The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog

This book was great in explaining the way the brain is affected by trauma.

The concepts in this book are foundational to work with children and families. While some of the case studies are deeply disturbing, Perry shares the stories of these children's lives with great compassion and in a way that, combined with the work he is presenting, paves the way for hope and possibility.

Dr. Perry writes about his experience children who have endured horrific abuse, and discusses the effects of trauma on a developing brain, and how such children can heal. The book is outright brilliant, and should be read/studied by anyone who works with folks who have experienced trauma.

I enjoyed this book. It was very descriptive and interesting to read.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in trauma informed care.

So engaging and intriguing.....also so sad at times but I just couldn't put it down!

Wow!!! Great book. Really captures both your interest and your heart.

Great book!!! Highly recommended

The core of the book was excellent. Engaging case studies were used to explain brain science topics in straight forward language. Some of the stories were disturbing but the amount of detail wasn’t overwhelming. The add ons in the second addition weren’t as well edited as the first. I noticed a few typos and the writing wasn’t as tight. The additions seemed worthwhile though. There was a section reviewing progress in the concepts in each chapter. And there was also a study guide with questions and suggested answers for each chapter.

This was a very interesting book linking the critical early stages of development in infants has a lasting effect and direct impact on their path in life. The stories used really show the impact of this early development and how it can have a profound, and sometimes catastrophic, effect on the lives of the subjects. I can see why this is such a great read for anyone interested in the mental health field.

It is sad to think about the things children go through in life. This was a very insiteful book.

One of the best books about childhood trauma. I think an important read for any who works with children. Dr. Perry provides case examples to help highlight important milestones and the impact of a caring adult.

This was a good book. I liked that it an anthology with several different stories. Thanks.

This book gives great insights into us as human beings and what we endure, accomplish and promote in a life. Great deep read!

Such a great book for anyone to read but especially those who work with, know or are parents to children with trauma. It's readable and very informative. Both scientific and heartfelt.

This book is very informative. I recommend it to anyone who works with children.

I really liked the stories and different cases very informational kept my intrest

How does trauma affect the mind - and how can trumatized children recover? This book is a must read for educators hoping to understand all children in their classroom. What I took from this collection of case studies - the story matters, a child's experiences before they enter my classroom matter. And finally, what works for student's who have experienced trauma works for all students. We don't always need to know the story in order to provide love, compasstion, respect and understanding to the children we work with.

The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog helped confirm my suspicions that children being resiliant does not mean they don't suffer lifelong damage from childhood abuse. I've heard people say traumatized children will be OK because kids are resiliant but that just sweeps their trauma, and the need for therapy to help them cope with it, under the rug. This really just leaves them to figure it out on their own and as a society we should be very concerned about that. We should be concerned about what these children may do to cope on their own. Early intervention should be a top priority. I think rates of substance abuse, crime, and mental illness would decrease if more focus was placed on protecting and healing our young people. There's a cycle of abuse and addiction that runs in families that needs to be addressed. Those cycles must be broken so future generations can be free to live better lives and be better parents and citizens. Great book. Really made me think!

This book describes the effects trauma, neglect and abuse have on the development of a child's brain.

A great read! There are a variety of stories that include neurological findings. This is a great book for anyone, but especially for those with kids, or those who work with kids. I work with kids who have a significant amount of trauma, and this book was incredibly insightful and I will be able to use what I learned from this book, in my work.

Interesting and easy read. It was a good book for our book club. I am a social work in a group with social workers and it made for a great topic of discussion.

Fantastic book for anyone who works with traumatized children. The real life stories are poignant and great learning opportunities.

This book was being recommended in various trainings I’ve attended and have had on my list of books to read and finally have. This truly is a great book sharing about childhood trauma. I definitely will pass along recommending!

I was very excited to see this book on the list, have heard so much about Bruce D. Perry, MD., Ph.D. The information is valuable, a little bit of a hard read for me and found I kept putting it down.

I have heard a lot about this book. I ordered it as it was used as an option for our staff book study. I work at a school and after hearing from staff who chose this book for the book study, I was intrigued and wanted to read it. I am looking forward to diving in.

Have truly been meaning to read this book since I was in grad school over a decade ago and it did not disappoint. This book describes the exact population of kids I work with and emphasizes exactly what I have tried to relay to my staff for years. Relationships over everything and you have to regulate before you can reason.

This book is both heart-wrenching and heart healing. The author uses personal autos to demonstrate the devastating damage trauma can do. Thankfully, there are also many suggestions that parents can follow to prevent or mediate at least some of these effects. We ALL need to gain and share this awareness, every day. The lives of so many people literally depend on it!

A wonderful and amazing adventure to understand the relationship between brain development and the effects of trauma on the brain. Dr. Perry shared his experiences as a child psychiatrist when we began to understand the consequences of childhood trauma. He clearly presents his model of neurosequential development and explains how we should be approaching therapy.

Very good look into the effects of trauma.

This book is both extremely interesting and easy to read. Oftentimes, in psychology, even extremely interesting subject matter is written in a dry and boring way. This is a book that I have used a lot to cite as examples when I am training teachers on how to handle the behavior of challenging children.

This book has been recommended to me for a long time by professors and other educators and it did not disappoint. It is a book about childhood trauma written with a clear sense of compassion. The book brings forth great depth and insight. Bruce Perry, an experienced psychiatrist, shares many case studies about kids who have suffered horrible adversity, and discusses their development and recovery with intelligence and an apparent kindness. It is eye opening and educational and will make you stop and think throughout the whole book.

An fascinating look at the affects trauma has on children.

Powerful book and deeply insightful. I suggest this book for anyone who has experienced or know someone that has experienced trauma.

This book is an impressive primer about adverse childhood experiences and how the brain responds to trauma. The behaviors discussed by the author from his practice supports the focus on ACEs and how trauma, whether one time or toxic stress over time, impacts child and adult behavior. I have wanted to read this book for a long time and having this opportunity continues to support how ACEs affects our children, adults and community as we look for ways to reduce childhood trauma among our families and community.

This book was a FASCINATING read! I couldn’t put it down. The case studies and the way the science was presented kept hold of my attention the entire time. It also gives me hope that more professionals are being trained in this critical way of thinking and acting, to be able to truly help the children who need it.

I learned a lot about myself from reading this book.

Bruce Perry is an excellent author who takes a very difficult topic and breaks it down into how therapists can help children. This is a great read for anybody who works with children and wants to understand them and help them grow in a better direction.

This is a very easy to read book that introduces the complex concept of attachment theory as well as exploring how early childhood trauma can have profound impacts on a childs' development. The stories are heartbreaking, but there is also a sense of hopefulness that is expressed often throughout the book. The authors remind the reader that there are professionals working on and succeeding with progressive and supportive treatments modalities; and the greater understanding of neurobiology is helping teach us how to create space for real healing. A good companion to The Body Keeps the Score and When the Body Says No that discuss the huge impact trauma has on brain development.

Great book!

The use of specific cases to explore trauma and healing in children and youth is wonderful. The explanation of neurobiology is accessible and fascinating. My only critique is the occasional ego that comes through in the story telling. That said, it in no way distracts from the information being shared.

Powerful book about trauma and it's effects on children. Really helpful for understanding some behaviors.

Yet another wonderful addition from Ffb that I can use for citation and resources for group therapy.

I loved this book so much. It allowed me to learn so much and apply it to life as I hope to pursue a career in the medical field.

this book provides great insight and causes the reader to think about the diversity of our community

This book is amazing. It is an important reminder that no matter what adverse childhood experiences are, a child can succeed with the right support system in place

This is a powerful account of how trauma and adversity in childhood can impact children's cognitive development. Adverse childhood experiences shape the way young children are able to relate to others as well as how they react to various incoming information and stimuli. When students experience repeated adversities, their physiological system is conditioned to remain in a state of fight, flight or freeze. Over time this response becomes toxic, and when a layering of events is present, may result in health consequences, such as lung disease or heart disease later in life. While this book is significant for educators, it is important that others in the community learn about these signs and symptoms of childhood adversity as the cost of neglect and adversity affects our community systems.

This book was very insightful. I was fascinated with his use of actual cases, once I started reading it was hard to stop. Have recommended this book to several people.

Provides additional insight on dealing with challenges that my students have experienced and in some cases overcome. This has been a challenging year plus for students and educators. Not having person to person contact has limited assessment and planning, especially for students who are facing unanticipated challenges.

I loved the incorporation of clinical psychology with relevant narrative. Very challenging content, but eye opening.

There have been many points at which I have felt that the field of psychology is too theoretical, and inadequate when it comes to actually helping people. This book is different. This book introduces the neurosequential model in the context of Dr. Perry’s experience with traumatized children, and, in my opinion, offers some very valuable insight into “disorder” that goes beyond the DSM. Dr. Perry does a good job balancing the intense stuff with neuroscience in an accessible way, all to the end of helping us understand how trauma might affect kids’ brains and what strategies he has seen be successful in moving those kids’ toward healing. This is a great book for those interested in developmental psychopathology or those who simply have kids (or adults!) in their lives that they care about.

This book was absolutely amazing, though absolutely heartbreaking. The way children's brains change from trauma is never their fault and I am glad that someone is doing the research to help them.

So much insight in this book. I have heard great praise of Dr. Perry's work and this is my first book of his. I will definitely read more of his work based on this book. Author is able to combine story telling with just the right amount of technical detail to make it very readable.

This book was life-changing for me! Dr. Bruce D. Perry was a psychiatrist who found ground-breaking diagnoses and treatments for children who had experienced trauma and newly recognize PTSD in children. He shares heart-wrenching summaries of some of his patients backgrounds and how he was able to discover and use "Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics" or NMT to treat them. By pinpointing when the trauma occurred, he was able to effectively use age-appropriate treatment (based from the time of the trauma) to replace the damage of the trauma and to heal these children's brains literally. Dr. Perry was a pioneer of the trauma-informed care movement of today. I learned just how fragile the growth and development is from birth to age 5 in children. These stories will melt your heart and educate you on how amazingly resilient the children and their brains are!

Good information for foster providers to read through from a different perspective

I found this book to be enlightening and well written. It’s easy to read and Dr. Perry uses his own clinical experiences to add depth and interest. Though the case studies involve child abuse, he provides just enough detail to inform the reader without getting gruesome. I also appreciated the author’s input on the power of relationships and his recommendations on how to build healthier communities. The flow between personal anecdotes, research, and clinical knowledge is well balanced making this an accessible and informative book for any person interested in the subject.

Very good book and insight to the way that kids are able to handle things.

Great book.

When I read the title I was hoping the book would be a boy who was loved like a family pet.

What a powerful book! It is amazing to read stories of children.

“The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog,” by Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz was an eye opening read for me. I have never been exposed to or knew much about traumatized children. After reading this book I found some of the life situations these children survived and after some expert treatment they were better, yet still hurt for life. Raising children in a loving supportive environment the way I was raised made it automatic for me when I had two boys. I’d really never thought about there being a different way. I am not naive to child abuse but had never read about individual cases the way Perry explains the diagnosis of the children’s trauma and explains his nonsequential treatment approach with a team of clinicians that helped all their patients improve their lives. The human touch to an infant turned out to be incredibly important and was demonstrated in the book when the child, Laura who at four years old weighed only 26 pounds. Laura’s mother, Virginia was born of a drug addicted mother and shuffled through the foster care system never having a long term home. She had Laura with no parenting or loving nurturing skills that mothers have that are raised hugging cuddling and feeding their children thus no “maternal instinct.” She did not know how to provide the loving physical interactions that infants need. Laura was fed propped up with a bottle and very seldom held close by her mother. Dr. Perry says mammals need those physical and emotional signals to promote growth. The term that’s used for children suffering emotional neglect like this is “failure to thrive.” Laura’s mother would take her to the hospital but the doctors never knew how she had been raised isolated and not cared for correctly. The doctors treated her for digestive and intestinal problems which weren’t her problems. Laura needed to be rocked, nurtured played with and hugged to have pleasure. The lack of this stimulation by Laura’s mother turned out to be tragic, her body’s hormonal system impeded her normal growth despite getting adequate nutrition. Without the physical stimulation Laura needed to release the hormones Laura’s body treated food as waste so she didn’t grow. Dr. Perry puts it simply, “Without love, children literally don’t grow.” Laura’s story was just one of 10-12 different scenarios the trauma children have endured and how their diagnosis was discovered with Dr. Perry doing interviews using his soft human approach to gain their trust was the initial key to find help for these emotionally abused children. I’d recommend any parent now or prospective to read this enlightening and educational book. Others will find the book helpful, people like me - who had never given this tragic part of our society much thought. It will open anyone’s eyes to watch and listen to things that are out of kilter. There is a lot of science in the book about brain development and different hormones released at different times for different things. The authors don’t make it so complicated that the layman can read and understand the main processes. Kudos to the authors!

This book was very raw and brought up great questions about coping with early childhood trauma.

Impressive book but sad and heartwarming at the same time

I'm relatively new to this topic and found the book persuasive. I hesitated to read the book because I was worried about delving into traumas. The book does explore, in each chapter, the trauma and recovery of one or more children. Though the trauma is extremely saddening, there's much hope to glean from approaches explored for each child. The discussions of trauma are blunt, but not gratuitous. For anyone looking to learn more about how to support children who have experienced trauma, I recommend this book. I didn't notice how clear and easy it was to read until the last chapter, which brought in much more academic language that's harder for a non-PhD to follow. For those that think that a child who experienced trauma should be rushed or mandated into therapy against their wishes, I highly recommend this book. I wish the book explored more about prescription drugs, and the role of structural racism where healthy relationships are so key to recovery. But for its purpose, the book was just right - just the right personal narrative, just the right scientific explanations about how the brain works, and just the right commentary.

Equally fascinating and horrifying, but deeply insightful and important for anyone who works with kids.

I've been deeply involved in fiction lately so I gave this to hubby to read. Every chance he gets he picks it up to read. He says it's very insightful and easy to read.

Trigger Warning: physical violence, sexual violence, neglect. A heartbreaking book about the encounters of a child psychiatrist and his patients, trauma survivors. Dr. Perry does a fine job balancing clinical perspective and narrative. He was at the forefront of understanding behavior and trauma in children; his discoveries have immensely impacted the medical and education communities. This book opened my eyes to the importance of childhood development. I also appreciated the updated chapter commentaries included at the end of the book as well. I recommend this book to anyone who works with children or is interested in the impacts of trauma.

This is a fascinating book.

This book was great at explaining the physiological affects of trauma on the brain. It can really help as an adult who works with traumatized children or adults to read this. It clearly describes what happens in the brain, the symptoms of trauma, and how it can change behaviors.

I really liked this book. I would highly recommend reading it.

Excellent book to understand different types of trauma and treatment. It isn't too graphic and is not just about a boy who was raised as a dog, but each chapter explores different types of trauma. It is well written and not sensationalized. Book gives you hope and an insight into the treatment for students who have been through traumatic events.

I loved the examples in this book that could really help me connect to and understand the different dynamics between adult and child. It was very eye opening.

I found this book to be both emotionally challenging to read but also very thought provoking. It held several different stories and also science and research that was written in a way that is not overwhelming to the reader. I believe anyone who works with children needs to read this book.

This book was very insightful into trauma informed care. As a psychiatric RN, I work with adults who suffered childhood trauma and did not receive the type of therapy that Dr. Perry talks about in his book. If they had received this therapy, perhaps they would not have turned to drugs and alcohol to try to escape their demons. I would have liked to read more cases, but you can only put so much in a book. I also appreciate the way that Dr. Perry shows his humanity towards his patients and their families.

This is one of the most accessible books on Childhood trauma that neatly blends research and practice into an informative and useful tool for any researcher or practitioner.

This book was a difficult read as the content was often triggering and emotional in content. However, it was also full of valuable insight and information. I would highly recommend this book to anyone working with those that have encountered trauma in their lives.

I found the book very interesting and informative

I read this with my book club as we are social workers for child welfare. This book is very enlightening and trauma informed.

This was a very insightful thought provoking book. A very good read on childhood trauma.

The book was very informational. My office used it for our book club.

Such a powerful look at the question of nature versus nurture

This book was so informative about how the trauma effects the brain and how the brain can heal from the trauma.

A fascinating description of how different traumatic events can affect our developing brains. Hearing about the author's research from the late1980s and 1990s was even more interesting when I thought about how trauma and trauma-informed practices have just become widely known within the last 5 years or so, at least in my experience.

This book has been so enlightening. It has helped me question diagnosis of the children I work with as well as help me to understand more about different diagnosis. It has provided a very detailed outlook on mental health and children. I have enjoyed reading it and sharing it with my book club.

Intense reflections on clinical experiences of child psychiatrists. Very useful for developing a trauma-informed mindset in working with children and in further understanding your own trauma.

Great book. Multiple shorter stories.

The real life examples conveyed the stories in a captivating and engaging manner. The children's circumstances were so sad and their resilience and positive outcomes left one with a feeling of hope. It highlighted the brain's ability to adapt and change in spite of severe trauma. Should be required reading for anyone going into children's health and educational fields.

Very intriguing, however not fully my style of book choice.

WOW!! This book was really amazing. I enjoyed how easily it flowed for me.

I had no idea how engrossing this would be. I hesitated even ordering because the heaviness of the subject. I think it's an important read for anyone who studies, even casually, people.

This was an amazing book. It was very eye opening. I see children in my class completely differently. This book has definitely made me a better ...more compassionate...teacher.

An easy read despite challenging content. Perry writes so accessibly about the complexities of the cross-section of child development, neuroscience, and psychology. The stories are heartbreaking but are ultimately tales of hope! Really enjoyed this book.

this was an eyeopener for me and moving on in my life is going to be different.

This is a must read, very enlightening.

This is an incredible book and very enlightening. I shared it with my mother and my daughter after I read it and they both liked it as well.

This far the best book I have read..I enjoyed reading about trauma of the brain in early childhood..

Very moving

Incredible book. Very heartbreaking, but also encouraging.

An excellent book! With some previous knowledge of Dr. Bruce Perry and his research, his book gave a deeper understanding of effects of trauma and how to support children.

So interesting and insightful!

This book gives the reader a look in to the differences of working with children who have been traumatized and the effects that has on the developing brain.

I have done a lot of reading, research, and training on trauma in children, but this book is one of the most comprehensive and accessible resources I've read on the topic. Dr. Perry combines stories of youth he's worked with and empirical research to weave a compelling narrative. I did find in the last few chapters that Dr. Perry seemed to focus on his own achievements a lot, but for most of the book, I couldn't put it down because I was so engaged. I felt despair and hope as I learned about what his various patients have experienced and what treatments were ultimately effective for them. I felt like this book wasn't just written for professionals, but it gave tangible and helpful tools for the average citizen who works with kids. I work at a nonprofit where volunteers work closely with youth in foster care and I will certainly be recommending this book to them. There is one quote from the book that I typed up and have hanging above my desk now, "Ultimately what determines how children survive trauma, physically, emotionally, or psychologically, is whether the people around them--particularly the adults they should be able to trust and rely upon--stand by them with love, support, and encouragement. Fire can warm or consume, water can quench or drown, wind can caress or cut. And so it is with human relationships: we can both create and destroy, nurture and terrorize, traumatize, and heal each other."

In The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, has a collection of stories that goes into understanding trauma and transformation. The author elaborates what happens our brain when exposed to extreme trauma related experiences and how heal with alternative therapies/interventions. This book is not only relevant for therapists but also for the any layperson.

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog is a must read for anyone who works closely with children. It has completely changed me. I am a Preschool teacher for an agency that serves a lot of families that are living in crisis. The children in my class have challenging behaviors similar to those in the book because of the crisis and trauma they experience at home. This book has given me insight to help understand their behaviors and compassion to help them.

This book is a must read for anyone who interacts with children. It contains great information on the effects of trauma and how to combat these effects.

Informative and current.

This is an amazing book if you are trying to learn about trauma & the stress & anxiety it causes in the body. Well written & filled with fascinating information that helps to understand oneself better. An excellent read.

My EC teacher was considering this as a text book for the following year and I definitely convinced her! Trauma is such an emergent subject in the early childhood community. With the research surrounding the subject, we are benefitting anyone and everyone involved with anyone who has ever encountered trauma.

This book is both engaging and educational. The newer edition with updates is enlightening when considering relationships and trauma treatment in the 21st century. If you like non fiction, work with social services, or are just curious about case studies, this is a book you will enjoy. The true care he shows for his patients is one I wish we saw from more medical professionals.

This is a wonderful book, and for people who work in child welfare, it is like a graduate seminar on childhood development, the effects of trauma, and helpful therapies. Each chapter focuses on one child, discussing the trauma, the therapeutic strategies used, and whether a therapy was effective. The chapters are chronological, so the reader experiences the development of Dr. Perry’s theories over time. I highly recommend this interesting and powerful book.

Not the best book even but still ok

I absolutely loved this book! I think that everyone should read this! Whether you work with children, are a parent, or just want to learn more about children, this book is for you! It is intense in sections but it is raw and honest and I appreciate that so much about this book!

This book was amazing! I learned so much about how neglect can affect young children and what the ultimate results can be later in life. This book will be very helpful with my CASA work! Thank you!

In this book, Perry and Szalavitz share case studies with compassion and hope. The incredible power of the human brain and its ability to heal even under some of the most neglectful and abusive circumstances is a miracle. This book should be a must read for anyone teaching, counseling, or working with children.

Fascinating and, at times, heart-wrenching. This book provides a deep look into the long term effects of early childhood trauma and what is necessary for children to heal from trauma.

A fascinating book about how childhood trauma affects a young child's mind that raises so many questions for educators and caregivers on how love and nurturing can help overcome many of the affects of early childhood trauma. I especially enjoyed reading the variety of traumas and how specific children were able to receive treatment and "survive" their trauma.

Dr Perry gives you a big insight into what children go through with trauma and strategies that he used. I highly recommend this book for anyone working with children.

I found this book very insightful. I work with children with childhood adversity and this book helps with understanding why children have certain problems and how I can try to relate to them. Thank you.

Fascinating. Recommend.

This book was so interesting and tied into a training I completed at work. I was glad to be able to use this to supplement the training and take away useful information for my job.

I really gained great understanding and empathy from reading this book. As a youth worker with a background in science, I really liked the way Perry takes a holistic view of trauma through clinical visits, real stories, and the science of the brain development. While I am not a counselor or psychiatrist, I am one adult in the chain that can address behavior with understanding and become a positive relationship for all youth, whether they have experienced trauma or not. I found this book both very interesting to read and full of useful information that I can put into practice. Very thought provoking.

This book was captivating and sad

I foulnd the read interesting and pairs well with the ACES studies and other writings on early childhood trauma and it's effects on behavior and development in later life.

A painful, necessary treatise on the damage we do to children, and the long, hard work needed to partially heal them. We all need to read it, and to be mindful of the long-term damage we are doing to children in our communities, nation, and world. (n.b.: I'm pretty sure I reviewed this book months ago)

Fantastic book! Great look into children's minds and how we, as adults can help support them after experiencing trauma. A must read for anyone working with children.

Great book. Helped me to understand trauma even better.

I enjoyed this read and would recommend.

Great read! Would 10/10 recommend this book to everyone.

Great book. Insightful.

This book was a wonderfully, powerfully written compilation of pieces and ideas that resonated to my core. Being an advocate working in a field in which children are exposed to domestic violence, trauma, and worse, this book puts their experiences and minds into perspective for someone who may not have experienced or seen this things firsthand, but are still profoundly impacted by them. It helps the reader gain insight and knowledge and walk away with a better understanding of the young mind.

This is a well written, scholarly book. It should be required reading for both professionals and volunteers working with children who have experienced trauma.

this was an impactful story of how trauma can affect the brain and give resilience. I thought it was interesting when Dr. Perry would correlate what happens in the brain when it is exposed to extreme trauma. Also, how the brain can heal. This was a powerful book for anyone working with children.

such a captivating read 10/10

Powerful. Thanks!

This was an eye-opening book to the extreme trauma that children can undergo and how to help them through the trauma and in the aftermath of extreme trauma. The author, Dr. Perry, is a child psychologist and has multiple stories of children that he's worked with throughout his years as a child psych. With each of the stories, he does a good job of breaking down the scientific information into something that is easy to understand for the layperson. He also gives specific ways that one could help build resilience for children who have experienced trauma, even if the trauma took place years ago. As a teacher, it has opened my eyes to different ways to interact with the young people in my life.

This book is a must read for anyone working with children, especially children who have experienced trauma. Perry provides so much insight while at the same time making the book a fast and easy read. The way that the book is broken down into different stories helps give a wide range of knowledge of the different responses one might experience. As a children's advocate, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Absolutely LOVED this book! What a read!!

Captivating. Gut wrenching. Well written, easy read, omg I had to pause a few times to digest, let go, and move forward. Highly recommend this book!!

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a different perspective into the lives of youth. We truly do not know what some people have gone through. It provided me with an eye opening experience. The last few chapters were more technical than I enjoy, but they explained some of the methods used quite well.

I would recommend this book to anyone that currently works with/has children or going into work with/planning on having children. This book was very well written and informative. The mind of a child is a difficult thing to understand and Bruce and Maia give us a deeper look into how it works in a concise, entertaining way. I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot while reading it. I did have prior knowledge on psychology and how trauma can affect a child's development, but I do believe anyone can learn from this book and reading the stories of the children in them. I would say the top thing to know while working around children is understanding how mistreatment can severely affect them and in what ways and how to address that and work with/help them through it. Really great book, a staple for understanding children.

A well written description of how trauma impacts and changes the brains functioning. Each chapter is a unique story meant to illustrate how challenging overcoming trauma is for children. The book was not difficult to read and the stories were engaging. It is clear the author approached each situation with compassion and critical thinking. A great read for anyone who works with those impacted by abuse or neglect. Highly recommend book.

This book was excellent, and I recommend it for all educators.

This is such an awesome book! I learned a lot from this and it has guided my learning and career as a social worker. I recommend this book to others interested in children, trauma, development, and clinical settings. Very good information - love Bruce Perry!

a must read, even if you read it years ago, the updated one is a go to for reading

This book is a good collection of stories and experiences. It gives depth and insight to the harsh reality for some young men in the world today.

This is an eye opener. Those poor little babies. I wish I could take them all! Definitely read this book. You will enjoy the saving aspect of it.

If you work with children this is a recommended read!

This book offers a small glimpse into Childhood Trauma. It is a reminder that more resources need to be allocated to help children manage and cope with traumatic stress sooner than later.

A very good read. "Hard-hitting" to someone that's been through similar "situations". Also nice to understand "why".

This book is so eye-opening about the traumas that children face and the amazing work of Dr. Perry to help bring these children back into the light. Some of the accounts were hard to read--unfathomable situations these children were placed in. But this book is well worth the read and definitely fascinating as advertised.

This book was very eye opening into the experiences of children with trauma, how it impacts their development and how hard we must work to help children overcome these experiences. The real life stories in this book help the reader empathize with the situation and open your eyes to the harsh realities that some children experience.

If you have children, please read this book. If you work around children, I suggest you read this book. What an eye opener! A must read! WOW!

Anybody who works with traumatized children or adults that have suffered childhood trauma needs to read this book.

Must read book for anyone who has been touched by adoption or kids from hard places.

An Excellent read for anyone. Dr. Perry's work is especially helpful for those working with traumatized children and their families, but everyone may benefit and learn from the unique stories.

This was eye opening to see the lasting impacts of abuse.

I was hooked on this book as soon as I opened it! The real-life accounts and teachings give such a personal view into this doctor/author's history and helps to pave the path of where he is now, both in practice and experience. I got it right before Christmas and was barely able to put it down!

I thought this book might be too heavy and distressing for me. The stories were presented in a way that educated the reader without traumatizing. Excellent information on how how trauma effects the brain and what adults can do to support kids that have experienced it.

This book was excellent! A must read for those working with children.

It is interesting to me that children who have a big positive experience, and multiple positive experiences, do not remember those experiences as much as the negative experiences, even if that only occurs once. Not to discount habitual abuse but it seems people sometimes blame everything on a one time negative experience. However, this book is habitial abuse on children that makes a strong case for requiring a license to have children. That is not a right, it is a privilege and should be treated as such.

Amazing book for both professionals and non professionals alike. Extremely insightful into the world of trauma.

Dr. Bruce Perry is a brilliant pioneer in the world of youth mental health and therapy. This book presents a poignant display about how trauma affects the brains of children, but perhaps more importantly, Perry drives home the message that consistent love and nurturing are the greatest tools for helping to heal the damage sustained by even the most traumatized of children.

Awesome, captivating read.

Great book for social workers.

This book was a great mix of brain science and actual stories and situations! Although I prefer to read more about the actual child and recommendations for interventions to try, understanding the brain science is important as well. I'm not sure that I'll remember each part of the brain and how is impacts children's development, but I was reminded that behavior is communicating a need. Reading this book helped me go back into my classroom and see several students from a different perspective.

This book kept me captivated the duration. I started it and was having a difficult time trying to read it so ended up purchasing the audio version because I was so enthralled. The book is heart wrenching, the stories the author tells are not for the faint at heart despite the mostly positive outcomes. This book has solidified my desires to continue a path or infant/toddler mental health work. Highly recommended for anyone in the field.

This was a hard read from an emotional standpoint. But much needed research.

This book really opened my eyes about child trauma and the effects on the brain. It was put into words I could understand and the many children gave me different ways to look at how trauma can effect depending on the situation. Would highly recommend this book.

I really found a lot of important incites in this book. This may be the best book I have read for a teacher in a long time.

This book has very interesting stories that tie into the subjects well.

Everytime there is a violent tragedy in the news, such as a school shooting, I ask myself, "How is it that someone can grow from an innocent infant into a person who can create so much suffering?" Dr. Perry's book provides some answers to that question by explaining the impact of trauma on the developing brain. The book is engaging and enlightening, well-written, and unlike any other books I've read on the subject. The book is structured around personal stories with information about neurobiology woven throughout. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who works with families or is interested in understanding trauma.

Fantastic book on trauma, highly recommend.

Good Read

This book was fascinating! The author mixes his real life experiences working with traumatized children with his knowledge of brain science to make a book that is interesting as well as informative. While there is some detailed information about your brain it's mixed with very relatable and heart-breaking stories of real children.

I thought this was a great book to delve further into how trauma can affect the lives of people. As a social worker, it was helpful to see how the work of Dr. Perry has been crafted through the years and through the numerous children he and his staff have treated. It offered new perspectives on similar cases and clients that we currently serve in our organization.

Compelling, empathetic, and tragic all at the same. Childhood trauma has long lasting effects.

An easy read that helps with understanding of trauma and its effects on children. This book could have easily been longer and still kept my attention.

Interesting read (or listen in this case). Through numerous examples the author provides a good reminder that positive social relationships and patience may be the cornerstone of effective childhood trauma treatment.

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to make a difference in their community. This book is easy to understand, but difficult to take to heart

This was a good book that branched the science of Trauma with laymen's terms that the average reader could follow. The stories were certainly hopeful for the future of those who have experience severe or neglect.

I read this book after reading The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris and it was a great compliment of the knowledge I had learned from Dr. Burke Harris! I felt like I have a better understanding regarding children with early childhood trauma than I did previously and the cases were well detailed. I would read more by this author for sure!

I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand the effects of trauma on children. Through the different case studies, I found it interesting how trauma, regardless of whether it was intentional or not, can shape children's lives forever. The book also gives hope for treatment once a child has been diagnosed properly.

I found this book to be engaging and educational. Dr. Perry did a great job of explaining the effects of childhood trauma on the brain. I hope to be able to use some of his observations in my work with children. I am not a mental health professional, but a little understanding can go a long way.

This book is was everything you could ask for and very well written. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to understand how youth could respond to trauma and insights on how to help them.

This book was a pleasant surprise! I wasn't sure what to expect but this book was recommended by many people and I thought I would give it a try. Dr. Perry brilliantly captures the heartbreak and disruption of trauma on the young developing brain. Though the stories are heart wrenching, he guides the reader through a process of discovering hope and healing. It was encouraging to hear that through practical strategies and methodologies, people could indeed recover their lives.

The case studies are very interesting to read about. It was good to see that even people who go through traumatic situations can be helped with the right treatments.

This was one of the best books I have read in a long while. Informative and touching.

Great book. Easy to read, informative, full of knowledge. It's best to take the author's advise and take care of yourself as needed while you read the book. Easy to read in that it's very well written and concepts are explained clearly, but it can be heavy due to the content of the stories Dr. Perry shares.

This book was hard to read... not because it was poorly written or difficult to follow. In fact, it was just the opposite. It was well written and easy to follow by building on the stories and information presented in each chapter. It was hard to read because the stories inside were so heartbreaking. The description of children as resilient seems so wrong after reading this book as many of the resilient behaviors and adaptations have lifelong impacts and can carry on for generations. The importance of good parenting, good schools, and good communities is even more clear after reading this book. Recommend for anyone that works with children (not just children with issues) at any level.

This book is a great book to do a book club with co-workers. It’s an easy read and very informative about trauma and how to work with youth that has had Trama in their life. I work in the mental health field and this book is good to read to give ideas and new was to work with youth that has expereienced trama in their life.

I've heard Dr. Perry speak and watched videos. There's no substitute for reading the book. As a foster and adoptive parent I just wish I'd had this information 20 years ago to help me understand my children's behaviors. An insightful, important read.

beautifully written and upbeat despite the subject matter. Anyone interested in the brain trauma's effects on kids - a must read.

This is the first book I have read in a long while that was hard to put down. As a mental health professional myself, it is always good to refresh my memory on clinical interventions and the ways in which trauma continually effect folks. Dr. Perry does a fabulous job of weaving clinical stories with the neuroscience of the time to articulate just how trauma at any age may effect someone. Definitely recommend.

Really enjoyed reading this book, although it was very sad.

I enjoyed this book, it was very interesting yet informative.

This text was review for me in many ways, but the individual cases and their outcomes were noteworthy. I found myself highlighting lots of passages. This book will remain on my resource shelf as I continue my work in CPS.

Extremely well written book. It can be difficult to read at times, however was very educational and helpful for my current role in social work. I would recommend.

Great book to read

This is terrifyingly real. I am glad to have come across this title. It will help me in my practice.

interesting

You should definitely read this book if you work with children or want to understand how trauma affects the developing brain. This book articulates how trauma affects the brain and gives real-life examples from the author's practice, and it tells you how trauma can be treated successfully. I would recommend reading this with "The Deepest Well" by Dr Harris.

I enjoyed the way the author correlated the variety of traumas that children and youth have encountered with how their young brains develop. I appreciated how he really focused on how trauma impacts the brain. The nurturing approach utilizing a team of people including the caregivers gives tangible, if not scientific, evidence that often times the damage done as a result of neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse can be changed. This information gives caregivers hope for children who have endured trauma. All parents, primary care givers, social workers, and all professionals need to read this book. It does require a minimal knowledge of the brain or it may be difficult to understand. It can be challenging to read about some of the traumas; however, the way Dr. Perry approaches/explains the difficult topics helps the reader navigate the novel.

Great book, I will be referring this to my coworkers. Thank you!

I found this book to be extremely helpful in understanding my children's psychology and how they are coping.

This book is filled with stories of children who have gone through different tragedies and how they have healed. It teaches those of us in society, social workers, counselors and the courts how a child can go through something so dramatic and yet teach us about love and understanding. The book touches on how the brain functions yet in terms everyone can understand. It's an amazing book for those learning psychology and not feel they are "having" to read a text book. How Dr Perry worked with and learned from these children was amazing. The story that grabbed me from the heart the most was the surviving children from the botched raid of the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, TX. To read how they were raised and willing to live that way is just so horrific. I highly recommend this book.

I ordered this book and received it two days ago and could not put it down. This book was insightful and poignant. I have worked with children that have encountered trauma and this book solidified everything I had believed and then some. It is easy to judge a child's behaviors by their actions, but not by evaluating their trauma and the history of the child, this book was a reminder to take that moment to look past the reactions. Now, I understand that the traumatic experiences changed the way the children's brain functions. So often we attempt to understand why therapeutic interventions fail and it is based on the fact that the approach we use is ineffective for children. There needs to be greater research and the opportunity for funding available for that research to ensure that children are being evaluated as children and not simply as small adults, as their brains are not formed. This book was enjoyable, insightful, and I would recommend it for those looking to understand the psychology of children better.

Well written providing many examples of how early trauma can effect brain development.

A challenging read, but useful for understanding nuances of behavior in relationship to trauma. Interesting to understand that everyone's "damage" and "repair" looks different. The group study questions in the back were a nice guide and I was grateful to be able to talk to others about this book because it's heavy stuff.

This was truly a book that changed my life, gave me many new insights to my own past and enabled me to be more understanding and helpful to others in my life. I cried many times while reading it, both because I was so touched by the stories of the people written about and because these triggered memories of my own that were brought to the surface to be healed. I have recommended this book to others and I am extremely grateful to have had it brought into my awareness. Much gratitude to the Ford Family Foundation and the great gift you offer in the Select Books program. For those of us with a background of childhood abuse, this book offers both insights and hope for healing ourselves and our culture.

This book is remarkable. I have read it twice now, and could see it used as a book study. Dr. Perry tells stories, then talks science, then relates it to another story. It is a great way to remember and reflect. Dr. Perry is on my list of top 5 National Presenters on Trauma- thank you.

Very knowledgeable and helpful information.

This collection of psychological case studies is heart wrenching. This book is a must read for any person who interested in psychological conditions.

This was an excellent read, providing real insight into the effects of trauma on children I expected it to be very clinical, but it was written in more of a narrative format so you could understand what Dr. Perry experienced and how his thought process evolved. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, and especially to anyone interested in ACEs, trauma, toxic stress, and resiliency building. I really appreciate The Ford Family Foundation making this widely available.

Love this book

Very interesting and insightful. This is one book to keep and share with others.

This book resonated with me; I was awestruck by the cases that were discussed and the simplicity of empathy, relationships, and love as a major part of recovery. It is incredible to hear these stories of how this psychiatrist was able to help so many! It HELPED ME!

Excellent book. Very enlightening.

Helpful look into the devastating effects of trauma and inspires thought about how we as a society can become more trauma informed.

This is a great book and resource. I have had the opportunity to gain insight and training from Bruce Perry resources in the past. I recommend his resources highly.

This was a great resource to help our Culture of Care team understand the impact trauma has on our elementary school kiddos.

Amazing book it was so great to have it in audio format. Bruce Perry is so amazing I cannot wait for his special with Oprah

This is the best book I had the opportunity to read about PTSD and recovery, showing the outcomes of the trauma and resulting behaviors. As I have PTSD it has been very helpful for me, to help understand how I function or not. It shows solutions that give hope...that love is the part of the answer.

As a counselor this book fully encompassed the compassion and love that is needed to love and support a child effected by trauma. This book was engaging and kept my attention from start to finish. All the stories made me want to do more, act more, and love more.

It was a great book, I recommend it.

Excellent book, very informative. I would recommend to all who are interested in learning about the affects of trauma on human development.

EXCELLENT!!

Wow. Very helpful!

I found this very interesting as I was traumatized by watching my mom be abused by the various mentoring our life including my father for like the first 10 years of my life. Is interesting to find out about how my brain is not wired like not traumatized people and it explains a lot about how I react to different situations. I just wish the book had talked a little bit more about how the effects carry into your adult life.

An incredible book with amazing information.

Dr Perry's work has open the door for hundreds of children to be understood in a whole new way. HIs work is quite remarkable. Although the content can be difficult to read, the message and lessons that are taught through this book are important for the human condition.

Insightful and progressive. Certainly a must-read for all working in mental health and education.

This is a must-read for everyone. Dr. Perry and Maia have a gift for translating technical and very important information into a readable format. This book provides tremendous insight into what could be troubling some of our youth today. More importantly, he gives some very simple solutions. Fascinating read. I couldn't put it down.

This book is amazing! I simply cannot find words to describe the effect this book has had both on how I approach my therapy business and how I deal with personal issues. Trauma-informed practice seems to be the most appropriate way to go!

This book was eloquently written and well organized. I enjoyed the timeline that Dr. Bruce D. Perry provided and the experiences they shared with the readers. As someone who is interested in social work, looking at the progress this field has made throughout the decades has been inspiring.

This book provided great insight for working with children from trauma backgrounds. I appreciate the honesty that the author demonstrated in the book.

I am a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for the Foster children in Lane County. I read "The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog," by Bruce Perry & Maia Szalavitz. The book was published in 2006, and most probably could add many scientific and case-specific updates today. Perry theorizes that early-childhood trauma affects the brain in chemical and neurological ways that lead to behaviors that are anti-social and clearly destructive. His clinical group, ChildTrauma Academy, works with hundreds of children whose behavior has been shaped by the hands of neglectful or abusive parents or caregivers. He gives 11 detailed case studies of children who were unable to function in a normal society, but who's history revealed early trauma. He then traces the changes in the brain development after such trauma, and how and why the brain changes as it does to counter the normal developmental process. Fortunately for us laymen, he does not talk "science-speak" but translates medical terms into easily understood stories of real lives. For many of these children, there is hope, as Perry begins to re-train the brain, and to encourage the brain to grow in areas of atrophy. It is fascinating stuff, and Perry never lost my attention. His cases were real, and his efforts were not always successful. Some kids had, indeed, been damaged beyond their ability to be restored. Most of those, sadly, are in prison today. Some kids adapted well enough to attend school, college, and live a normal life. Many fell somewhere in between those two extremes. But Perry proved that the emotional damage to the brain from early childhood trauma can be undone. This book goes much deeper that Foster Care, CASA, and DHS. But it is a must-read for those who see children and adults who seem to not "fit," to be "odd." Perry tell us why and advises us to look further into the history. They act the way they do because of the way they were treated as babies or toddlers. Once again we are warned to "choose kindness." Please, everyone, read this book!!!!

Amazing book, heart breaking but truely worth the read

This was a great read....sad....however a huge eye-opener

One of my favorite books from select books! Highly recommended to understand how trauma effects the developing brain and strategies to help individuals work through trauma. Great read.

Great read

This was a very disheartening book to read, but it is vital for those who work with children to understand the effects of trauma, as well as the profound resiliency of children. Thank you for providing this book.

This book was fascinating and heart-breaking at the same time. Our family is in the process of adopting through the Foster system and this book has been helpful to understand how neglect and trauma alter the brain (and that there can be successful outcomes). I definitely recommend this book to anyone who interacts (teachers, foster families, etc) with troubled children, it will give a glimpse at why they may be behaving in certain ways.

In this excellent book, Dr. Perry relates case histories from his practice with compassion and treats the people involved with dignity. He explains the effects of trauma on the brains of children at various developmental stages in an easy-to-comprehend way. He also offers hope for healing.

Heartwrenching but really informative

Dr Perry not only shares the science of trauma in a digestible format but connects the dots between brain science and real life stories. This is a book well worth having on your bookshelf.

This book was a compelling look into the experiences of traumatized children. As a special education teacher, I believe it is a necessary read for all educators. The case studies provided a unique and individualized perspective, allowing the reader to gain a well-rounded view of the trauma and life experiences each child experienced. The author was able to effectively write about a difficult topic, while also adding in their heartfelt beliefs, intertwined with science. Ultimately it gives the reader practical knowledge which can be used in any practice that works with traumatized children.

As a CASA advocate dealing with many children who have faced the same types of trauma in their lives of abuse and neglect, this book was amazing insight as to how the brain develops at different stages and making those connections to help those in care.

I find this book very interesting and would recommend it to my friends

I really enjoyed this book. I appreciate the variety of examples of how children are impacted by trauma, the different ways trauma manifests later on in years and the creative approaches to help with healing. I love the emphasis on human touch and emotion in the healing process and the idea that treatment is so much more than throwing medication at kids. This coming from a psychiatrist gave me a lot of hope. I also felt some closure with the fact that many of the youth checked back in later in life, reporting that they were doing well. So rarely do we, as treatment providers get that feedback. Overall, I recommend the book for those working with trauma impacted people.

Extremely eye opening.

All children are different and there is no one size fits all parenting guide out there, but there are studies and evidence on how life experiences and stresses can impact a child’s developing brain. Dr. Perry’s personal and professional glimpse of trauma, whether it be physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect, may be a difficult read for some, but a necessity for those who work in the field. His text serves as an experiential account of how a child’s brain has a balance that can be chemically and progressively altered without proper care and parenting. He brings back flashes of undergraduate studies, including the star-studded authoritative parenting style and concern with the intermittent style of parenting. As well as John Bowlby and his studies on attachment with monkeys. To start, recovery starts with rebuilding safe and loving relationships in and out of therapy. Social learning theory… it is more than just a theory. I recommend this book.

This book was a great read! Very interesting and taught me a lot about the mind!

Very fascinating and interesting! This book describes how early life stresses and violence can do terrible things to a developing mind. One can agree that we should consider the child's family dynamics as a whole before really understanding the child's problems. MZamarripa RMA, Care Coordinator, CHW

Remarkable book. Dr. Perry offers such great insight into the brains of traumatized and neglected children. It really was fascinating and I read it quickly because I was so enthralled with the methods and ways he treated the children and was able to clearly see what they needed. It's a keeper for sure.

This an amazing book! I highly recommend this to anyone who works with children. It does a great job explaining long-term results adverse childhood . It is a well-written for anyone to read and understand!

This was an excellent book about childhood trauma and the effect on people's lives. Although it explained some of the scientific research behind this, it was also very readable and I believe most people would learn from the book. It was so helpful to me that I have now signed up for a Certification course on Trauma informed care

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It explains the author's ideas about how childhood trauma shapes the brain through moving case studies. In addition, it chronicles his own evolution of thought in understanding effective childhood psychiatry. The callousness of some earlier approaches to childhood trauma is disturbing reading at times. Dr. Perry was called to minister to children involved in key news stories so he provided a new perspective on those events.

I selected this book to learn more about my own brain development. I was raised in what looked like a "normal" family but the high level of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and dysfunction resulted in behaviors similar to those explained in Dr. Perry's book. For instance, the inability to speak in whole words well into high school, although I had no problem comprehending what others said. Zero class participation. Dissociation during beatings and stressful situations. Using a repetitive special hair tug to cause a lightning bolt spasm that began in my skull but shocked my entire body into numb paralysis. I'd do that over and over as delicious relief, but it left me exhausted. I had a very alert startle reflex. I was fractured into two parts--the outside me got me through life in the "real" world; the inner me huddled deep inside, frightened, hiding. The outer and the inner parts never communicated, never acknowledged the other was there. They ignored each other and I got by. Crying was my normal response whenever anyone, including strangers, spoke to me directly. What saved me? A personal relationship outside my home starting when I was 15 years old and enrolled at the High School of Music & Art in New York. A boy, for some obscure reason, fell in love with the silent, crying girl and paid attention to me. He helped me practice words until I could speak in sentences. He was gentle and protective and caring. It was a marvelous 2.5 years -- until I escaped NYC to go to college at the University of Iowa Writers Workshop. I had to leave that boy, which broke his heart. I've carried his love with me all my life. He occasionally still visits me in dreams. Like an angel, he saved my life. He says I saved his. I think we saved each other. A few years ago, I wrote a novel about that life, as a love letter to him. The book is called, "Riva Beside Me." I helped adapt it to a stage play at the urging of the director and producer. There was a full production (5 teenagers & 3 adults in cast) in March & April of this year at the Newport Performing Arts Center. A video (produced using 2 to 3 cameras at five of the shows) will be sent to all Lincoln County high schools and our community college, as well as to county agencies that deal with kids who have been abused or neglected. Reading Dr. Perry's book was powerful for me because it validated how resourceful a child can be, how resourceful I was, developing marvelously effective coping mechanisms in order to survive. But, he's right, it takes human relationship to humanize the surviving creature.

Grab your highlighter and dive into this gripping collection of true stories by Dr. Bruce Perry, child trauma expert. A must-read for anyone working with children, it should be required for all counselors, teachers and school staff. Dr. Perry presents facts and theory in a manner accessible to everyone while challenging myths and misconceptions on how to help traumatized children. The only disappointment is that there are no easy answers or protocols. He shows us that each case is so individualized, but an overall theme does exist to guide us in our healing of children and adults alike. If you care about children, please read and share this book.

This book was exceptional- a must read for anyone working with children, in social justice, or are interested in empathy and the human experience. Dr. Perry tells the story of amazing children who have helped shed light on the neurological affects of trauma, while tying in the issues with our social construct, and provides suitable treatment strategies. Its a heartfelt book that I couldn't put down and could easily influence aspects of your daily life.

I sat down to read a couple of chapters and nearly finished it in one reading. It's that compelling. The author tells true (and often heartbreaking) stories to bring his research to life. Highly recommended.

Insightful and encouraging once you get past being upset with our system. We are so quick to place a title on a child/person and declare it done. When we make the time to act with empathy, compassion, and patience it is amazing the outcomes which are possible. The brain is an incredible mechanism with so many intricacies. I suspect we'll be forever learning new ways to understand what makes the brain function as it does and way to nurture and manipulate the healing processes which are possible when dealing with the circumstance which interrupts a normal brain function. An interesting read and one which opens your eyes to possibilities where you might otherwise feel there are none.

This book is heart breaking but the brain science is fascinating! I will be taking things from this book and putting them into my school counseling practice! It's incredible and I recommend that EVERYONE who works with kids, in any setting, take the time to read it!

Thought provoking! Interesting to learn the different elements that each of us have that shape the way we see and react to any given situation. No wonder there are so many different opinions on how to accomplish any act.

This book is written in an engaging but informative manner, and it helped me to better understand many of the troubled youth in our community. I would urge anyone in the education or childcare business--or anyone who comes into contact with youth--to read this book.

Children's unbelievable circumstances seem like fictional accounts until it sinks in that Dr. Perry beautiful prose isn't fiction but real-life accounts. Neuroscience is a fascinating study and will hopefully/eventually lead to abused/neglected children's more complete emotional healing . In the meantime reading The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog is a crucial first step for non-professionals' better understanding of brain function. Put this book on your Top Ten Best Reads!

this was a very emotionally insightful book for me. as a survivor of abuse and trauma, the subject matter sent me reeling a bit - but the outcome and information displayed was invaluable.

Wow this book is very interesting. Some of it isn't new to me as I studied psychology and am a Victims Advocate, but I'm definitely still learning a lot from the author. I'm not finished with the book yet, but once I am, I plan to pass it on to coworkers because I think it's a beneficial to read for people of all professions who work with children and/or adult survivors of child abuse.

interesting book..makes you think!

In this well-written, fascinating book, Dr. Perry shares his experiences working with emotionally stunted and traumatized children, educating readers about how early-life stress and violence affects the developing brain. Perry provides a simplified illustration of the brain's stress response system. He emphasizes that the brain of a traumatized child can be remolded with patterned, repetitive experiences in a safe environment. His stories exhibit compassion and hope, as he shares the often painful details of patients who have experienced violence, sexual abuse and neglect, and the systems that have failed them. He reminds us through comparisons of different case studies, that though many critically traumatized children can be helped, the earlier the intervention, the better the chance of the patient growing up to have a full and productive life. Additionally, a complete family history is necessary to know when and for how long the trauma occurred, in order to meet the missed stage in brain development. Perry's unconventional and humane approach to childhood trauma and it's affects has clear ramifications for how we can look at behavioral health and wellness.

Wow. This book brings understanding to consistent, universal experiences with "difficult" patients, or people in general. While the people highlighted in this book represent some extreme circumstances, the concepts and underlying information presented is quite applicable to everyday interactions.

I gave this book to a friend to read as well, so much insight into trauma related situations and what that can look like in a child. It's not always just about the behaviors.

This book was beautifully written! Very informative! I recommend this book to anyone who works with children that have been hurt.

I am a foster mother and have been for 50 years. The book was very good and right on the mark I believe. I would recommend this to any person working with children wither they have had a troubled past of not. Thank you for offering this book to read

At times this book was devastatingly difficult to read; and then it would suddenly buoy me up on waves of hope and opportunity. I learned much about the science of the early (age 0 - 2) human brain and how it develops. The book is perfect for the lay person; each chapter develops the information a little bit more and presents an appropriate case study. By the end the author is tying everything together and reinforcing what you know. Then, the challenge of what we can do in our communities to help ensure all children get the best start in life possible. It's forward looking and both easier and more challenging that you might imagine. This book belongs everywhere because all of us need to care about the children and their parents.

As disturbing as the case studies were, I could not put this book down. It was very well written, and did well to describe the care plan for the children I a clear and concise manner.

An absolutely remarkable book about childhood trauma and healing. The stories that illustrate the context of the book are heartrending, and the authors write without muddling down in jargon, science, or technical terminology. An excellent book.

Outstanding Book!! Offers reasons for behaviors other than the "obvious"= easiest. Gentle ways to make a difference

An extremely powerful read. I recommend it for all mental health clinicians, teachers, and therapists. "Relationships matter: the currency for systemic change was trust, and trust comes through forming healthy working relationships. People, not programs, change people" (p. 80). It is a wonderful guide to thinking about how our relationships impact those around us.

Dr. Bruce Perry amazes me again with his valuable work! The real life stories are heartbreaking, yet eye-opening.

"The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog" have taught me a lot of how we raise kids is affecting our society. We need to dedicate time and provide a lot of love to our kids for them to be good human beings and provide to our society. Most of the examples provided in the book are from children who suffered in one way or another some form of abuse or care and love was neglected. Some parents create unnecessary traumas to their kids because of the ignorance of lack of knowledge about how the brain works. After reading this book I am more aware of how the brain works and what we need to do to raise healthy kids. I will not make some of the mistakes described in the book. Thank you for providing me this education. I will also communicate all my learning to my friends and family members who have kids.

I've been looking forward to reading this book since I read the description on this site. I work as an advocate for a domestic violence agency, and while my clients are adults, I've always had a deep interest in the affects of trauma on children. Within the advocacy world, there's been a rising focus on the neurobiology of trauma, the effects of trauma, "trauma brain", etc. Sometimes I struggle with the way it is presented in trainings and conferences. Even as a lay person, neurobiology seems far more complex than a 30-minute module can possibly satisfy, and I wonder if over-simplifying can do more harm than good, deputizing people without any real psychiatric experience (a group of which I count myself) to diagnose trauma in their work with vulnerable people. That is one of the reasons Dr. Perry's work, and his writing here, are so fascinating. There's such focus on the complexities of the brain, how it develops, what is impacted by early trauma, but also the unknowables of the brain even today. It's an accessible discussion on neurobiology, but it also lays out the extreme complexities, even as it's accessible. But the best part is the sensitivity and compassion with which that the case studies are presented. I am always leery of descriptions of extreme abuse that often turn lurid and detailed, because that's what draws people in. The descriptions of the children in this book were straightforward and gave enough detail to understand the basics of the case, but didn't dwell on the horrific details. Instead, the focus was always on how the case study illustrated a larger truth about trauma and biology and the brain, making it a "teachable moment" without minimizing the abuse itself. Several cases, such as the child from the Russian orphanage and the boy who saved himself and his siblings from a mother with Manchausen's by Proxy Syndrome, had me in tears just by virtue of how compassionate and resilient the children were, and the people who loved them had to be. That's what made a book filled with subject matter that might otherwise have been too draining to get through, bearable. The underlying hope and optimism for humanity that Perry clearly has, regardless of all the cases of abuse he has witnessed throughout his career. The focus is not on darkness, but on the capacity for humans to heal and triumph.

Books describing clinicians' work with kids who've grown up in especially challenging circumstances tend toward extolling the virtues of a particular approach to therapy as a means to redeem any child, regardless or experience, ability, or the skills of a given practitioner. This book is a little more circumspect, exploring both the author's evolution and the differences between the circumstances of therapy. While each chapter does have pretty much the same narrative arc as the last, the stories, physiological underpinnings, and psychosocial explanations come through are still compelling. This could be a useful book for professionals, volunteers, or foster parents who feel stuck in a given approach!

Insightful. I hope this will help me heal myself and others.

A fascinating read that reminds us how much of children's "bad" behavior is learned responses to dealing with trauma. Insightful without being preachy.