She wasn't a puppy. Even with her limited emotional development, leaving the people who spent so much time with her was difficult. There was no good answer, and it was apparent that she would again be "abused," although not intentionally. The information gleaned from the study of her life was tremendous. In fact, what they learned from her made it possible to better help if another child was found.
It is amazing to me that people's experiences actually "create" their brains. If children are raised like an animals, as with feral children, they develop aspects of the brain that help with survival, rather than language. Our brains respond to our environment. I think that was the rational I was given with respect to studying algebra Jan 23, Caffee K. This is not in my normal genre, however for research purposes I gladly started reading this.
It was not what I expected, even with the warning I received from the lender before I got it. Genie revolves around a young girl, "Genie", who has suffered traumatic abuse and neglect as a young child. When she is discovered because her mother took her to an appointment at a local DHS office, the scientific community over reacts to the potential information they may discover about the human psyche.
This i This is not in my normal genre, however for research purposes I gladly started reading this. This is a tale of turf wars for Genie's control with highlights of her progress and regressions.
It is a tale of a young girl reaching out for love and caring attention, yet rarely receives it. I chose to rate at 3 stars, because I will not need to re-read this book because the lessons contained between the covers stand in stark relief when I think about other children who are in Genie's condition. This is one of those books that you read once, and remember for ever.
It is told with a cold objective narrator, yet the care he feels towards Genie shows through despite his efforts. He also tries to remain objective of the personal scorn he feels towards the scientific community who failed this young girl so spectacularly.
It was a page turner, yet each page I read made me dread seeing what happened next. Especially once politics and egos wormed their way into the process of helping Genie try to adapt to what we call "normal".
An educational read, and something anyone seeking to enter the psychological or linguistic field should read. Feb 21, Michael rated it it was amazing Shelves: non-fiction , biography , replaced , favorites. This is a very important book. The lessons to be learned are extreme. It is hard to review. I can't say that I enjoyed the book.
Not in a sense of enjoyment to read. This book is painful. Utter cruelty. Disgusting and enraging. Had I been the person that discovered her and the conditions under which she was existing, her "father" would have been pounded into a fine powder on the spot.
And the fact that so many people dropp This is a very important book. And the fact that so many people dropped the ball in "saving" her is disheartening. They put science first, Genie second. And in the end you're left with a painful realization. You look at how poorly people with mental disorders, diseases, physical disabilities and the like were treated in the 's, 's, 's This was the 's The feral child found in France in I will never forget this book or Genie.
Painful yet powerful story. The greatest book I did not enjoy reading. Jan 23, Fishface rated it really liked it. Wow, what a story. This is a lot more than a "scientific" tragedy.
Traces the life of a child who was accidentally discovered by Social Services after being rescued from her abusive father, who kept her strapped onto a baby's potty chair for the first 13 years of her life and beat her with a board if she made any noise.
She briefly became a star in the academic community as scientists, therapists and teachers from different disciplines wrangled over possession of the "feral child," and tried to Wow, what a story. She briefly became a star in the academic community as scientists, therapists and teachers from different disciplines wrangled over possession of the "feral child," and tried to find out whether -- and why or why not -- she would be able to develop into a normal adult.
Very well written -- explains some tricky scientific concepts in language the layperson can understand, and is remarkably even-handed and compassionate, attempting to understand the viewpoints of even the most unprofessional, dirty-fighting parties involved in the struggle for ownership of poor Genie. Jan 09, Joana rated it it was amazing Shelves: science-health.
I first heard about this story during a class on Behavior Psychology. I was so intrigued by the photograph the professor showed us of "Genie", a 13 year old girl with an appearance of a 7 year old, unable to verbally communicate yet so expressive in her body language and eyes. This story does not have a happy ending.
It is heartening and amazing see Genie's progress in learning and acquiring new skills, as an insight on the mind's ability to continuously learn and adapt despite harrowing deprivat I first heard about this story during a class on Behavior Psychology. It is heartening and amazing see Genie's progress in learning and acquiring new skills, as an insight on the mind's ability to continuously learn and adapt despite harrowing deprivation and abuse.
Genie's progress, however, reached it's peak too quickly in the book, and the political and ethical fight that ensues over her treatment and care is heartbreaking. It was a great book on the discussion of nature versus nurture, but a story that will always haunt me. Oct 28, Karina rated it it was ok. Mainly textbook style, I found it laborious and boring at times. Only when they spoke about Genie herself and not the linguistics aspect of her learning did I find the book really interesting. Nov 25, Adam Stevenson rated it really liked it.
The image of having to sit, for over 4, days on a potty with almost no stimulation whatsoever, is one that I could not leave alone or stop thinking about it.
I read this book to exorcise that image. First off, the abuse that Genie suffered is as close to Hell as I can possibly imagine. Given the probability that Genie was in all likelihood imprisoned on a potty chair as a totally fair-functioning month old, it becomes that much worse what was denied to her. Yet I also have no doubt that each of them saw Genie as a fascinating scientific test subject. How amazing is it that Genie developed as much as she did?
That she aced certain right brain tasks beyond any other subject before? That she touched so many people and communicated so clearly with a whole arsenal of non-verbal communication. How incredible is it that someone brought up with so little stimulation, in such dreary pain and horror, could be such a force of personality that it leaps off the page?
The pure curiosity, that intellectual powerhouse of the mind, being delighted by things most people ignore.. As for the writing, I find some of the detailed establishment paragraphs to be needlessly flowery but in general I found the book to be sensitive and reflective, giving all the people around her moments to speak their mind and explain their approaches. I was also very interested in the detailed brain-science parts at the end, having studied linguistics at A-level and having some knowledge of the debates about innate vs acquired language.
That we have since found out that language is a key cause for brain development and the explanation of how Genie progressed as she did and why she could not progress further, I found very interesting. Yet, those parts did distract from the core human element of the book, an almost unthinkably tragic story of a life growing up in Hell, the scars of which could never be completely left behind.
When I see how they grow and develop in the time in the school, and imagine all of that being denied and repressed, and yet still a modicum of love and support driven by a great deal of scientific greediness still prompted such a flourishing is incredible. I wish her all the best, wherever she is and that she has regained some of the joy and love she deserves. View 2 comments. Jan 24, Tom Schulte rated it really liked it. So, Blade Runner came out so I wanted to revisit the film Blade Runner and that made me wonder what else actress Sean Young had done, so that led me to the film Mockingbird Don't Sing where she played the role of Dr.
Judy Bingham. Note a noteworthy movie, but it made me interested in the real-world case of the true story of Genie , a modern-day feral child forced into that state by forced isolation, starvation, and neglect from her dysfunctional parents. Genie entered into inst So, Blade Runner came out so I wanted to revisit the film Blade Runner and that made me wonder what else actress Sean Young had done, so that led me to the film Mockingbird Don't Sing where she played the role of Dr.
Genie entered into institutional care and government protection the year I was born -- Despite the documented history of missteps taken with similarly traumatized children, this one suffered much of the same as a football fought over by careerists, further abuse in foster care, and eventually defaulted back to the mother that failed her for her childhood. From being cast into a metaphorical oubliette from her family, she was forgotten and cast away through effective neglect by the state.
Written in English — pages. Genie: a scientific tragedy , Penguin. Not in Library. Libraries near you: WorldCat. Genie: a scientific tragedy , HarperPerennial. Genie: an abused child's flight from silence , HarperCollins Publishers.
Genie: escape from a silent childhood , Joseph. Genie: a scientific tragedy Publisher unknown. People Genie , Genie Places California. Sometime in the late seventh century B. But you can easily see how these two viewpoints would clash, resulting in major upheaval to Genie herself, especially since her team were now trying to find an appropriate foster home for her beyond the hospital.
But who should care for Genie? And how much access should the scientists have? Who got to judge? And was anyone impartial enough to do so? As far as I can see, Rymer takes a very balanced view. Both sides have space to put their views forward and there are no heroes or villains, just a morass of grey on either side. In a case which has prompted notoriously vicious attacks, and even court cases, between the scientists, Rymer tries to get at the truth, which surely lies somewhere in the middle.
Yet he never forgets, and never allows us to forget, that at the heart of this tale is a little girl: a real person, whose fate is bandied about in the swells and troughs of academic favour. Your heart breaks for Genie as you read of her unsettled period after the funding ran out: the transition from one foster home to another; the new abuse; the miserable return to neglect after a period when every attention was lavished on her.
It is, if only implicitly, a powerful rebuke to the objectification of scientific subjects. But it is, also, a celebration of our quest to understand our own nature as human beings. He seems to have been much less affected by his sister, and to have kept a firm distance from the research, but I wonder what impact their childhood had on him? And of course, as a reader, the book leaves you torn.
Or is it important to be aware of things like this: to know that the ethical boundaries in science can be uncomfortably blurred? He explains his own involvement with the case and his own decision not to become more personally involved than he felt was appropriate for his position. Within days Genie would be moved into the Rigler home. Genie came out of her family's home with only the ability to say a few simple phrases. During her time in the rehabilitation center and in Butler's home, Genie developed the ability to speak two and three word sentences.
Genie, who was not potty trained when she was rescued, would learn to control her bowels in Butler's home, but lose this ability for a time in the Rigler home. In time, however, Genie would settle in well at the Rigler home and learn to control the temper tantrums and other behavioral problems that appeared to keep her from learning to speak. When Genie turned eighteen, it became clear to all the scientists involved in her case that Genie would never learn to speak properly.
The Riglers lost their grant to conduct scientific research on Genie and chose to have her returned to the custody of her mother. Within months, Irene, unable to care for Genie alone, had her placed in foster care.
The first few foster homes where Genie resided proved to be abusive, causing her to be moved frequently. In the late seventies, linguist Susan Curtiss released a book form publication of her dissertation dealing with Genie's case.
Spurred on by Butler, Irene sued Curtiss, the other scientists actively involved in Genie's case, and Childrens Hospital. The case lingered for six years, finally ending without the hoped for financial reward Butler and Irene were looking for. Read more from the Study Guide. Browse all BookRags Study Guides. All rights reserved.
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