Böcker av Kieran O'Hagan

Beethoven was a musical genius. He has given pleasure to millions. What is less well known is that he removed a nine-year-old child from his mother and embroiled himself in one of the most bitter, protracted custody disputes in childcare history. Karl van Beethoven was the only child of Johanna and Kaspar van Beethoven, the composer's brother. When Kaspar died, Beethoven was determined that Karl did not remain under his mother's care. He loathed Johanna. He frequently referred to her as 'poison', claiming she had infected Karl with her 'poison'. Beethoven was awarded guardianship over her child. Thereafter, his behaviour towards Karl, described in his own letters, in the observations of his contemporaries, and in court testimonies, constitutes one of the earliest, most comprehensive records of emotional and psychological abuse. This is the story of a child's resilience and survival in the face of cruelty and intolerance, and of Beethoven's failure to sever him from the mother he loved. It is a fictionalized memoir based on documented fact.

The principal objectives of this book are to enable childcare workers to understand and deal more effectively with cases of emotional and psychological abuse. The book identifies emotional and psychological development and abuse in specific age categories, 0-4, 5-12, and adolescence.

The right of minority groups to define their culture and identity in their own terms is the central theme of this book. O'Hagan argues that a comprehensive definition of culture, and an awareness of all the issues involved, may enable practitioners to fulfil their statutory obligations more effectively.

... this book could only have been written by a social worker. It is full of energy, laced with pathos and humour, and the warts are not only visible but highlighted. It offers a thoughtful, down-to-earth view of crisis work in one social services team.' Paul Reading, Oxford MIND