back to my Beginnings: A Memoir

Snakes under beds,! Whippings" for bad behaviour, uneaten meals presented every meal time until finished. Christmas Presents that disappear after Boxing Day never to be seen again. Is this the stuff of nightmare or the real thing? Little Paddy and her sisters growing up in the 1940s and 1950s don't know any differently. She and her two sisters were sent to the Home because of Paddy's appalling abuse resulting in her not being able to stand and walk properly. Starting life in an institution where the maxim "cruel to be kind" seems to be the order of the day is tough, but Paddy learns it is even tougher on the outside. As a Home Girl or, as labelled by their fellow school pupils, a Dirty Smelly Home Girl, Paddy learns to stand up for what she wants out of life. She changes some people's pre-conceived ideas, learns determination and leaves the Home a resolute and able young woman. This memoir is not a "miserable memoir"; it is very funny in places, poignant in others, ridiculous, sublime and sad. But an excellent read.