Prejudice, Abuse and Disease: Child faces hardship with resilience and courage

LONDON - According to ChildHelp.org, a report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. They also state that 80% of 21 year olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.

Pulling from his personal research and experience, author Dave Hamilton's new book, Duncy, tells the story of Diddy, a black child growing up on St. Vincent Island in the Caribbean and United Kingdom. The only black child in his suburban United Kingdom class and unloved and abused by his mother, Diddy faced hardship both at home and at school.

Rising from abuse and disease, Diddy faces his hardships with bravery and courage. Through his story, Hamilton gives hope to other children like Diddy and shed light on the prejudice and abuse that is still being passed down from parents, whether it is acknowledged publicly or not.

Set in the 1960's, the story is based loosely on Hamilton's own life experiences.

"The treatment, which was commonplace in that time, would be considered emotional and physical abuse today," says Hamilton. "Equality is essential. When we begin to see others as less than ourselves, our behavior can become destructive."

Hamilton hopes that the book changes the perspective of those who have turned a blind eye to child abuse, whether emotional or physical.

"In every relationship, there are disagreements, heartaches and pain," says Hamilton. "It is often the people closest to us that hurt us most."


About the Author
Born on the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, Dave Hamilton witnessed the culture and the people in Duncy firsthand. Based loosely on his own life experiences, Hamilton hopes the story sheds light on the abusive practices of many parents in West Indian culture. He currently lives in Croydon, Surrey with his wife, Julia. This is his first book.
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