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About the Author

Christine Kenneally was born in Melbourne, Australia. She is a journalist who writes on science, language and culture. She received an Honors BA in English and Linguistics from Melbourne University and completed a PhD in Linguistics at Cambridge University in England. After living in Iowa City for show more three-and-a-half years, she moved to New York City where she started writing for Feed, the Internet's first magazine, founded by Stephanie Syman and Steven Johnson, among other publications. Her science articles include one about new field of epigenetics, the study of the forces that act on and effect alterations to DNA Her first book, The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language, is about the relatively new field of evolutionary linguistics starring such figures as cognitive scientist Philip Lieberman, primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and psychologists Steven Pinker and Paul Bloom. Kenneally's second book, The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures, draws on cutting-edge research to reveal how both historical artifacts and DNA tell us where we come from and where we may be headed. She was shortlisted for the Stella Prize 2015 for this title. Her title The Past May Not Make You Feel Better, won the Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing 2015. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Works by Christine Kenneally

Associated Works

The Best Australian Essays: A Ten-Year Collection (2011) — Contributor — 29 copies
The Best Australian Essays 2010 (2010) — Contributor — 23 copies
New Scientist, 29 May 2010 (2010) — Contributor — 2 copies

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Kenneally presents a truly horrific look at life inside orphanages during the 20th century. If you have watched the movie Spotlight and were gobsmacked by all that was revealed, you will know how I feel.

While one doesn't expect an orphanage to be an overly cheerful place, one can at least hope that they were places where the kids would sing 'It's a hard-knock life for us' while scrubbing the floors. [author:Christine Kenneally|192902] quickly disabuses us of any such notions though, describing a worldwide epidemic of abuse that took places in orphanages from the late 19th century to as late as the 1970s when most of the institutions were phased out. Her descriptions suggest that practices ranging from verbal, physical and sexual abuse to first degree murder were not the exception, but the norm in almost every institution in every country.

While I don't doubt the truth of the incidents that the author presents, my initial impression was that she bit off way more than she could chew when she chose the topic. Even the 10 years that the author has dedicated to this project seems like insufficient time to research, collate, and cogently present the case in the manner that it deserves. I would have liked to see her make a clear undeniable argument about a single case rather than unload so much information that I no longer know what happened to which Sally and when.

As I progressed through the book, though, it became evident that her investigation, and those of attorneys and victims associations trying to get answers started a groundswell far beyond anyone's expectations. What began with cries of blasphemy has become torrent of confirmed allegations that threaten the very existence of the institutions that run the establishments. As with the Spotlight investigation, a few reports of abuse has become thousands around the globe. In time, the full scope of the abuse became overwhelming.
from 1935 until the orphanage closed in 1974, at least six of St. Joseph’s eight resident chaplains—the priests who oversaw the orphanage—had been accused of sexual abuse. Those six presided over St. Joseph’s during most of its final forty years of existence, meaning that during all that time, there were only two years in which the priest in charge of the orphanage did not turn out to be a publicly accused abuser.

As the vast majority of the orphanages were run by religious institutions, it boggles my mind and makes me wonder if they should even be allowed to operate in civilized countries.
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Unkletom | 1 other review | Jan 17, 2024 |
Warning: Kenneally’s important piece of investigative reporting is an excruciating read. It chronicles — often in graphic fashion — unfathomable acts of abuse. The villains in this heartbreaking saga are loathsome, including the abuse scandal's institutional scoundrel - the Catholic Church. Kenneally’s work is “Spotlight” on steroids. It’s both exhaustive and exhausting. It’s also repetitive in spots. But it is repetition with a purpose. The author clearly aims to drive home the point that these horror stories of mental, physical and sexual abuse were anything but anomalies. They signaled a revolting pattern of systemic abuse. “Ghosts of the Orphanage” is far from an enjoyable read, but it is an important and impressive work of dogged investigative journalism.… (more)
 
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brianinbuffalo | 1 other review | Nov 10, 2023 |
Kenneally does an admirable job laying out the foundations of evolutionary linguistics and summarizing current research. It's pleasing to read someone with a background both in linguistics and in journalism, especially when exploring current debate.

I got my copy from a non-linguist. We both enjoyed it enough that I don't think jargon or oversimplification are problems, although an academic background probably helps. I actually think the layout and transitions are reasonably well done, especially while covering such a broad range of research. The chapter headings and the three (!) introductions led me to believe it would be far less organized as a narrative. The entire book could use one more go through editing, however. Personally I'd prefer to see more academic sections, and more concise introductions and summaries.

While I have minor concerns with framing, elaboration, organization, overall I appreciate the work. It's too bad that missing last edit will keep it from reaching a wider audience. I'm most fascinated by the range of reviews either condemning this book for being anti-Chomsky (please, PLEASE can we let go of this binary) or pro-evolution (it's a science book, so...). I guess I'm glad to see people engaging with the topic, however that gets expressed.
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Kiramke | 10 other reviews | Jun 27, 2023 |
Good book by good writer about how DNA does and doesn't affect who we are. Interesting historical background about the eugenics movement.
 
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steve02476 | 11 other reviews | Jan 3, 2023 |

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