Our Kid

Review How wonderful to have a book like this... A glimpse of a lost reality ― Manchester Evening News This fictionalized biography is an easy page-turner ― Historical Novels Review A celebration of the spirit of the times... witty and moving ― Sentinel Sunday Heart-warming ― Bolton Evening News A cracking yarn ― Warrington Guardian Hopkins, like all best authors, writes in effortlessly simplistic prose and as such is a fascinating author ― Manchester Evening News Not only is it a heart-rending story, it is a remarkable piece of social history ― Lancashire Magazine Product Description A STORY OF WARMTH, WIT AND THE SPIRIT OF A WORKING-CLASS COMMUNITY. PERFECT for fans of TV's Call The Midwife and The Pursuit of Love - and readers of Nadine Dorries, Nancy Revell and Anne Baker will adore the Hopkins family! READERS LOVE OUR KID! ***** 'After just a few pages gripped me like pliers' - AMAZON READER REVIEW ***** 'Beautifully written. Hard to put down. Many laughs, and touching moments' - AMAZON READER REVIEW ***** 'Give an insight into a Northern life of a different world written with a sense of hardship, sadness, humour and real emotion' - AMAZON READER REVIEW ***** 'I was howling with laughter one minute and in tears the next ... It's my favourite book' ___________________________________________ Billy Hopkins' Our Kid is a warm-hearted and nostalgic tale of a boy's life: from the 1920s Manchester slums, through tough times as an evacuee during World War II, to the challenges of the post-war world for a hard-up family. 'How wonderful to have a book like this... A glimpse of a lost reality' - Manchester Evening News It was on a Sunday night in 1928 that Billy Hopkins made his first appearance. Billy's tenement home on the outskirts of Manchester would be considered a slum today, but he lived there happily with his large Catholic family, hatching money-making schemes with his many friends. When war came, and the Luftwaffe dominated the night sky, Billy was evacuated to Blackpool. There he lived on a starvation diet while his own rations went to feed his landlady's children - 'I might as well be in Strangeways!' But even the cruel blows that were to be dealt to the family on his return to Manchester would not destroy Billy's fighting spirit - or his sense of humour. What readers are saying about Our Kid: 'Billy Hopkins is a masterful storyteller who draws you into his world of a working class household coping with, and surviving, the ups and downs of life' 'The characters are brilliant - I will never ever forget this book for as long as I live' 'The best read ever' Book Description A warm-hearted and powerful story of war, family and hope, OUR KID is the beloved, bestselling family saga based on Billy Hopkins' own experiences growing up in the harsh back streets of Manchester in the 1930s. About the Author Billy Hopkins (better known to his family and friends as Wilfred Hopkins) was born in Collyhurst in 1928 and attended schools in Manchester. Before going into higher education, he worked as a copy boy for the Manchester Guardian. He later studied at the Universities of London, Manchester and Leeds and was involved in school-teaching and teacher-training in Liverpool, Manchester, Salford and Glasgow. He also worked in African universities in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Billy Hopkins, author, husband and father of six, died aged 83 in 2012.