The Difficult Child and the Family

Deborah Spungen was not prepared to have a difficult child. From the moment Nancy was born she would scream for hours on end, she did not like to be held or cuddled, and she would have temper tantrums that were exaggerated and uncontrollable. As Nancy grew, so did her difficult behavior. Nancy would threaten to destroy things or hurt people if she did not get her way. Nancy gave her brother a black eye, would torture her sister, and would often ignore her parents' attempts at discipline. It became so bad that Nancy was eventually thrown out of the public school system and forced to find a private school that could educate this highly intelligent child while dealing with her difficult behavior.

When Nancy was small, Deborah was home alone with her for days on end. Deborah's husband would often go out of...