A Ragged Schooling - by Robert Roberts (Paperback)

About the Book

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.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

'One of the best and most sensitive of English working-class autobiographies'
The Guardian

' A marvelous piece of work ... this vivid portrait of a vanished community ... bubbles with comic vitality
Spectator

'The autobiography of an exceptional man ... a memoir of quite extraordinary richness'
The Observer

About the Author

Robert Roberts (1905-1979) was born in Salford in 1905. His books 'The Classic Slum' and 'A Ragged Schooling' have been hailed as classics of working class autobiography