The Story that Captivated the Nation

Dani’s Story: A Journey from Neglect to Love by Diane and Bernie Lierow

By: Bernie and Diane Lierow

Dani’s Story is about a little girl who was rescued from a terrible home. She was isolated in a dark, cockroach infested room with only a mattres on the floor. Dani was almost seven when she was removed from the house and could not talk, drank out of a bottle, and was not potty trained. This book follows Dani through the foster care system and into her new life with the Lierow family. The Lierow family tells the reader about their struggles to teach her the basic necessities and help Dani reach the potential of other children her age. From teaching her how to talk and walk, to learning how to ride a bike, the Lierow’s tell their story of a little girl who changed their lives forever.

I chose this nonfiction book because is was similar to a case we talked about in Psychology class. It was about a little girl, like Dani, who was neglected by her mother for years. She lacked communication skills, could not talk, nor was she potty trained. This book sounded so much like that interesting case, that I just had to read it. To my astonishment, this book was about the investigation we talked about in Psychology! It was interesting to see the story from a different viewpoint other than a psychologist/scientist and being able to hear it from the family’s point of view was even better.

 When asked the question, “What lesson did you learn from the story,” the word family came to mind. This book helped me realize the importance of having a family and having people who care about and love you in your life. Dani grew up in so much isolation that she did not even know how to communicate or show any feelings toward anyone. This lack of family and love was a contributing factor to Dani’s behavioral and social problems. It wasn’t until the Lierow’s adopted her, that Dani then began to open up and bloom into a so-called normal child for the first time. After years of abandonment, Dani finally got to experience the feeling of being loved and cared for, which ultimately changed her life around completely.

As I look back on Dani’s Story I find that there were a few things that characters did that I was not very fond of. For starters, the biological mother of Dani was someone I was furious with. Dani was confined to a small, dark, roach-infested room, drank from a bottle, and was wearing soiled diapers since she was never potty trained. I cannot imagine how anyone could treat someone in such a way, especially their own child! To add to the list of people I did not like, are the child services and investigators on Dani’s case. Before Dani was finally removed from the “care” of her mother, there were numerous calls and tips from neighbors concerned about Dani’s condition. Investigators even went to the house multiple times and on each occasion, they left her behind. There were so many opportunities to save Dani years before. If only the investigators and the child service workers would have done their job and not look past the obvious evidence, Dani’s condition and well-being may not have been as severe.

Most titles to a book reveal a deeper meaning or some insight into what the story holds. This book, however, gives a little bit of both. Dani’s Story: a Journey from Neglect to Love, is a perfect fit for the title of this book. This book is Dani’s story of how she grew up abandoned and was rescued from her mother. Her life goes from neglect to love when she meets the Lierow’s who take her and help her grow step by step into a child she never had the chance to become before. They loved Dani with all their hearts and showed her what family is all about. Dani’s life was definitely a journey from neglect to love.

Hayley

Image Source: http://www.npr.org

~ by heg127 on January 31, 2013.