Reviews

"BLINDERS is a graphic in-your-face description of horrifying child abuse and the need for each abused child to have an advocate who is willing to stand up for them, fight the legal system, make the effort to represent the child's best interest in being an advocate who will protect the child against the system which tries to reunite the child with dysfunctional, violent and abusing parents. This book will wake up the legal system. It makes us painfully aware of how dangerous it would be to place these children back in the homes of the people who have abused them. These children all need therapy to help them heal and mend from the scars of child abuse." - Charles E. Hollingsworth, M.D. Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, Inc.

In BLINDERS, Jane Alvarez has painted an inspiring portrait of the power one individual can have in overcoming significant challenges to protect children from abuse and neglect. By detailing her struggles with the judicial and human service systems that are too-often overwhelmed by the magnitude of the tragedies with which they are confronted, her story is also a pointed reminder that the best way to truly protect children from abuse and neglect is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. - Sydney Johnson, III President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America

No one knows the horror and heartbreaking tragedies of child abuse more than a social worker. I was a social worker in California for twenty years and I would not care to share what I have seen and experienced in terms of abuse. Because of my many experiences, I am well qualified to say that BLINDERS, so wonderfully and honestly written by Ms. Alvarez, is a book that you must read if you are a person who cares. This book will shock you and inspire you at the same time. ;I could not recommend it more highly. - Charlene Hageman Retired California Social Worker

Quotes

"...poor Jon's left leg was bowed out so far that it looked like it was going to break every time he stood up. All three of the children were pale, with sick looking eyes circled in dark shadows. One didn't need a college degree to recognize malnutrition."

"...they (judges) and other lawyers like them, have made laws that hold them 'harmless,' not liable for the consequences of their decisions. The public can change this, if we have the will."

"...from my research, I can only conclude that the problem of child abuse and child molestation are an epidemic in our nation."

"...the detective seemed somewhat concerned, and he assured me he would do everything possible to help. I honestly thought he would report my call to dispatch and the police department would then send an officer to check out the situation. Upon seeing how bad the environment was, our grandchildren would be removed and be placed somewhere safe. I started to relax at once. My problems were over. I felt like a heroine. I had saved our grandchildren with a single call to the right person in the right place! Everything was working as it should, or so I thought."

Author Notes

BLINDERS is not a book for the weak of heart, nor was it written to blow my own horn. It is however, a book from the heart in an effort to heal the small broken hearts waiting to be rescued. It is a book about children. This book will open your eyes to the perils that children face everyday in our system. This story is told exactly as it happened. Plain and simple.

It is a story that can be reiterated hundreds of times by a variety of individuals across this great nation of ours. Some of the names in this book have been changed because of sensitive material involving juvenile offenders as well as juvenile victims. If I could release the names of the guilty parties, I certainly would, but the law prohibits me from doing so.