Published in 1980, One Child was the first novel by American psychologist and educator Torey Hayden. It is largely an autobiographical work, based on the experiences of the author working with a class of special-needs children and containing themes of child abuse and mental illness. The book was written in 8 days and drew heavily from Hayden's personal writings, and was published just 42 days after she started writing.
The novel has received critical acclaim and has been translated into 27 languages. It was adaptd as an interactive opera and a made-for-TV Lifetime movie called Untamed Love.
A sequel titled The Tiger's Child was published in 1995. Hayden has published updates on the lives of the children since the events of One Child on her website.
