The Child Who Never Grew: A Memoir -- Pearl S. Buck

<b>A "groundbreaking" memoir about raising a special-needs daughter in an era of misinformation and prejudice--a classic that helped transform our perceptions (<i>Publishers Weekly</i>).</b> <p/><i>It was my child who taught me to understand so clearly that all people are equal in their humanity and that all have the same human rights.</i> <p/> Pearl S. Buck is known today for earning a Nobel Prize in Literature and for such <i>New York Times</i>-bestselling novels as <i>The Good Earth</i>. What many do not know is that she wrote that great work of art with the motivation of paying for a special school for her oldest daughter, Carol, who had a rare developmental disorder. <p/> What was called "mental retardation" at the time--though some used crueler terms--was a disability that could cause great suffering and break a parent's heart. There was little awareness of how to deal with such children, and as a result some were simply hidden away, considered a source of shame and stigma, while others were taken advantage of because of their innocence. <p/> In this remarkable account, which helped bring the issue to light, Pearl S. Buck candidly discusses her own experience as a mother, from her struggle to accept Carol's diagnosis to her determination to give her child as full and happy a life as possible, including a top-quality education designed around her needs and abilities. Both heartrending and inspiring, <i>The Child Who Never Grew</i> provides perspective on just how much p