In viaggio coi diritti delle bambine e dei bambini

Book excerpt: "Very few writers (perhaps Mark Twain, Lewis Carrol, and Ian MacEwan) have been able to give us back the true voice of childhood without falling into falsifications or distortions. In books written by adults, in fact, the words of children often take on a strange artificial sweetness that makes them lose their freshness and originality. Who could claim, then, to have ever heard or read the true, direct voice of children? Only a very few adults could give an affirmative reply to this question, also because in all of world literature children have certainly been the most gagged and silenced subjects. It seems to be an authentic, though perhaps unconscious, conspiracy of silence. But children talk, and they have always talked, though their words are rarely listened to and leave no trace. The way of children may at times seem strangely similar to our own, but they recall faraway and unknown worlds and meanings to which we as adults too often remain deaf and insensitive. Giving a voice to childhood thus means recognizing children's right to be the primary authors of their lives. Giving a voioce to children is the courageous adventure of this editorial series that urge us to open our ears and listen to this 'unheard voice'"--Sergio Spaggiari, back flap.