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David J. Kenney is a noted speaker having presented to parent and professional groups at colleges, universities and educational in-services on topics such as healing trauma, stress management, anxiety reduction, helping children with attention deficits, behavior as language, general parenting and achieving success in our schools.
In 1986, David graduated, magna cum laude, from the University of Detroit – Mercy with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and again as a Specialist in School Psychology in 1989. He served as President of the Michigan Association of School Psychologists in 1997-98 and was liaison to the Michigan State Board of Education from 1995 to 1997.
As an undergraduate student, David was invited to the 1985 National Fairweather conference to present a program he developed using creative writing with chronic, schizophrenic patients. This project was spotlighted in the Detroit Free Press on August 30, 1985.
David has been a school psychologist for over twenty seven years in a diverse group of educational settings, from rich to poor, from one of the highest ranked school in the state to one with much less success. He has worked in urban, suburban and rural settings. In one of Michigan’s top ranking school districts, he developed and implemented programs to meet the psych-social needs of parents, teachers and children. He acted as a general, mental health specialist, working to solve problems with teachers and families before special education was needed to formally certify them.
But all achievements pale when compared to raising traumatized children to a healthy maturity. Children wounded by the world have been given little reason to trust it, so there were no guarantees of successful outcomes. Through his committed efforts, David learned strategies to heal harmed children. His expertise and insight has been noted by colleagues, who continue to seek him out for mentoring and training.
Reviewed by Carol Coetzee for Readers' Favorite
Adam MacDonnel is a social worker who tries his best to do good. He deals with a very troubled young boy, Dylan, who goes through several foster homes until he is eventually adopted aged five. He then leaves his position and life moves on. Ten years later, Dylan weighs heavily on his conscience and he decides to search for him to find out what became of his life. He takes us back in time to Dylan's early beginnings, where he is found abandoned in his crib at five months old, his five brothers and sisters playing in the streets. They are absorbed into the foster system and some are adopted, others remain wards of the state. Dylan and his brother Casey are taken in by their Aunt Patti and her boyfriend Bruce. Patti instinctively knows how to handle them and the three of them love each other dearly. Bruce becomes jealous and starts to demand Patti's attention. One night, things get out of hand and Bruce becomes abusive. The children are moved again and separated, and from here we follow Dylan's story of his journey through the social services system. The story is told from several people's perspectives, making it incredibly insightful and heart rending.
As the synopsis states, Some Way Home by David J. Kenney is a tale of love and redemption, but for me, what stood out the most was hope and perseverance against the odds. The cruelty and kindness of strangers in this cruel and uncaring world is something that never ceases to amaze us. Kindness should be the norm rather than the exception. How our society has degenerated makes for sad reading, and the child care system is often overwhelmed by needy children. David and Barbara Kenney tell the story in a detailed, touching way, recounting formative instances in Dylan's life, and insightful looks into the various foster parents who helped raise him. Jacob and Martha take on an extremely difficult situation and their story was incredibly touching. Love is a wonderful thing as is hope and faith, all of which know no bounds. Some Way Home is a beautifully written book, filled with deep meaning, heartache, hate, abuse, love, kindness and hope.
