Childhood: It Should Not Hurt!
Claire R. Reeves
(Reviewer - Donald D'Haene)
2003 LTI Publishing
ISBN: 0974304808

A guide for those concerned with our children's health & welfare.

Associate Reviewer Donald D'Haene writes:

We all know a victim of child abuse. Newspapers & television have put a face to this horrific experience. Yet I believe the media have also helped keep the victims of this growing tragedy silent with their extreme reporting.

How often have we witnessed the sensationalized account of Jon Benet Ramsey or the dispassionate reporting criticizing Elizabeth Smart for not leaving her kidnappers? Is it any wonder most survivors are unrecognizable? They remain nameless, unseen but legion.

Claire R. Reeves new book, Childhood: It should not hurt! couldn't be more timely. There may be relief for victims yet. Reeves is a no-nonsense child advocate with decades of experience both in & outside the court system. When she shoots from the hip, people listen.

Consider this passage: “When a parent is abusive and neglectful from the time of birth, any and all consideration should be given only to the best interests of the child. The parent should be held accountable and encouraged to make life changes...Parental Rights need to be tempered by Children's Rights...Parents who abuse that privilege must be held accountable, even if that means losing their parental rights.” (Page 7)

It's about time someone called it like it is. Readers will discover that same no-nonsense approach throughout her book.

Childhood: It should not hurt! covers all the basic issues & questions regarding child abuse:
• What is sexual abuse?
• What are the signs?
• What treatments are available?
But she also describes the quagmire of the court system, social service agencies that so often fail & drop the ball, male & female molesters, prevention, healing, & moving on.

One refreshing aspect of Reeve's writing is her clear, concise prose. Translation: you don't need a PHD to understand what she means! This book has been written for people it will help the most: you, me & every potential reader.

Over the past two decades I have read numerous books on child sexual abuse. Often, especially if the book takes on a memoir format, the author's message will involve some form of forgiveness of the perpetrator as she or he rides into the sunset ‘happily ever after.’

How I wish it were that simplistic.

Unfortunately, the message that many ‘Mother Teresa complex’ self-help books deliver look good in print but fail to provide victims, survivors & concerned citizens with concrete help & practical guidance.

Fortunately, that landscape has changed with the arrival of Claire Reeves' Childhood: It Should Not Hurt!

Claire R. Reeves is a nationally recognized expert in incest & child sexual abuse. Reeves has testified as an expert witness in both civil & criminal court cases. In 1992 Reeves founded MOTHERS AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE (MASA), a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting children against sexual abuse. As she spearheaded MASA Reeves also set up programs to assist non-offending parents & guardians of children who had been sexually abused. Visit MASA's website www.againstsexualabuse.org to learn more.
(11/02/03)

Donald
2003©Donald D'Haene
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
My most important work to date is my memoir, Father's Touch [Author web site: www.fatherstouch.com] Do check out Rebecca's Interview with me.

I have been freelance writing since 1988. My short stories can be found in The Good Life (2000) & Memories of Elgin and Middlesex(2000). I am also an actor with Armstrong Talent in Toronto, Canada.

A short film is being produced [Phat Puppy Productions] based on the first chapter of Father's Touch. It will submitted to film festivals around the world. As well, this fall, Canada's W Network will air a half hour segment of their series, Family Secrets, based on the author's life & story.

I live in London, Ontario, with my partner, Maurice, my mother, & our three Siamese cats, Kyle, Bach-Pierre, Maxine & a cockatiel, Jay.