【2016-07-08，五】ESL Podcast 1223 – Experiencing a Difficult Childhood

Growing up is hard to do, especially under the circumstances you’ll hear about in this episode. Tags: Relationships Audio Index: Slow dialog: 1:41 Explanations: 3:45 Fast dialog: 17:25 Morris: Congratulations on finishing your latest book. What’s it about? Toni: It’s about a girl whose parents abandoned her at birth and who ends up living on the streets. She experiences abuse and is put in juvie. Morris: Wow, that sounds heavy. Wasn’t your last book about children whose parents served time in prison and who lived in fear of bullies in their neighborhood? Toni: Yes, I wrote that after my first book, which was about a brother and sister who lived in an impoverished home traumatized by events beyond their control. Morris: Do you ever write about happy childhoods? Toni: I do write about happy childhoods. All of the children and teenagers in my books are very resilient. They are survivors. Morris: I was thinking about children who have normal childhoods with two parents living in the suburbs. Toni: You call that normal? You think they’d be happy? I bet there’s an underbelly of crime and misery in most seemingly perfect families. Morris: I’ve no doubt that if that were true, you’d be the one to write about it. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse