LET'S STOP DESTROYING OUR CHILDREN

About the Book

When LET'S STOP DESTROYING OUR CHILDREN was first published, it was a lonely book. It was the first of its kind: there was no other comprehensive, popularly written book of this type. While other books on one difficult aspect or another of childhood (accidents, child abuse, juvenile justice) had been published, none encompassed the entire spectrum of the terrible aspects of childhood that faced a good many youngsters. And the very notion of children's rights had been the province of the professionals or the politicians of the United Nations. The book had enormous publicity and made a major difference in many areas. But, for years, it has been the dream of the author to update this seminal volume, the first on society's abuse of children. Finally, with the advent of a pioneering publisher, it was possible to reprint the original book and include THEN AND NOW, a major new review of the conditions in the book, and give many direct comparisons with those in the last few years. The rights of children will be advanced by the spread of information about why and how we, as a society, are still abusing children and what can be done about it.

About the Author

AUTHOR, JOURNALIST, SOCIAL WORKER. Also, Ms. Soman has been the editor of a non-profit journal, associate editor of a baby magazine and a market news in the field, a partner and vice president of a small film production company?producing, directing and writing non-fiction films on family subjects. At various times, she has been a columnist, lecturer, professor, media consultant.

COLUMNIST: Formerly, columnist on aging for two years for the daily Springfield (MA) Union-News. Formerly, child-care columnist for Redbook Magazine, and syndicated columnist for some Newhouse Newspapers with two columns on books for parents and books for children.

CONSULTANT: currently, to American Forum on Global Education and to individuals; formerly to Child Welfare League of America, China Information Center?1988-89; l980 White House Conference on Children and Youth, Family Service Association of America for seven years.

MEDIA: many interviews by and quotes in the press, radio/tv appearances (over 100); her articles in newspapers and magazines have been over 600

HUMAN SERVICES PROFESSIONAL: MSS from the Smith College School For Social Work, practitioner in social agencies and hospitals, certified New York State. Her archived collection (938 tapes and 250,000 papers) are at the University of Minnesota. This includes an oral history of social welfare leaders, a very large quantity of both historical and fairly current data on children, children?s rights, child development, family situations and relationships.

AUTHOR, LECTURER, EXPERT ON CHILDREN/FAMILIES: formerly, Family Life Consultant for Family Service Association of America; authored seminal 1974 book?the second book on child abuse and the first on society?s abuse of children, Let's Stop Destroying Our Children; chaired First National Symposium on Children?s Rights; children?s rights? panelist on Amnesty International?s First U.S. Human Rights Conference; in special Institute, taught Child Advocacy and Children?s Rights courses at City University of New York. Author of other books such as How To Get Along With Your Child and Preparing For Your New Baby plus the first anti-gun book for children and several comic books on health subjects. Keynoter, speaker, seminar/workshop leader for both professional and parent/child audiences. She was keynote speaker for such organizations as Erie County?s First Foster Parents Recognition Day and Texas Child Care among others.

PUBLIC SERVICE ADVOCATE: Originated, chaired and served on many committees, chaired large conferences and forums. Served on three Boards of Directors?The NYC Creative Arts Rehabilitation Center; Public Action Coalition for Toys; and currently Childsavers, Inc. concerned with prevention of domestic violence, including child sexual abuse. Also member of the former New York City Health Department Injury Prevention Consortium. Member: Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Journalists and Authors, National Association of Science Writers, Deadline Club, Authors Guild, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, New York Academy of Sciences.

MS. SOMAN, widowed, lives in New York City and has two grown children. She has traveled widely (17 states, 8 foreign countries, 8 Caribbean countries), often observing social conditions.