Great book of psychology of the story of Tommy. It's a very interesting book. I'm a great fan of The Who and I think that book is worth it.  

This is a truly fascinating study of the intersection between music and learning, of expanding knowledge in one area being applied to expanding abilities in another. The personal experiences and sympathies of the author, as well as his encyclopedic knowledge of The Who, and the rock opera "Tommy," give this book a broad and absorbing base on which to build a cogent argument for the inclusion of music, and in fact all the arts, in a truly comprehensive education for all students, and most especially for those with varied learning disabilities. Every schools administrator in the country should read this book, and fight against the elimination of music and the arts from our elementary and secondary schools.

"TOMMY WROUGHT: A MUSICAL REFLECTION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS - Peter Felton.A fascinating read that connects the lyrics of The Who's 'Tommy' to the struggles of special-case children of today and yesterday. Felton's book is academic but personal, relating many of his own experiences in work & life."  —“Staff Recommends” Review by Amoeba Music, San Francisco; posted on store bookshelf circa 1/14/16

This longtime, hard core fan of The Who approves of Peter Felton's invigorating book!  
When looking online to see if there was anything new written about The Who, I came across this book and decided to take a look at the sample. Having been a diehard fan of The Who ever since they released their first hit single "I Can't Explain" in 1964, reading this book and absorbing Mr. Felton's quite articulate and philosophical writing style resembled the emotions drawn from the outcome of the average experience one gets from listening to The Who: intense, fiery, outspoken, energetic, thought-provoking, dense, fueling a burning desire on the part of the listener/reader to come back for more!  
The magical component of Tommy Wrought is that it utilizes world history (namely that of World Wars I and II), England, and one of its most powerful products in The Who and their landmark music, to bring an ongoing complex issue in society into a clearer-than-ever perspective: children plagued with life-altering conditions that hinder their social, academic, and familial outlooks. In The Who's Rock Opera, Tommy, the protagonist is a young boy around the age of ten who is dubbed "deaf, dumb and blind" by those in his immediate surroundings every time he appears physically, but remains silent verbally due to his assumed inability to communicate in such a manner. As evidenced in every chapter of his book, Felton utilizes this concept brilliantly in tandem with his own growing experiences teaching children every single day who possess conditions along the lines of autism, ADD, ADHD, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and the like, to call attention to the true roots of 21st Century children with special needs and their troubling setbacks. Although Tommy the Rock Opera is now nearly 50 years old (having been originally conceived by The Who's lead guitarist-and-primary songwriter Pete Townshend in 1968, and then officially released to the public in 1969), the issues presented within the musical conceptual creation remain as relevant to the youth of the world today as they did to the select few children of sorts back in the day. Throughout his conscientious literary work, Felton draws upon notable themes in the Rock Opera Tommy (technology, child abuse, religion, wartime) and their effects on the title character therein and convincingly correlates them to the questionable outlooks of children of today. Clearly, as Felton shows in a praiseworthy tone (as he too is a diehard Who fanatic, albeit much younger than me), The Who and their pioneering Rock Opera were vastly ahead of their time in many regards! Even at my advanced age, after reading this book, I have begun to look at the above pressing issues from alternate angles. I personally am astounded as to how Felton does not hold back when pointing fingers at parties who are largely to blame for these self-instituted realities. He rightly argues that if people (namely grown adults in the form of parents) learned from their past and paid closer attention to those individuals before them who are crying out for help and attention, without being in denial of what lies before them on the human front, the world would be a far more knowledgeable, aware place of being.  
Since my grandson is autistic and his parents are struggling with how to handle the situation at hand, I have recommended that my daughter and son-in-law read this book together. They and other families will surely find answers to all their questions.

This is an impassioned look at how society constrains people, and music sets them free.

Tommy Wrought: A Musical Reflection Of Children With Special Needs by Peter Felton is about how one man found a sense of identity and comfort through music, and the hope that others can do the same.

The author relates his experiences with the painful effects of narrow societal definitions, particularly of common limiting terms like ADD, Bipolar Disorder, and Autism Spectrum. Yet he has also experienced the freedom that comes through music. Through a detailed examination of the rock opera Tommy, written by Pete Townshend of The Who, Felton draws a comparison between the damage and disunity caused by narrow expectations for present and former military, as depicted in the opera, and for children with diverse strengths and needs. Along the way he presents a healthy dose of WWII era history and other U.S. history. The book is organized into chapters that focus on main themes like politics, parenting, bullying, and technology, through which it examines Tommy and the author’s own related experiences.

The life and experience of the character Tommy are presented as moving, and the book displays a wide range of knowledge on topics from history to religion to education. The text’s motivations, and its particular focus on Tommy, are largely left unclear until the section called “Tommy Within The Author, His Life and Work” at the end of the book. There, Felton discusses the particular situations that have given him the same challenging thoughts and emotions as Tommy—challenges that were eased through the musical. This personal narrative element is underused in the rest of the book, making it tough to connect to Felton’s thoughts and feelings elsewhere, since they’re so often conveyed in relation to Tommy, and not to the author’s own life.

The writing is full of passion and emotion, but that leads to wordiness, overly long sentences, and an often unclear message. There are many descriptions of scenes from Tommy that lack a clear sense of the significance of each for the author or the audience. Footnotes—sometimes side notes about the scene being discussed or historical notes—contribute to the scattered feeling of the book.

The book is guided by passion and ideas, but seems to expect its audience to already have devoted the same care and attention to the play at the center. The intended or ideal audience is a bit of a mystery: it could be other students who’ve struggled, other teachers who want to help, or people processing social trauma, such as returning veterans—but all of these groups will find sections of the book that are not relatable to them.

The book is a compelling view of Felton’s diligence and compassion as a teacher and a super fan of The Who, making Tommy Wrought an impassioned yet bewildering look at how society constrains and music sets free.  

Peter Felton had always had a passion for his home – the City By the Bay, and its public transportation system. A passion so strong that he ended up writing his first ever book about it. It documented everything from its initial outlines to upgrades to milestones to every single route all over the city. He has a degree in Liberal Studies. Felton is a man of diverse interests. Due to his immense interest in music, he became largely influence by the English Rock Band The Who. The band has been a big influence in his life ever since he discovered them and he has been using it as inspiration in his writing.

Which is why his second book HAD to be musical. Tommy Wrought: A Musical Reflection Of Children With Special Needs uses musical elements from The Who’s Rock Opera Tommy. Felton does extensively detailed accounts of all the members of the band, while creating a relation between their backgrounds and how they have affected Felton’s childhood, work life, and personal, too. He explores the grounds and makes surprisingly concrete arguments about the obstacles which root and relate back to music – and how they affect the children’s learning processes. After he has done that, he presents a comparison between those of previous time and modern era – how they’re different and the ways they’re similar. Further goes on to explain how major influences from the surroundings play a solid role in inflicting suffering on the learner. He backs his arguments up with in depth analysis of the lyrics and music of the Rock Opera Tommy – how the relation between various aspects of the old and young are formed, where they collide and where they differ.

This book is not for every reader out there, as it targets very specific areas of the society. If you are a music fan right down to the little technicalities, you will enjoy this Peter Felton book.