Tainted love

In her previous book, Hackney Child, Hope Daniels told her powerful story of survival as a child of alcoholic parents. In Tainted Love, she brings together the stories of some of the kids who lived with her in children's homes - kids who fought against the odds in their struggle to find love. We meet Robert, who tries to protect his mum from the brutal rages of his drunken father - but he's only eight and he is powerless to stop the violence. There's Debbie and her sister, who are placed at the mercy of a paedophile babysitter with their mum's approval, and Abby, who shaves her head, cuts her arms, and rages against the system. These and many other true stories tells of lives fractured, endured and, in most cases, saved and turned around by social workers who fight impossible workloads to bring security and safety to children who live in chaos. Hope Daniels now advises government bodies on the care and fostering of children.