Wow.

Woke up this morning in the fetal position, struggling through some of the worst cramps i've had in a long time. Took 3 ibuprofen and worked my way through a strong cup of coffee, to help the painkillers do their job. This was almost two hours ago. Along the way i became utterly transfixed by the story of Dani, a 6-year-old "feral child" who was discovered by authorities in Florida in 2007.

As my feeble attempt at a description or encapsulation could not possibly give this story the justice it deserves, here is a link to the article in the St. Petersburg Times (photographer Melissa Lyttle won an award for her documentation).



Another "wild child" case (these are both American, but there are plenty of others) involves Genie, a 13-year-old who was found in Los Angeles in 1970. Her story actually inspired a NOVA documentary, the transcript of which can be found here. Around the same time as Genie's discovery, François Truffaut's l'Enfant Sauvage (US: Wild Child) premiered in France. The film is based on the true story of Victor, a "feral child" who emerged from the woods in France around 1800. It was seen by Genie's doctors as an interesting counterpoint to the questions and treatment options surrounding her rehabilitation.

Along with the obvious references to Kaspar Hauser and Romulus and Remus, there are some interesting questions raised here about language, humanity, neurobiology, compassion, morality, and love. Fascinating stuff, it is.

Anyway, read at your own risk! A lot of these stories are not for the faint of heart (or those short on time).