One Child

Sheila came into Torey Hayden’s class for “special children” at the age of 6 after having tied a 3-year-old child to a tree and critically burned him. One Child is Torey Hayden’s story of her attempt to tap the unbelievable capacity of this tortured child. There is no place for her at the hospital, so she becomes a pupil in the class of Torey Hayden, where she spends five months.During the first time, Sheila is an aggressive, inapproachable and concurrently violative child, who suffers from the brutal separation from her mother and her little brother Jimmie. Since they left, Sheila has lived with her father in a colony which is populated by miners.Hayden recognises Sheila’s high intelligence and diagnoses an IQ measuring 182, which is a score 52 points over giftedness-level and refers to the category profoundly gifted. At the end, Hayden’s class ends for good.

Parts of this book – the savage sexual molestation – will enrage me.
Parts of this book – Sheila’s quiet description of her anger and fears and doubts – will make me cry.
And parts of this book – Sheila’s gradual realization of her own potential – may make me cheer.

Whatever the reaction received, I think one will agree that it has been a long time since he or she have read a book with the sheer emotional impact of One Child. The way how Torey cared for Sheila is way beyond what humanity can do. The kind of affection shown despite the troubles that were created by Sheila. Only someone I knew can do that. And I am sure it is only One.