The Summer of '56 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781787195325)

This is the story of the author's early childhood, mostly set in the provincial Midlands town of Leamington Spa. The book covers the first twenty formative years of the author's life from 1944 to 1964. As Britain emerged from the trauma of World War II, the late 1940s and early 1950s were a period of austerity and rationing. Although living standards for many were gradually rising, life for the poor or disadvantaged could be very hard.

With a divorced mother and a younger sister with Down's syndrome, the author found that his family were largely shunned and unsupported by the local community due to deep prejudice and a lack of sympathy. This story of poverty and ahrdship, fun and friendship, hope and disappointment is told with a balance of humour and pathos.