Hello Bookworms,
April is national Child Abuse Awareness Month and in honor of that I would like to bring to you all a
review about a book that brings awareness to child abuse. The book is called
Death by Child Abuse and No One Heard by Eve Krupinski and Dana Weikel.
Summary:
Ursula Sunshine
Assaid is five years old (her father gave her the middle name Sunshine because
he wanted her initials to be U.S.A.). She lives with her mother, Susan Assaid,
and her mother’s boyfriend, Don McDougall, in Florida. Ursula’s father lives in
California. Ursula wants to tell everyone a story. It is about the last week of
her life.
Review:
What
happens when a child misses several days of school and when she finally comes
back the signs are all there but no one notices? Or when there are other adults
present from time to time in the home but no one says anything? Or when
neighbors see the signs that something is wrong but rather than call someone
they simply shake their heads and turn the other way? Ursula’s story is a real
life example of what can happen when the warning signs of child abuse are
ignored.Readers, I challenge you to read this book. It may not be very easy because this book gives the details everything that Don McDougall and Susan Assaid did to Ursula that last week before she finally died as a result of the abuse. That being said, it is a short book and you could easily read it in stages or all at once, whichever way is easiest for you. This book is an amazing look at what can happen in abusive homes, why it happens, and what can happen when people do not report child abuse when they see evidence of it.
There is a
particularly helpful chapter at the end of this book written by a professional
about the signs that a child is being abused. If you are someone who works with
children in any capacity, I encourage you to get a copy of this book, if for no
other reason than to read that one chapter, and share it with your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers,
so as to be aware of the signs.
After reading the
book, I encourage everyone to take a look at the child abuse laws in your area.
They are usually easily accessible online. If you are in the U.S., you can go
to www.childwelfare.gov and find lots of great information on
recognizing and reporting child abuse.
The
adults in Ursula’s life failed her. Let’s do our best to make everyone aware of
child abuse and its signs and make sure that tragedies like this happen to as
few children as possible.
Links to buy Death by Child Abuse and No One Heard:
**Death by Child Abuse and No One Heard is no longer in print. There are used copies and eBook copies available on Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=death%20by%20child%20abuse%20and%20no%20one%20heard&sprefix=Death+by+Child+A%2Caps%2C205
**SPOILER ALERT!!**
For those of you who may want to know if
Ursula’s case was resolved before you begin the book, Yes, Susan Assaid and Don
McDougall were both convicted of their crimes and sent to jail. Don, who did
most of the abuse, was denied appeal. Later, when it came close to the time
that Don was scheduled to be released from jail, a radio host got a copy of the
book and read it over the air. Inmates who heard the story murdered Don before
he was released back into society.
Until next time and with happier subjects to come,
Lizzie <3
