Description

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Wild or feral children have fascinated us down the centuries, and continue to do so today. In a haunting and hugely readable study, Michael Newton deftly investigates a number of infamous cases. He looks at Peter the Wild Boy, who gripped the attention of Swift and Defoe, and at Victor of Aveyron who roamed the forests of revolutionary France. He tells the story of a savage girl lost on the streets of Paris; of two children brought up by wolves in the jungles of India; of a boy brought up among monkeys in Uganda; and in Moscow, of a child found living with a pack of wild dogs.

About the Author

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Michael Newton is Lecturer in English at Leiden University, Netherlands. He is the author of Savage Girls and Wild Boys: A History of Feral Children (2002), Age of Assassins: A History of Conspiracy and Political Violence, 1865-1981 (2012), and Kind Hearts and Coronets (BFI Film Classics, 2003).

Praise For…

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“Newton is a supple, intelligent writer, more an essayist than a scholar.” —Laura Miller, Salon.com

“Extraordinary...[shows] great courage.” —Rocky Mountain News (Denver)

“Newton is a consummate storyteller...[a] detailed study.” —Publishers Weekly

“This is a richly referenced compilation.” —Library Journal

“A collection of six, extraordinary individual histories, beautifully navigated.” —The Evening Standard (UK)

“[An] absorbing study...he shows a keen and sensitive understanding.” —The Sunday Times (UK)