Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence

By Meredith S. Wiley and Robin Karr-Morse

Book Overview

This new, revised edition incorporates significant advances in neurobiological research over the past decade, and includes a new introduction by Dr. Vincent J. Felitti, a leading researcher in the field. When Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence was published in 1997, it was lauded for providing scientific evidence that violence can originate in the womb and become entrenched in a child's brain by preschool. The authors' groundbreaking conclusions became even more relevant following the wave of school shootings across the nation including the tragedy at Columbine High School and the shocking subsequent shootings culminating most recently in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Following each of these media coverage and public debate turned yet again to the usual suspects concerning the causes of violence: widespread availability of guns and lack of mental health services for late-stage treatment. Discussion of the impact of trauma on human life--especially early in life during chemical and structural formation of the brain--is missing from the equation. Karr-Morse and Wiley continue to shift the conversation among parents and policy makers toward more fundamental preventative measures against violence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871137348
• ISBN13: 9780871137340
• Release Date: January 2014
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating book, with well-researched hypothesis

The author's general hypothesis for this book is the importance of the first two years of life (including in utero) to child development, and how when a combination of factors are combined, it is easy to predict that a child will turn to violence. A fascinating book that is well-researched. I was able to understand the importance that the first two years of life have for a child, and how a baby deprived of love and the essentials for emotional and physical growth can be affected for the rest of their life by this time. If you're a parent and you're interested by this book, also check out "Our Babies, Ourselves". If you're looking for a book on how your child, raised in a happy and functional home, can avoid violence, this is probably not it. But if you read in the papers about children who carry guns to school and wonder why it happens, you're barking up the right alley. :)

Brilliant

This was a truly amazing exploration of how children are affected from birth and beyond. Completely refuting the debate over nature vs. nurture, this book brilliantly examines how both inner and outer environments combine to determine the fate of children. Using the story of teenage killer "Jeffrey," each chapter of the book outlines how each stage of pre- and post-natal development determine if children will be destined for violence from the very beginning. This is an essential book for any person interested in redefining the cycle of violence. The ammunition that "Ghosts from the Nursery" provides through direct examples, research findings, and supported theories is invaluable for parents, social workers, psychology majors, and people in general who want to do more than put a band-aid on the epidemic of violence.

A Monumental Book

If there is one book that could potentially change the direction of public policy regarding children's issues, this could be it. The authors delve into recent research into brain development. They presents their findings in a clear, understandable form. This research is then associated with what this means to our society. A case study, regarding a 16 year old boy who murdered an 84 year old man, weaves its way through the book so readers can relate the data to a real person. This book examines how recent studies using PET and MRI scans and other methods allow us to better understand the human brain. Most of the crucial brain development occurs before a child reaches three years old. During those years, the human brain is programmed to adapt to its environment. Frontal lobe activity can be stimulated by parental involvement. A lack of this activity can lead to lifelong depressed behavior. What a baby is exposed to, or not exposed to, determines how the brain forms and how the brain is apt to operate for the rest of life. A child who does not find empathy by the age of three is likely to have difficulty showing empathy towards others. A person without consideration for others has a much greater tendency to drift towards anti-social behavior such as violent crime. A baby growing up in a withdrawn or hostile environment may begin life at a signficant disadvantage. The policy debate this creates is enormous. "Liberals" may call for taking steps to see that babies' brains are properly stimulated during the critical formulative years. Outreach programs to pregnant women and families with babies should provide information on good parenting techniques. There should be high quality child care with programs that stimulate babies' brain developments. Early education opportunities should reach the pre-school age. "Conservatives" may call for getting families to focus more of their energies on their children. This is a fascinating book. Anyone interested in children should learn much from this book.

An excellent book for anyone interested in children.

This book has gotten excellent and well-deserved advance praise from a variety of sources. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in children, children's issues, social policy, or even just looking for some fascinating information on the development of the human brain (and all that that implies). It is clear, just from news accounts, that younger and younger children are committing crimes that are more and more violent. This book is an explanation for this rising tide of violence by youth using the latest early brain development research, case studies, etc. This book asks us to look at the (largely ignored in practice and policy) 0-3 age group as a source of changing this tide of violence. Abuse, neglect, head injury, chemicals, etc. all have lasting effects on the developing child & child's brain. "Ghosts From The Nursery" shows us that we really need look not much further than early childhood to explain and alter this expanding youth violence, anger and crime. There are chapters on brain development and substances that are well-written and easy for the layman to understand. There is an excellent chapter on the important role that fathers play in their children's development, and there are some excellent resources. With all of the discussion of the importance of the 0-3 age group that is currently cropping up, this is the best and most comprehensive book for the exact importance of that age group.