Most people know about Genie or at least have learned about her briefly in school. She was found in the early 70s at age thirteen, having spent most of her life in almost total isolation. I made this video using parts of actual footage of her as she progressed, and my point is really to try to bring attention to what a tragedy her life was. Not only was she severely abused by her family, but after making progress with her doctors and therapists she was returned to her mother to live in the same house she’d been abused in. After her mother realized she couldn’t care for her, Genie was placed in foster care and group homes, where she regressed. Worst of all, her mother faught to make sure that the doctors and therapists that cared so deeply for her (and who had become like parents to her) were not able to see her anymore.
The song I used is Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees”, which may seem out of place, but bear with me: Genie had an obsession with collecting anything plastic. She loved playing with and organizing plastic objects. I know the song isn’t really about that, but every time I hear it I think about her and the comfort she got from her plastic collections.
This is a story I think everyone needs to know about, not just because she taught us about development and language but because we were unable to save her from further abuse. For more information, read “Genie: A Scientific Tragedy” by Russ Rymer, which is the most in-depth portrait of her you’ll find.* 

I used three separate documentaries to make this video:
-BBC Horizon: Genie
-Nova: Secret of the Wild Child
-TLC: Wild Child

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