When Darren was only six years old, he had already known more turmoil and trouble than most people suffer in a lifetime. Black, physically handicapped-having been born with a badly disfigured face, no left eye and a cleft palate, he never knew his father. And soon after his birth, his mother turned him over to the impersonal attentions of charity and the state. Yet today, Darren is a bright, lively and intelligent boy who enjoys life and charms everyone who meets him. The Phoenix Child is the story of Darren and the possibilities for his future in spite of his near disastrous start. It is also an account of an unusual experiment to rescue some of America's abandoned handicapped children and, at the same time, showing what can be done to save them. ln it the author tells how Darren, one of seven children with no homes of their own, was selected to live in a special residence near the famed Human Resources School for the physically disabled and how, after a fire in the residence, he came to live with a foster family-white and Jewish. The author describes the warm and charming mutually beneficial relationship of this black ghetto child with Stefanie, the college-age daughter of the middle-class family who care for him. The account also presents an inspiring picture of this famed school which offers an academic program and emotional growth to children afflicted with various physical disabilities. And in broad terms it nudges society to face up to the problems of providing a good education and a real world for such youngsters.
