Didn't want to bury this in another thread as it is such a brilliant book. It is by Alan Johnson, the politician and is about his childhood in London. He grew up in terrible housing conditions and grinding poverty. After their father left them, their mother, who had a heart condition, continued to hold down several jobs and the two children worked part-time as soon as they could. Their mother died when they were sixteen and thirteen and Alan's sister managed to keep them together rather than let him go into care. It is an extraordinary story of courage in adversity and I think people would enjoy it no matter what their political opinions. It certainly proves that not all politicians are people who have privileged backgrounds and no understanding of the real world. It finishes when he becomes a postman and gets married at eighteen.
