to help these children. This is a great book for everyone to read. I believe anyone that reads this book learns not only about child abuse but important lessons about life.
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Summary: True Stories!!
Review: As a former child protective services and case worker for seven years in Georgia, I know exactly what Marc Parent and his "kids" have gone through. Although the laws and procedures are different, all CPS workers have to go through the same despair and red tape when we try to protect kids. It is literally impossible to a legal guardian to 40 kids.
Please read this book if you want a true story about child protective services, not some rag of a newspaper.
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Summary: Turning Stones: A must read
Review: As a social worker working for Child Emergency Services, it was Marc Parent's responsibility to make a decision as to whether or not a child is at risk and should be immediately removed from his or her home. This agency sees the worst of the child abuse and neglect cases, and then hands the cases off to other departments for follow up. Needless to say, this is a very depressing occupation, and most workers "burn out" within 2 to 3 years. Parent tells about some of the most difficult decisions he has had to make, such as whether or not he should remove the son of an alcoholic mother. Though protocol demanded the child's removal, it was obvious to Parent that the mother and son were dependent upon each other and that the separation would be extremely difficult for both of them. Parent also dealt with hopeless cases in which the damage was already done, such as a case where a child had been attacked when he was left at home under the care of a slightly older sibling. The older child claimed a man had broken in and abused the boy, but the truth is much more horrifying than the child's story. Despite the depressing nature of the cases, the book is not depressing because it leaves you with the idea that despite the fact that there will always be horrible problems in the world, one person can make a difference. The cases are all very interesting, and the stories are excellently written. If you like A Child Called It, you should definitely read this too.
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Summary: The Lost Voices: Marc Parent's Turning Stones
Review: Children scream out at night. Rarely is there an answer to their cries. That is the idea that author Marc Parent provides during the course of his book: Turning Stones. Conveying to the reader a sense of helplessness yet also one of hope and encouragement; Parent releases the stories of abused children in New York City. As a caseworker for New York's Emergency Children's Services, Parent has seen the worst of all abuse cases. By telling the stories of the abused children, Parent gives a voice to the silenced. Parent delves into the worst cases he has encountered and portrays each with intense descriptions and vivid imagery. During the course of the novel Parent reveals his true meaning and purpose. This purpose is a call to every reader. Every one must turn stones during the course of their lives; otherwise nothing has changed and all is lost. Parent gives us all a chance to see what happens if you do not try to change what should be. We must take it upon ourselves to learn from this book and become stone turners ourselves.
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Summary: excellent book
Review: I am using this book with my undergraduate class at a major university. It's a wonderful and honest account of working wtih children at-risk. It reads like a novel but full of real-life experiences that helps the reader to understand the great responsibilities of social workers.
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Summary: A book of moral dilemmas
Review: I put off reading this book for some time after it was recommended to me -- I knew how potentially devastating the stories it contains might be. While they are heartbreaking to read, I think they should be required reading for every adult in America who cares about the welfare of children -- it's vital that people realize the hell that some of these kids are going through, to feel it and breathe it, in order to open society's eyes to it and get these kids some help.The case histories here -- with the names changed, of course, for all the right reasons -- are tragic, and cover everything from mothers on drugs to children falling victim to the psychoses of their parents, to physical and sexual abuse. These are horror stories -- and they don't always have happy endings. The book is an intelligent, sensitive look at the Child Welfare System of New York City -- and I'm sure it can be applied to other large cities as well -- and gives the reader a good look at what's both right and wrong with the system, how it works and how it doesn't. Even when it works, it can be traumatic -- children are removed from homes, separated from their parents who have neglected or abused them, and placed in group or foster homes, hopefully to receive the care and love they deserve. When it doesn't work, it can be deadly. Marc Parent worked in the system in NYC for a little over four years -- caringly, with the sole purpose of helping these kids. The things he saw and experienced took their toll on him -- and understandably so -- causing him to doubt his own motives, resolve and abiities. The thing that saved him -- the thing at the core of his caring -- is that making a difference in the life of just one child on any given night is so very important. It doesn't work out that every child with whom the system deals is saved -- and that's the tragic part -- but making a difference, one child at a time, adds up to good work. The fact that he stuck with it as long as he did shows how much he cared. The successes show that the system -- flawed as it may be -- serves an important, vital purpose. The fact that he has written this important book in order to share his experiences shows us how important this issue is to him. I cannot imagine a reader not being moved to tears by these accounts -- and drawing hope from the fact that there are people out there like Marc Parent working for these kids' lives. This books is slated to be the next directorial project from acclaimed actor/director Tim Roth, who gave us the incredible film THE WAR ZONE. With Roth and Parent collaborating on the screenplay, it's sure to be a powerful piece of work.
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Summary: I hope to turn stones
Review: I read this book before I started working with children at risk and this book created so many feelings of confusion and questions in my inner soul. Why do parents treat their children like this? What can we do to help parents STOP abusing and neglecting their children? Are people capable of changing and becoming good parents? Nobody knows the answers, but everyone knows that what human services agencies are doing now is NOT creating change. How many children have to die before changes, that make a difference, are made? This realistic rendition, of Parent's experiences working with children that the public does not want to talk about, should challenge all to turn stones.
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Summary: I hope to turn stones
Review: I read this book before I started working with children at risk and this book created so many feelings of confusion and questions in my inner soul. Why do parents treat their children like this? What can we do to help parents STOP abusing and neglecting their children? Are people capable of changing and becoming good parents? Nobody knows the answers, but everyone knows that what human services agencies are doing now is NOT creating change. How many children have to die before changes, that make a difference, are made? This realistic rendition, of Parent's experiences working with children that the public does not want to talk about, should challenge all to turn stones.
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Summary: Important work deserving of nationwide readership
Review: In the wake of such horrendous crimes against children ...the message carried by this book demands all the more attention it deserves. Marc Parent delivers his narrative on the 4 years he worked as a caseworker with New York City's Emergency Children's Services with lots of heart and eloquence. Many of the cases documented in this book frankly chilled me to the bone, in particular those cases where the parents went "berserk" and drove their own children to their deaths. Although cases like these are almost impossible for us to understand, the author does a remarkable job in helping us come close to it. In my opinion, this book should be read especially by anyone who is in the position to shape governmental policies. I remember watching a show on TV one night documenting the works of NYC's ASPCA cops (officers who rescue abused animals), and being shocked to discover that in a city with 8 million people and 5 million pets, there is a total of 10 officers to handle all cases that are reported. Well, child welfare faces an almost similar ratio. It is simply appalling. This book illustrates the many frustrations faced by well-meaning caseworkers who are simply too undermanned to deal with each case in its entirety. It is a frightening to think of how many child fatalities have occured as a result of this government oversight. ..."Anyone who invokes the term 'family values' without having read Marc Parent is revealed as part of the problem rather than part of its solution." Read it. It concerns our future.
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Summary: Eye-opening, detailed description
Review: Marc Parent's account of the horrendous cases he came across as a case worker in New York City was an unbelievable, eye opening experience. Parent uses many examples to tell of horrible acts of abuse and neglect that many families suffer through. These examples clearly show the necessity of good case workers in the field. There are incidences in this book that I couldn't even have imagined before reading "Turning Stones." Children thrown out of windows, sexual abuse, and children in rage due to years of neglect are just some of the cases that will be engraved in your mind. Throughout the book, Parent tells of these cases with detailed description. This description puts the reader in his shoes, in some of the worst neighborhoods of our country. Parent also lightens up areas of the book while telling of the various coworkers he worked with and their office experiences. This fictional account is easily read, which is due to the informal writing style that Parent uses. Also, as a reader, you will forever be wondering "what comes next?" and will have trouble putting the book down. Parent also has a very clever ending, which ties in the title of the book. This ending can be used in various situations and is a great life lesson to learn. I would recommend this book to everyone. Be ready for a temporary ride in the life of a case worker; there are surprises around every corner.
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