Who cared? I was confused about why I had been taken from my mother. I felt lost, abandoned, dejected, unloved, unimportant, unwanted and I wondered where they would finally dump me.

This is the incredible true story of Terry Denby, fatherless and put into care by his own mother at the tender age of six. With nothing to call his own and no one to support him, Terry slowly begins to accept the bitter truth that he is totally alone. This startlingly honest and heart-rending account follows Terry through his early recollections of a lonely, misunderstood childhood spent in the cold surroundings of the East London ?Buildings?, through to his tumultuous and confusing early adolescence in an uncaring children?s home.

Denied all the opportunities children so desperately need, Terry?s account builds a picture of a bewildered and deeply troubled boy who was let down time and time again by the very people he needed the most. Brutal, and often shocking in places, this powerful book evokes fifties Britain in astonishing detail. The author?s ability to relate his harsh treatment at the hands of not only his mother, but also the authorities responsible for looking after him, brings this social period into stark reality.

 

Who cared? I was confused about why I had been taken from my mother. I felt lost, abandoned, dejected, unloved, unimportant, unwanted and I wondered where they would finally dump me. "This is the incredible true story of Terry Denby, fatherless and put into care by his own mother at the tender age of six. With nothing to call his own and no one to support him, Terry slowly begins to accept the bitter truth that he is totally alone. This startlingly honest and heart-rending account follows Terry through his early recollections of a lonely, misunderstood childhood spent in the cold surroundings of the East London 'Buildings', through to his tumultuous and confusing early adolescence in an uncaring children's home. Denied all the opportunities children so desperately need, Terry's account builds a picture of a bewildered and deeply troubled boy who was let down time and time again by the very people he needed the most. Brutal, and often shocking in places, this powerful book evokes fifties Britain in astonishing detail.The author's ability to relate his harsh treatment at the hands of not only his mother, but also the authorities responsible for looking after him, brings this social period into stark reality.

2008-07-23 child welfare

This book really touched me from begining to the end. It made me want to dive into the book and bring the little boy into my home give him a bath, something to eat and give him some love in his sad litle life. His mother gave up on him when he was six years old puting him into care, where he should have been cared for but he was treated terribly. It never ceases to amaze me that these horrible people are never held to account for their actions. Terry was beaten black and blue never given any care or love. His suppossed "Aunts" (and i use the word loosely) in one of the care homes should have been strung up for the way they treated the children in their care. The ending of this book was a happy one so, i was in tears through most of the book at the way Terry was failed and then i was in tears of joy at the way he turned every thing that had happened to him around and has a good life and is contented with his life.