BATTERSEA BOY: A Journey From Backstreet Boy to Writer - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

Some books cry out to be written and Battersea Boy is one of them. An autobiographical narrative, it tells of the lives of the author, his father Ted and family, spanning pre-World War 2 life in south London, and on through the 50s and 60s to the present.
It begins with Ted Jerrard's poor working-class upbringing, his hair-raising experiences in the 1st Airlanding Brigade and his subsequent struggle with post traumatic stress disorder, which had lifelong consequences for the family. The author describes his father's violent behaviour in compelling scenes and its effect on his own childhood.
Inspired by an imaginary ghostly encounter with his dead father, the author addresses him directly, while interweaving straight narrative which traces the moving story of the father-and-son relationship.
Ted's battle to resist the urge to join his brother Ricky in a criminal career is paralleled in his son's struggle to become a writer. Both are driven to make their dreams a reality, and as the narrative develops the son's admiration for certain books and writers take him on an odyssey through a restless and improvident life.
He enlivens the story by recounting his boyhood adventures, influenced by his reading, by re-living romantic incidents with Battersea girls, by descriptions of the tough life of the streets. Pet animals, boxing matches, 60s girlfriends, and later two wives and divorces - all contribute to his odyssey to discover what he calls "the secret of living".
Behind it all is the phantom presence of his father, who he makes efforts to understand and so hopefully forgive.
His attempts finally succeed and he finds reconciliation and hope,

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