'We were just sacks of flesh existing as punchbags for their rage, or toys for their entertainment'
Chris Wild lost his dad aged 11, leaving him to grow up in the care system. There, he witnessed the incessant physical and sexual abuse of children, with the only escape leading to the streets. So many others like him, failed by the systems put in place to protect them, ended up with nothing but drink, drugs, prostitution and crime as their normality.
Later, working in a care home himself became the only way Chris could help, but he was shocked to discover little had changed and vulnerable children were still being failed. In Damaged, he shares heartbreaking memories of the care system along with the stories of all the boys, girls, men and women he met along the way - exposing why we must take action now to protect all of Britain's forgotten children. Chris Wild is an author, care home consultant, government advisor, national youth advisor for young people and a charity patron for twenty charities. He is a passionate advocate and campaigner, appearing on the BBC and Newsnight. His first book, Damaged, told the story of his life and those of the other young children in care he met along the way.
You can find him on Twitter at /ccwild79, where he would love to hear from you. AN EXPOSING ACCOUNT OF THE REALITIES OF GROWING UP IN CARE AND WHY WE STILL NEED TO TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT BRITAIN'S MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN. This will be a poignant and revealing narrative that exposes how the abuse in homes that many think is a thing of the past is very much still a modern day issue and we need to take action fast. The author is very well connected, counting celebrities like Samantha Morton and Denise Welch as friends, and will be identified for promotion. He has also recently starred in critically acclaimed short film To Catch a Butterfly about autism and is an artist. Comparison titles include: Baby X by Kris Hollington and Harry Keeble 42K TCM, Hackney Child 30K TCM, Just a Boy by Richard McCann 230K TCM.
