Richard Gelles, a leading expert on family violence and author of 11 books on the subject, is the director of
the Family Violence Research Program at the University of Rhode Island, where he is also a professor of sociology
and psychology.
Review
"By focusing on the events surrounding one child's needless death, Richard Gelles compellingly illustrates
the flaws of the current child welfare system. This is a riveting and insightful book, and one that offers practical
alternatives to a protective services system that sometimes acts to preserve the family unit at the cost of a child's
safety."
--Edward Zigler Yale University, author of Head Start
Perseus Press Web Site, November, 2000
Summary
Richard J. Gelles was once one of the most widely published and vocal defenders of family preservation: the
social policy of keeping troubled families together as a primary goal. He then ran into the true and tragic case
of David Edwards, an infant who was murdered by his mother after falling through the chasms in the child welfare
system.
David's story convinced Gelles, and will convince any reader of The Book of David, that the system must
change. Nearly half the children who are killed by their parents each year are killed after they have come to the
attention of child welfare agencies. These children must be protected by getting them out of harm's way. That means
a radically new child welfare system must be developed. The first priority must be to protect children rather than
preserve families.
The Book of David shows the flaws in current approaches and charts a path to a new child-centered approach.
