Product Description
Behind 3G lives a serial killer. She had some notoriety among child-abuse medical professionals, since she was the featured perpetrator in the original medical journal article that named shaken baby syndrome as an entity in 1972. The woman behind this apartment door had shaken, twisted, squeezed, and slapped babies in the 1940s and '50s--killing three and injuring twelve others. Did she even remember her victims' names? She had known, and later admitted, that what she did was wrong, but after her first murder, because of her volatility, this knowledge hadn't stopped her from striking out. This was the true nature of a serial killer, having no remorse and no ownership for her nefarious deeds. This was a national story that quickly got swept away. Lilacs in the Rain was written to bring it all back and educate the public. This book is at once the history and the beginning of what we now know as shaken baby syndrome.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 3 reviews)

Excellent Read

Shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, shaken impact syndrome, however it is described, this book was an excellent account of what may have been going on in the minds of not just the perpetrator but the parents as well. It is a fantastic read. I recommend it to anyone who wants some insight into the physical abuse of children but especially for medical trainees. The language was straightforward, powerful and suspenseful as well. A very interesting read!
Leena S. Dev, MD
Child Protection Team
September 19, 2008

Of Great Interest for all Child Protection Professionals

One of the most professionally challenging problems facing those of us who seek to protect children from abuse and neglect is abusive traumatic head injury, otherwise known as Shaken Infant Syndrome, Shaken Baby Syndrome or Shaken Impact Syndrome. Regardless of what one chooses to call it, the reality is that frustrated or angry people who unleash these emotions on infants will, as part of this, shake them. Theyt may slam them or otherwise impact their heads, but they do, indeed, shake them. Prior to John Caffey's descriptions of the Whiplash Shaken Infant Syndrome in 1972, this was not widely known. It was well understood that by impacting the infants head with an object or impacting the head onto an object, you could cause serious head trauma. John Caffey "put it all together" and a major part of how he did this was the confessions of Virginia Jaspers.

"Lilacs In the Rain" is the riveting story of Ms. Jaspers and the infants that she abused. It describes how she became a notorious child abuser, and how the system at that time was blind to the abuse. Most of all, it describes how individuals, sometimes working against the system, can make a real difference in the welfare of Children. It puts into perspective the period of time when the protection of children was dawning on the medical profession.

James Peinkofer, who is a recognized expert in the field of Shaken Baby Syndrome, has done an excellent job in piecing together the puzzle of Virginia Jaspers. All protection professionals, as well as concerned parents, would enjoy reading about his important piece of our history.

Stephen Lazoritz, MD
Co-editor, "The Shaken Baby Syndrome: A Multidisciplanary Response"
Co-author, "Out of the Darkness: the Story of Mary Ellen Wilson"
Co-authot, "The Mary Ellen Wilson Child Abuse Case and the Beginning of Children's Rights in Ninteenth Century America"

December 30, 2007

Highly recommended

A great read! I very much enjoyed this book. My son was a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome and I've often wished that there was a book to further educate the public on the harm shaking a baby causes. Despite all my research on the matter, I was unaware of the history behind how SBS was discovered and this novel brings that to light. Every high schooler should be required to read this so they would know to never shake a baby!
November 27, 2007

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