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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780007222018
ISBN number: 0007222017
Label: Harper Element
Manufacturer: Harper Element
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: October 16, 2006
Publishing house: Harper Element
Sale Popularity Level: 469608
Studio: Harper Element
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Product Description:
John Peel very first brought Judy's moving childhood story to light on 'Home Truths'. Abducted by her psychotic spiritualist father and kept like a dog in the backyard, she went on to suffer at the brutal hands of nuns in a Manchester orphanage, before living wild on the streets. This is an incredible, heart-wrenching story of a child who refused to give up. After a childhood lived in terror, in 1994, Judy was presented with an Unsung Heroes Award for her charity work with street children in South Africa. Her moving story came to light after Judy was interviewed by John Peel on BBC's 'Home Truths'. 'Street Kid' is the inspirational and heartwrenching story of her early years. At age two, in postwar Manchester, Judy was snatched from her mother and sisters by her psychotic father - a spiritualist preacher. He kept her in his backyard, leaving her to scavenge from bins to beat off starvation. At four, she was sent to an inhumanely strict catholic orphanage, before being put back in her father's cruel care. For the subsequent three years, she was treated as a virtual slave. After being taken by her father to South Africa, Judy ran away to join the circus where she found her very first taste of freedom and friendship - before her father tracked her down. Weeks later, Judy was alone again and living on the streets, too terrified to turn to her circus friends. For 9 months, 12-year-old Judy made her home in a shed behind a bottle store before collapsing in a shop doorway from near-starvation. Finally, aged 17, Judy managed to pay her way back to England to find her mother and sisters. But, her return to Manchester cruelly shattered any dreams of a happy reunion. Determined that her childhood experiences should in some way give meaning to her life, Judy has worked tirelessly to help children in need back in South Africa in the very place she had been treated to such abuse herself. She has opened 7 centres to date.
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This book wakes you up to the realities of the world we live in. It's hard to fathom that any child could be this much abused and come out of it being a strong person helping other people in the same situation as an adult now. It reminded me so much of Dave Pelzer's story (The Lost Boy) and I was so touched by Judy's story.
It's a very sad and hard story to read, but it is also so uplifting to know that these children CAN grow up to be wonderful people that put their lives out there to help other children. Judy Westwater is one of those remarkable people with many accomplisments, a true story to show that anyone can beat any obstacles if they put their minds to it. Judy came very close to dying but her human spirit fought back and suceeded!!
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