The Books of Cathy Glass

So I've spent the weekend reading books in what I call the "sad baby" genre. You've probably seen them: mostly white background, with a black and white (or sepia/grayscale) photo of a very sad child looking pitifully into the camera. They're almost always chronicles of horrendous, heartbreaking abuse.

But anyway, I managed to stumble ass-backwards into the books of Cathy Glass, a British foster parent who writes about her more memorable experiences with her foster children. I read one of her books, The Saddest Girl in the World on Friday night, and by Sunday I'd read six more. Literally chain-reading books, one after the other. And I've learned a few things:

1) Ms.Glass has got to be a living saint for dealing with these kids; and
2) I could never be a foster parent, even though I once thought I'd like to try it; and
3) Some people are just evil.

I don't remember the order in which I read the books (they're all stand alone, although Glass's own children's ages change from book to book), but once I started, I was hooked. And I don't know why. Much of it was partly due to the writing style; the books are thoroughly British, and after a while the gentleness of the language and slang is rather soothing. Instead of sleeping late on Saturday, I had a bit of a lie-in. Instead of Sunday dinner, I had Sunday tea, with pudding. That sort of thing.

I think what kept me reading, however, were the children and their stories. Ms. Glass takes in foster children who prove too challenging to other foster parents. They're damaged goods that no one wants, so wounded physically and emotionally and, sometimes, mentally that they seem beyond repair. The abuse these kids suffer is ridiculously cruel, almost to the point of disbelief. And yet...it happened. And it's still happening. These kids were lucky enough to be placed in foster homes. How many of them are left to their own devices with parents who'd rather do meth or shoot heroin than care for their children?

One little girl who came into Ms. Glass's care was so abused and neglected that at the age of 8, she had never taken a hot bath or shower. Her mother's boyfriend terrorized her, at one point killing a litter of kittens in front of her (while the girl got the blame, thanks to Mommie Dearest). Another child, a little boy, didn't even know how to perform basic hygienic tasks, such as wiping himself. He would race around in hyperactive circles, biting and head-butting anything that got in his way. The fact that Ms. Glass had the patience and love to help these two children (among all the others she has fostered in her career) is nothing short of miraculous.

Cathy Glass's books are invaluable to anyone who is thinking about becoming a foster parent. She details the blood, sweat and tears that go into such a commitment, but also focuses on the positive rewards. I only wish I had the fortitude to do what she does, making such a difference in the lives of children who need so much more than a handout from the government. I highly, highly, highly recommend her books. If nothing else, they'll gently remind you that there's always hope.

Books by Cathy Glass (all available at Amazon for the Kindle):

• Damaged: the Heartbreaking True Story of a Forgotten Child
• A Baby's Cry
• Mummy Told Me Not to Tell
• Cut
• The Night the Angels Came
• Another Forgotten Child
• Hidden
• I Miss Mummy
• The Saddest Girl in the World
• Run, Mummy, Run