Not With a Belt, Please

This book deals with the problem of battered children, and involves the reader in the fate of a boy who feels that the entire world is against him. Erez, an eighth-grader, is a talented, popular boy and an excellent athlete. None of his friends or teachers suspect that his enlightened father often loses his temper and beats him. Only Ruthie, the new teacher, notices that something is wrong. Unable to stand the pressure, Erez tells her his secret, and realizes that he is in a no-win situation because his mother stands up for his father. Can this family find a way to heal its wounds? Psychological counseling is perhaps the answer.