This first-person, emotional account of a child protection service worker in New York State gives the reader an intimate look at all aspects of handling child abuse cases: interviewing parents who have been accused of abusing their children, talking to abused children removed from their parents' guardianship, working with an uncaring system, ironically designed with the best of intentions, and keeping up with the mounds of paperwork each case generates.

Lucid and disturbing, eloquent and passionate, Tender Mercies is a must-read for professionals and laypeople alike.