Childs, Rosie 1954- (Clare Malone)

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Childs, Rosie 1954- (Clare Malone)

PERSONAL:

Name originally Clare Malone; born 1954, in Liverpool, England. Education: Attended nursing school.

CAREER:

Worked as a nanny and preschool teacher.

WRITINGS:

(With Diane Taylor) Catch Me before I Fall: Her Colour Made Her Different—The True Story of a Shattered Childhood (autobiography), Virgin Books (London, England), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Rosie Childs tells the story of her traumatic childhood and her struggle to overcome it in her autobiography Catch Me before I Fall: Her Colour Made Her Different—The True Story of a Shattered Childhood, which was written in collaboration with Diane Taylor. Childs began life as Clare Malone, a mixed-race daughter born to white parents, the result of one of her mother's extramarital affairs. All the children in the family were neglected, but Clare's dark skin made her the target of abuse, both from her family and the inhabitants of her predominantly white neighborhood. When she was nine years old, the authorities removed Clare and her siblings from her mother's care and placed them in an orphanage run by Catholic nuns. Clare found the environment emotionally cold, but the routine helped her to function better than she had in her mother's custody. At fifteen, she had not been adopted by anyone, and was placed in foster care that resulted in more unhappy situations for her. Despite her difficult childhood, she seemed to achieve some success, enrolling in a nursing program with people who knew nothing of her background. Yet her inner demons would not stop tormenting her, leading her to mutilate herself and to succumb to eating disorders. Eventually she suffered a breakdown, made an attempt to take her own life, and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Yet her will to live and to recover were strong, and "her indomitable spirit is heartening," stated a Publishers Weekly reviewer. A Kirkus Reviews writer also recommended the book, calling it "grueling, but riveting," and describing the author's prose as "blunt" and "straightforward" yet "eerily effective," with "moments of real literary sophistication."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Childs, Rosie, with Diane Taylor, Catch Me before I Fall: Her Colour Made Her Different—The True Story of a Shattered Childhood, Virgin Books (London, England), 2006.