“Mam was thirty-nine when she died. … I was not used to looking after a house and family, let alone a baby not quite two years old. It was one thing helping Mam; being in sole charge was quite different. Dad’s only contribution was to give me money each Friday and let me carry on as best I could.”
“Drawing on the memories of those who were young girls and young women at the time, this collection vividly recreates the lives of working class women during this difficult time of depression, dislocation and dramatic industrial and political struggle.
It mingles fragments of reminiscence of previously unpublished writers with extracts from published autobiographies – some, like the work of Elizabeth Andrews, long out of print – to protray women’s struggle, not just for survival, but for dignity, recognition and wider opportunities.”
“Struggle or Survive” Honno Press
is a must read in these times of austerity. Rob Cullen.
