Death from Child Abuse-- And No One Heard

I remember reading this when I was younger & I believe it gave me the courage to speak up against and tell my mother I was being abused some of what was done to Ursula was done to me I credit this book with saving my life I am almost positive I wouldn't be here had I not read this book

This book is the true story of a woman who allowed a live in boyfriend to abuse her child - to death. It shows also how many people the child tried to reach out to (next door neighbors) and how many people witnessed her suffering (doctors, teachers) and did not do anything. It is a horrifying account of a man's desire to control a child's behavior through evil and dehumanizing tactics. Children need to be understood. It is wrong to expect behaviors from children beyond their years, comprehension, abilities. This little girl was a normal child with normal behaviors, and unfortunately her mom chose someone to be with that was unable and unwilling to cope with having a little girl around. It is tragic. Please read it.

I just received this book in the mail today and could not stop reading it until I was done. I cried from the beginning til the end. This beautiful little girl,Ursula was beaten to death. I pictured all the abuse Ursula went through as I looked at her face on the back cover from time to time as I read. I was crying so hard for the pain that Ursula was going through my husband came into the room. The severity of the abuse Ursula suffered, no little girl should have to endure. The most heart-breaking part of the book is the comments and cries out for help to Ursula's mother in her weakened little voice. This book is definitely not for young readers. What these people did to this sweet loving little girl and no one saw the signs. No one helped her. Why didn't the teacher, neighbors, co-workers or friends see her malnourished, beaten and slumped over body? She cried out for help and no one heard her cries or they did and ignored them. That's all Ursula wanted was to be loved and taken care of by her mother. Instead every day she left Ursula with a monster and did nothing to stop him when she came home. Eventually she even joins in at the instruction of her boyfriend. When Ursula died they threw her away and erased all traces of her like she never existed. I shed more tears in the time it took me to read Ursula's story than her mother did when she died. She had every chance to help that little girl and sat idly by. I recommend this book to everyone with a child. I recommend this book to everyone without a child. Recognize the signs and get involved. Save these kinds of children from going through this pain. I will hug my kids a little more and a little tighter after having read this tragic story of a little girl named Ursula Sunshine Assaid.

I lived down the street from ursula,when i was young,i used to walk down the street every day.....after reading this book,a part of me felt guilty,thinking why i didn't pay attention to a lone little girl tied to a tree....i wonder did i ever see her outside and if so why i never saw she was in pain....i know i was only 12 but, maybe if i had noticed,maybe she would be alive today...what he did to her and the neighbor,she confided in and the teachers not noticing i'll never understand why adults just look the other way...Sorry Ursula...we should have noticed your pain and saved you.

A horrific tale of abuse of a child in Florida. It is hard to beleive that parents can be this cruel, and can consciously choose an abusive relationship over the love of a child. I wonder what happened to the biological Father of Ursula, who named his child so that she would have USA for initials, and why the Mother couldn't have just sent Ursula to live with him. The Mother and the boyfriend were not punished enough. Pictures would have really added to the story.

How tragic that it takes an event like this to draw attention to child abuse victims. There are definite signs of child abuse, and not all of them are physical. Sadly, the people most likely to see them usually ignore them: so-and-so has been my friend for years, I know she'd never do something like this OR yes, the father/boyfriend might be capable of abuse but I know (the mom) would never tolerate it, OR that could never happen - these people aren't "that kind of family." It can happen to anyone, and sadly, it does.