Editorial Review
Finally, a beginning...
The time had finally come. The time I had been waiting for through all these long months that I knew sooner or later had to occur. Now it was here.
She had surprised me so much by actually crying that for a moment I did nothing but look at her. Then I gathered her into my arms, hugging her tightly. She clutched onto my shirt so that I could feel the dull pain of her fingers digging into my skin. She cried and cried and cried. I held her and rocked the chair back and on its rear legs, feeling my arms and chest get damp from the tears and her hot breath and the smallness of the room.
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Customer Reviews
BEST nonfiction book in the worldd 
2008-03-01
I heard about this book during am assembly and needed a book to read for my english project so i chose this book. Im not a huge fan of non fiction but this book was just amazing!! the writing style the author had made me want to read it more and more and it made me be like woah i cant believe this actually could have happened. I recommend this book to anyone!
Interesting but Sad 2008-02-12
This is one I could not put down. Possibly Torey's best book!
Shelia, a bright 6-year-old girl who tied up a 4-year-old and set him on fire and was put in Torey's "crazy kid" class until a space opened up in the State mental hospital for her. She had a high IQ, was a bed wetter, had an abusive, alcoholic father and was abandoned on a freeway by her mother who kept her younger brother. She was quite a terror, but Tory "tamed" her and became very attached to her. She was cut bad by her uncle who raped her and was in the hospital for a month. She was able to enter regular classes again. Very good book, but left you wondering what happened to Sheila. Have to read the sequel: The Tiger's Child
Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"
One Child by Torey Hayden 2007-07-27
This book is amazing. It will have you laughing, crying, and everything in between as you learn about a little girl who due to the insight, love, empathy, and dedication of her teacher overcame great odds. It will also introduce you to what a teacher of emotionally impaired students might have to deal.
I have used the book in a speed reading class several times and the students have loved it. I am now going to use it in another reading class to broaden the students' point of view and cultural awareness. Everyone I have shared the book with, has loved it and shared it with others. The read will keep you involved and make you want to read other books by Torey Hayen.
Whoopy Doo 2007-06-06
Adam Hobbs
Once Child
Torey Hayden
Avon Books
©1998
354 pages
Teacher and literary genius Torey Hayden hits a high note with her captivating book, "One Child." I have been blessed with the opportunity to read this story and it truly is a masterpiece. The words set forth to paper in this story are more powerful than a Boeing jet and have the strength to move you on an emotional level.
This is the story of young special education teacher Torey Hayden and her quest for higher knowledge to the handicapped and disturbed. She is given the task of teaching a class deemed impossible that is full of misfit kids with bizarre backgrounds of abuse, poverty, depression, and mental handicaps. She fights against the odds to reach the kids on a deeper level, when a seven year old girl with a disturbing past and animalistic behavior is placed in her class to await transfer to the state mental hospital. Torey uses everything within her power to help this girl and break her from submission.
Torey Hayden has a style a writing that will not only give you mental pictures of the vast scenarios set forth in this story, but she will also give your mind a ride it won't expect. I'll be honest, when I first starting reading this book my expectations were very low, but once I got into it I couldn't set it down. Torey Hayden has great word choice and can describe any situation down to the detail and still keep the story going. Her fluent, in depth descriptions are beautifully written and kept me engaged through out the whole book.
This story, along with its powerful words, has a strong, meaningful message that everyone should read. This story speaks of tolerance for those who are different because they are a direct result of their environment and it is not their fault they act the way they do. It also tells that you should accept peoples little quarks and disabilities because it is what they want to be like and it is better to be different then to blend into a world that does not accept them anyways.
a book i have never forgotten 2007-05-29
I read this book many years ago while i was in high school. i have re-read it several times. I HATE RE-READING NORMALLY! but every couple of years i take it out, and it still makes my cry, tears of happiness and sorrow. it is by far a classic in my collection of books. i recommend this book all the time to adults and students, everyone of them has thanked me!
Very good book 2008-07-08
I was required to get this book for my special education training that I need for my master's. This book was very interesting. It showed the good and bad things Torey Hayden did in the course of serving this one child, Sheila. I could not put it down.
Quite The Tearjerker! 2008-06-17
This story gave me tears of sadness and tears of joy. While it is heartbreaking to learn of all the abuse Sheila has endured, it is
heartwarming to know that SOMEONE took the time and effort to encourage her and to reach out to her. This book is a wonderful testament to the power of love and the human spirit.
Excellent Book!! 2008-05-08
I'm half-way through this book and I LOVE it so far!! I'm in school to become a teacher and we're reading this book. It has opened my eyes!!!
Very Emotional and Inspiring 2008-04-14
My second book by Torey Hayden, but definitely not my last.
ONE CHILD is the story of Sheila, a young girl who was abandoned on the side of a highway by her mother. Now the charge of her drunken father, Sheila is wild, sometimes crazy, and never cries.
What follows after her arrival in Ms. Hayden's classroom (following an incident that is truly chilling) is the relationship that grows, in a short period of time, between Sheila and Torey.
A very good but emotional read. I highly recommend it, and also recommend picking up a copy of The Tiger's Child, which is the continuation of Sheila's story.
Touching and inspiring 
2008-03-17
At age six, Sheila had already endured a lifetime of horrors. Her mother abandoned her on a highway at age four; her alcoholic father neglected and traumatized her. Thus, it was scarcely a shock to anyone when the coarse, hate-filled child attacked a three-year-old boy, nearly burning him to death.
At such a tender age, Sheila's fate seemed inevitable - a lifetime in a psychiatric ward. Yet while the state awaited placement, they decided to put her in Hayden's special needs classroom.
Initially skeptical of a child with such a background, Hayden nonetheless did her best. Quickly, she glimpsed an intensely intelligent child, who longed for love and acceptance.
This wasn't to say it was an easy job. Nor was there any fairy-tale ending. Often, Sheila went into uncontrollable rages, damaging property, once even throttling pet gerbils when she perceived she had been wronged. Yet after glimpsing the inner Sheila, Torey Hayden refused to give up on her.
Then one day, several months after Sheila arrived in Hayden's classroom, the teacher received a call -- the psychiatric hospital was ready for Sheila. Despite having made a breakthrough with the child, would Sheila's life really be taken away before she had a chance to start it?
As always, Hayden's stories about the children with whom she has worked are deeply moving and memorable. By no means does she attempt to portray herself as a miracle worker; she freely admits her mistakes along with her triumphs as she merely dedicates her life to helping turn young lives around.
Readers interested in learning more about Sheila may be interested in the sequel, The Tiger's Child, which picks up when the girl is 13 and recently reunited with Hayden.
