The late writer and advocate for the poor Robert Roberts tells a joyful story of his life with gentle humor and an honest regard for the characters who shared his youth. At the center of the story is his determined mother, who kept the family out of bankruptcy by managing the family store while her ...

The late writer and advocate for the poor Robert Roberts tells a joyful story of his life with gentle humor and an honest regard for the characters who shared his youth. At the center of the story is his determined mother, who kept the family out of bankruptcy by managing the family store while her husband nurtured his attachment to the bottle.

With great humour and vitality, Robert Roberts evokes his Edwardian childhood in the vivid portrait of a vanished community. Breathing the smoke from the factory chimneys, the children of Salford struggled daily to survive the grinding poverty that surrounded them. Sharing lively games along the railways lines and canal banks, their lives were rich in experience and comradeship.