Living in a minority community I take an interest in all aspects of life as it is lived by those outside the mainstream and the implications for mental health and well being.
I have just read the most heartbreakingly powerful book that I have ever read. I saw it featured on the Napac website (National association for people abused in childhood. After further research found it on The Madness and Literature Network, University of Nottingham where it has been reviewed and included on the reading list for student mental health nurses and recommended as a key text for clinicians. The book 'Breath in the Dark' by Jane Hersey is a first hand account of a 6 year old child living in a minority community in the 1960's she is the sole carer for her mother who suffers from eating disorders, depression, diabetes and drug addiction living in squalor, the child is socially isolated uneducated and unsupported facing the most horrendous prejudice and deprivation.
The book is also featured on the Harper Collins Authonomy site the HC review makes a fascinating read in itself.