Two eras, two women, one story of strength and love.
1940: When Jessa gives birth to her youngest son, instinct tells her all’s not well. Her husband and doctor are keeping something from her, but what?
2007: Willa adjusts to her new job serving as an assistant teacher in a special needs classroom. At first she balks at the work she has to do - often involving bathroom issues and tantruming children. As she grows into the job, she comes to truly love her students, even as she learns that things aren’t all that they seem within her own family.
The Mind of a Child paints a vivid picture of contrasting times, disparate perceptions, and the women who shaped them. As they rely on their wits, family, and growing faith in God, their stories intertwine, teaching them that love can overcome any challenge.
1940: When Jessa gives birth to her youngest son, instinct tells her all’s not well. Her husband and doctor are keeping something from her, but what?
2007: Willa adjusts to her new job serving as an assistant teacher in a special needs classroom. At first she balks at the work she has to do - often involving bathroom issues and tantruming children. As she grows into the job, she comes to truly love her students, even as she learns that things aren’t all that they seem within her own family.
The Mind of a Child paints a vivid picture of contrasting times, disparate perceptions, and the women who shaped them. As they rely on their wits, family, and growing faith in God, their stories intertwine, teaching them that love can overcome any challenge.
Writing is something Marshanne Mishoe has loved her whole life...
The Mind of a Child is her first novel and is close to home because Marshanne worked for three years as a teacher’s assistant in a special needs classroom, just as her character Willa did.
Marshanne’s grandmother had a son with Down Syndrome, who she eventually had to give up to a life in an institution, just like Jessa did in the book. Marshanne is quick to say we can’t judge her grandparents’ decision in the 1940’s by today’s standards. "There just was no help for people with special needs back then - no special schools or classrooms or therapists. It was all up to the parents." Marshanne goes on to say that people’s mind- sets were different in the 1940’s and 50’s.
"People with special needs were just looked upon as pitiful, not as individuals who had capabilities and something to offer the world that was special and unique to them."
The Mind of a Child is her first novel and is close to home because Marshanne worked for three years as a teacher’s assistant in a special needs classroom, just as her character Willa did.
Marshanne’s grandmother had a son with Down Syndrome, who she eventually had to give up to a life in an institution, just like Jessa did in the book. Marshanne is quick to say we can’t judge her grandparents’ decision in the 1940’s by today’s standards. "There just was no help for people with special needs back then - no special schools or classrooms or therapists. It was all up to the parents." Marshanne goes on to say that people’s mind- sets were different in the 1940’s and 50’s.
"People with special needs were just looked upon as pitiful, not as individuals who had capabilities and something to offer the world that was special and unique to them."