Advance Praise  for

“The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog”

"In 30 years of work I have never encountered a child advocate with a better mind, a bigger heart or a more generous spirit than Bruce Perry.  This book captures the essence of his insights and the heroism of his actions on behalf of children who have encountered the dark side of human experience."--James Garbarino, Ph.D., Maude C. Clarke Professor of Humanistic Psychology at Loyola University Chicago and author of Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them

 "In clear and beautiful language, this book explores the effects of trauma on the brains of children. Dr. Perry is both a world class creative scientist and a compassionate therapist. His account of his professional experiences is fascinating and upbeat. And many of the stories he and Szalavitz tell have surprisingly happy endings." –Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia and Letters to a Young Therapist

“The work of Bruce Perry -- healer, discoverer, teacher -- has been revered by those in the child protective field, from social work to law enforcement, for many years. He has been a laser of justice in the darkness of child maltreatment, a smasher of myths, and, perhaps most important of all, a giver of hope. Bruce Perry's work has not just crossed a new frontier; it has established a unique outpost to which acolytes from all over the world travel to learn how to decode childhood trauma ... not from some self-appointed guru with a new "program," but from a man of science, a compassionate genius who can *prove* how the human brain develops around its experiences, and that "destiny" is a lie. For all of this, "The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog" is Bruce Perry's finest achievement, because it gives us all the opportunity to unlock the deepest mystery of our species: Why do some children "turn out" to be heroes, and others to be predatory sociopaths. This book is nothing less than the Rosetta stone of childhood trauma. Although presented in clear, accessible language, this is not one of those ubiquitous "self-help" books. You won't find slogans or stories here; you will find truth. Anyone who wants to understand childhood trauma (and its multi-faceted consequences) must read this book. Any parent, professional, or politician who does not read "The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog" is volunteering to be ignorant. And, when it comes to our own children, such ignorance could be a fatal mistake. “-- Andrew Vachss, award-winning author and attorney, founder and national advisory board member of PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children

"The human species evolved under conditions that made it impossible for neglected children to survive.  Under modern conditions, children survive all manner of neglect, albeit often with terrible emotional damage.  Children fortunate enough (if anyone in such circumstances can be considered fortunate) to find their way to the office of child psychiatrist Bruce Perry may sometimes begin to undo the damage.  In this harrowing, but profoundly humane book, Szalavitz and Perry provide an all too timely, utterly engrossing account of these children's lives."— Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Ph.D., author of Mother Nature:   Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species

 “I have admired and respected Bruce Perry for over a decade.  His commitment to helping young children raised in chaotic and abusive environments is nothing short of remarkable.  This book is an important tool in helping us understand the critical importance of early experiences in children’s lives, and in showing us how to heal those who have been damaged by neglect. Anyone who deals with vulnerable or troubled youth – from social workers to judges, daycare workers to high school teachers, parents to politicians – can gain important perspectives from this book.”  – Rob Reiner, actor, director, former chairman of California Commission on Children

"The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog" is a personal and scientific journey into the emerging science of the psychological and biological effects of trauma on child development.  From his first tentative encounters as a young child psychiatrist-in-training through his extraordinary work with the Davidian children in Waco, Texas to his present center for the treatment of traumatized children, Dr. Bruce Perry shares his growing insights into how trauma shapes a child's brain and behavior.  Weaving together their life stories with recent neuroscience on the developing brain, he makes a compelling case for both the incredible damage that these early experiences can cause and the remarkable ability of children to respond to adapt interventions supporting critical developmental needs. - Frank W. Putnam, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

"An invaluable tool for therapists and parents, one that clearly explains the importance of understanding the role of the brain in child trauma. Also an extremely engaging read, a book filled with compassionate, caring stories by a wise healer and scientist, a volume that will appeal to all who are interested in understanding how children heal." – Lynn Ponton, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco and author of The Romance of Risk

"For many years, Bruce Perry's work has been deserving of our highest praise.  Other than the young lives he has saved, this book may be his crowing achievement.  It combines sophisticated information about the effects of trauma on the developing human brain, explained in very readable stories.  It is sophisticated enough for the physicians, and easily understandable by anyone with sense and humanity.  This is as good a book about psychiatry as you will ever read, and should be required reading for judges, pediatricians, child protective workers, foster parents, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and psychiatrists.  If you work with kids, you had better know these lessons, and there is no better place to find them explained.  Like its author, this book is the ultimate combination of science and humanity.  Bruce Perry should win a Nobel Prize."  - Joel A. Dvoskin, Ph.D., ABPP,  University of Arizona College of Medicine,  President, American Psychology-Law Society

  

From Publishers Weekly

In beautifully written, fascinating accounts of experiences working with emotionally stunted and traumatized children, child psychiatrist Perry educates readers about how early-life stress and violence affects the developing brain. He offers simple yet vivid illustrations of the stress response and the brain's mechanisms with facts and images that crystallize in the mind without being too detailed or confusing. The stories exhibit compassion, understanding and hope as Perry paints detailed, humane pictures of patients who have experienced violence, sexual abuse or neglect, and Perry invites the reader on his own journey to understanding how the developing child's brain works. He learns that to facilitate recovery, the loss of control and powerlessness felt by a child during a traumatic experience must be counteracted. Recovery requires that the patient be "in charge of key aspects of the therapeutic interaction." He emphasizes that the brain of a traumatized child can be remolded with patterned, repetitive experiences in a safe environment. Most importantly, as such trauma involves the shattering of human connections, "lasting, caring connections to others" are irreplaceable in healing; medications and therapy alone cannot do the job. "Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful therapy is human love," Perry concludes.