I Think I'm OK [Kindle Edition]

What drew me to this book was that it is set, primarily, in West Yorkshire where I was born and have lived all my life. I also went through the care system many years ago, so can relate to this book.

Once started, I read it through within a day or so it's an easy read, not the subject matter of course, much less to have lived the life. Christopher Kenny doesn't 'wallow' (in pity) in fact he takes quite a humorous approach. It's an excellent read and one I would highly recommend.

What a brave man you are Mr. Kenny, you have my utmost respect and admiration for turning your life around and having the courage to write your book. I hope it does prove cathartic for you and also helps to draw attention to what problems existed in the care system and serves to raise awareness and help changes to continue to be made.

How poignant so much of the writing is, one passage states - 'The saddest part is that as kids in care we knew it, we knew people thought of us as the lowest of the low....' The shame and guilt that can be carried around for years and even lifetimes by children who go through such treatment is shocking. I hope that shame and guilt is firmly passed to the named and shamed in this book, where it belongs. Although at times I think Christopher Kenny has been extremely forgiving to people who let him down badly.

I for one have no problem whatsoever in believing every word he has written.

I downloaded this book after seeing it plugged by an old school friend on facebook.
I'd been looking for something different to my usual genre so thought I'd give it a go.
I was taken in right from the very beginning. It's easy to turn a blind eye to the fate of kids from broken homes. some adjust well, others not so. My own upbringing was one of both mental and physical abuse, social workers and foster homes. After reading this it became obvious that I had a lucky escape.
There are still many things I don't talk about so for Mr Kenny to be able to write about his experiences in such a candid manner is nothing short of remarkable. His story doesn't pull on the heartstrings so much as open your eyes to what was (and still is) so very obviously a failing system.
More needs to be said and done to improve the 'care' that children receive when admitted into the system.
I take my hat off to you Mr Kenny. Long may you continue to enjoy life and family x

I downloaded this as a freebie but I would happily have paid for the privilege of this insight which Mr Kenny recounts. Sometimes it's easy to avoid something which we know is going to be uncomfortable. I downloaded this thinking that the synopsis was promising, but I found the cover compelling and the imagery presented remained. For me, that's a cover which speaks to the potential reader. A small child shutting out the wider world? What's going on?

So I read the book sooner rather than 'sometime'. And I'm so pleased I did. This is not a joyful read. Don't get me wrong, it's an honest account and it's not all a doom and gloom 'my life was awful' read. Mr Kenny has given what seems to be a thoroughly frank account of his life. His world and experiences differ from the norm, but he expresses his view of the world in a way that almost normalises some of his experiences.

One of the reasons that I tend to avoid a book like this is that I don't know how to deal with the impotent anger that it leaves. We're not talking about Dickensian Britain here; this account relates to a time we can all relate to personally. The institutionalised attitudes prevalent, and recounted largely without animosity then, remain now. How can a so called civilised society allow such abuse to continue? How can so called professionals justify their rationale and subsequent actions? It's OK as long as you blame the victim. Mr Kenny's book is a not always an easy read, but it's honest. And for that I applaude him and I urge you to read a memorable account of the so called care services in modern Britain. Please don't be fooled into thinking that because the events depicted here took place some time ago that there has since been a quantum shift. Recent accounts of abuse in the system of care providers including local authority, church and private sector will confirm that much needs to be done. Thank you Mr Kenny for your conviction in bringing your personal account to a wider audience.