Alan Scriven’s two books – The Longmynd Adventure Camp and Me, and More from the Longmynd Adventure Camp, and Me – tell the story of a unique piece of local history, stemming from an act of generosity and the subsequent ambition of a Shropshire policeman in the 1950s.
Bill Williams enabled countless Black Country boys to escape their lives of poverty and the city, if only temporarily, with a break at the Longmynd Adventure Camp. It’s easy to imagine what these boys must have felt like and how being such a boy led author Alan Scriven to become a long-term voluntary helper and, eventually, leader, of this wonderful camp.
Jan Pryor’s memoir, After Alexander, while coming from the position of the death of her baby Alexander in 1981, is in fact a fascinating and beautifully written account of Jan’s life as well as a study of grief and bereavement. There is no doubt that this story will have readers in tears but it is told in such a way that you will want to read on. It is hard to imagine exactly what Jan and her family have been through but in After Alexander, we are able to see at least a little what it is like to survive a tragedy of this nature, and still to go on and live life.
Meanwhile, Claudia de Verteuil’s book Paradise Plums and Cocoa Beans shares the story of her sister Celia, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia whilst a teenager and who subsequently came from Trinidad to England for treatment and became essentially institutionalised. This is another beautifully written and intelligent memoir, looking into mental illness, its treatments and its possible causes.
Bob Smeaton’s From Benwell Boy to 46th Beatle… and Beyond is the tale of double-Grammy-award winning music documentary director Bob Smeaton. Hailing from Benwell, a small working-class suburb of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Bob’s love of music drove him to make a break from a world where a career in the shipyards seemed the only option, to working with some of the greatest bands and artists of all time. Inspirational and fascinating.
Memories of the Andes is the incredible, true story of Coche Inciarte, one of the survivors of the 1972 Andes plane disaster. In this English language version, translated by John Guiver, we hear Coche’s account of the events which took place, and the effect on his life and the lives of those around him. This is a beautiful, thoughtfully written book, accompanied by Coche’s own artwork.
Roderick Shaw’s lovely new book, Swimming with Salmon, is a lovely memoir set in the market town of Shrewsbury, where Rod grew up. From boyhood adventures to art college, and on to the world of work in London. The stories are beautifully atmospheric; entertaining and evocative. Together forming the picture of ahttps://amzn.to/3xaZC6O young boy growing up amidst the whirl of change post-Second World War and on into the Swinging Sixties.
Heddon Books 