This book Suffer the Children: Recollections of a Child Protection Worker, is Anne McKenzie’s memoir, a collection of her vignettes and short stories, based on her experiences as a child protection worker, supervisor, team leader and manager. The narrative arc of this book is as much about what it is like to be a child protection practitioner in a government department that is losing its way, overwhelmed by the sheer weight and volume of its statutory responsibilities, as it is a moving testament to the child victims of abuse, to their pain and their resilience. There are stories that will make you laugh and others that will make you want to weep. Others still will frustrate and anger you. This book is not only essential reading for all human services students and professionals but also for everyone else in our community who cares about the welfare of children or has a role in meeting their needs or determining how those needs are met.
