This Boy

Alan Johnson's childhood was not so much difficult as unusual, particularly for a man who was destined to become Home Secretary. Not in respect of the poverty, which was shared with many in post-war Britain, but in its transition from two-parent family to no parents at all...This is essentially the story of two incredible women: Alan's mother, Lily, who battled against poor health and poverty to try to ensure a better life for her children; and his sister, Linda, who fought to keep the family together when she herself was still only a child. This Boy is one man's story, but it is also a story of England and the West London slums which are so hard to imagine in the capital today.