Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational, Motivational, with the bonus of warm fuzzies
Review: Torey Hayden I love you man! Every time I think it's time to choose a new profession, because I'm losing hope with the youth I work with, I pick up one of your novels. Murphy's Boy was no exception to the collection of dog eared Tory Hayden novels on my bookshelf. You have become a mentor for me of 'all that is possible'. Through your novels I rebuild my resolve to not give up just yet. Quite simply---Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and unforgettable
Review: Torey Hayden's books are always fascinating glimpses into the minds of disturbed children. "Murphy's Boy" is an especially gripping account of Hayden's actual work with a bizarre, mute, 15-year-old boy. In the beginning of the book, Kevin hardly seems human. He cowers under tables, sweating and shaking, never making a sound. Torey is unsure whether Kevin is capable of speech, but she begins working with him towards that end. A startling transformation occurs in Kevin after he finds his voice. Suddenly he is not only human, but intelligent, cunning and dangerous. Filled with hatred towards his abusive step-father, Kevin teters on the edge of insanity. The reader fears for the author as she delves deeper and deeper into the boy's horrifying past, uncovering a devastating history of abuse and torture.This book is fairly dark overall, although it does have its lighter moments, and it has an uplifting ending. For anyone interested in child psychology, I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and unforgettable
Review: Torey Hayden's books are always fascinating glimpses into the minds of disturbed children. "Murphy's Boy" is an especially gripping account of Hayden's actual work with a bizarre, mute, 15-year-old boy. In the beginning of the book, Kevin hardly seems human. He cowers under tables, sweating and shaking, never making a sound. Torey is unsure whether Kevin is capable of speech, but she begins working with him towards that end. A startling transformation occurs in Kevin after he finds his voice. Suddenly he is not only human, but intelligent, cunning and dangerous. Filled with hatred towards his abusive step-father, Kevin teters on the edge of insanity. The reader fears for the author as she delves deeper and deeper into the boy's horrifying past, uncovering a devastating history of abuse and torture. This book is fairly dark overall, although it does have its lighter moments, and it has an uplifting ending. For anyone interested in child psychology, I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as One Child, but okay
Review: Well, I love Torey's work, I really do. But, Part I of Murphy's Boy was boring and somewhat hard to follow. In one paragraph, she'd be somewhere with someone and the next would be a totally different time and scene. It jumped around like a soap opera, but nowhere near as bad. Part II was much better, but too expedited. It was almost like saying in one chapter someone found out they were pregnant and in the next the baby had been born--- nothing said of the pregnancy in between. Part III ended too soon and I really didn't like the ending. It left more questions than it answered in some ways. For instance, what became of Kevin's real father? He only
mentions him once in the book. And were the girls his full or half-sisters? Personally, I wanted to knock his mother to the moon !!! How could anyone, especially a mother, let someone MURDER her child and stand by and do NOTHING? And, then, take the evil, brutal, twit back and allow him to abuse the others AND in the end give up her children to the state so she didn't have to give up that horrible man?????? I love Torey's non-fiction work. This was not my favorite, but it really shows Torey's spirit. She never gave up long after even the most long-suffering of us would have.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as One Child, but okay
Review: Well, I love Torey's work, I really do. But, Part I of Murphy's Boy was boring and somewhat hard to follow. In one paragraph, she'd be somewhere with someone and the next would be a totally different time and scene. It jumped around like a soap opera, but nowhere near as bad. Part II was much better, but too expedited. It was almost like saying in one chapter someone found out they were pregnant and in the next the baby had been born--- nothing said of the pregnancy in between. Part III ended too soon and I really didn't like the ending. It left more questions than it answered in some ways. For instance, what became of Kevin's real father? He only
mentions him once in the book. And were the girls his full or half-sisters? Personally, I wanted to knock his mother to the moon !!! How could anyone, especially a mother, let someone MURDER her child and stand by and do NOTHING? And, then, take the evil, brutal, twit back and allow him to abuse the others AND in the end give up her children to the state so she didn't have to give up that horrible man?????? I love Torey's non-fiction work. This was not my favorite, but it really shows Torey's spirit. She never gave up long after even the most long-suffering of us would have.
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