My secret teenage diary 1974 November (ii) in which bombs kill people in Birmingham

18th
Little to say - going to doctor's tomorrow - P might too. Had to sit in detention with UIVF - poor kids - Nowt else exciting

19th
A few exciting (?) happenings. First I got a cheque for £100 - the May Thompson Bequest. Then J turned up at school in tears - there's something wrong - to do with her boyfriend. Lastly - I went to doctors to talk about verucca and pill. He said could I come back and talk to him about it - I said okay - and that was it!! He seemed reluctant.

20th (Wed)
Another 6th form meeting - next dance December 19th. Carol singing 22nd.

21st
Just got a shock. 14 people killed by bombs in Birmingham - see sheet. G phoned. I'm feeling happy, but we argued about J who hasn't been at school for ages. She has a driving test tomorrow poor Ju.
(An extra note is slipped into my diary)
"An IRA man got killed, so his funeral was in Birmingham. Birmingham council said no IRA marches would be allowed - I read that in the paper this morning. This evening I hear that 2 pubs have been blown up in Brum - 14 people killed. Oh why? Norma said she knew the pubs. She said all young people go in them. Why?"

22nd (Fri)
Busy weekend. J been off school all week. She failed her driving test - poor old Ju. She's got bad pains.  A girl got assaulted by a fella near school. Birmingham bomb blasts - IRA 6 men charged with murder.

23rd
Working at Hardcastles - I've lost my voice and got pneumonia though. Got Carol's birthday present (her party tomorrow). Went out with G.

24th (Sun)
Carol's party - very good - I didn't want to go, felt ill and yucky but we had a good time. G and Paul got on well. S was really funny - hilarious - nice night.

25th
Nothing unusual. Everyone happy after party last night. Ju ill with pains. She went to doctor after school and phoned me. Said either appendicitis or colitis or something else. She's worried.

26th (Tues)
S away from school today. Her grandma died. Getting on with panto at school. Found all sorts in cupboard at school - props, jewels and allsorts.

27th
Got a bad cough - fed up. Another committee meeting. Met R and P on bus - nice - fancy both of them a bit - it's getting silly.

28th
We've got one week and a bit to the panto and we've only practised half of it. Ah well.

29th (Fri)
Ok at school. S's gran's funeral in morning and she had an exam in afternoon, poor thing. Life goes on. G and I stayed in tonight - he's flat broke.

30th
Hardcastle's wasn't very nice. Barbara and Miss hoodless were rowing all the time. What can you do? Stupid things. I had a row with G tonight. I ended up crying. He just doesn't understand me.

Rosie Harris - just finished reading....

Love changes everything by Rosie Harris (audio)

4/10



Well, it serves me right. Why, oh why do I get this kind of book? Well, as you  know, it's because I listen in the car, and I don't want to crash because there is too much to think about and concentrate on. This book fulfils this requirement.

Poor girl living in Liverpool with poor family in the 1920s. Cruel father.  Ineffective mother, but Trixie loves her dearly anyway. Sister with learning disabilities. Down hill all the way until the last CD.
It starts with cruel dad finding her a job on the production line of the biscuit factory, then  moves on to him selling her into slavery and imprisonment with his nasty drinking buddy (foreman at the biscuit factory). Cut-throat razor, blood, hospital, handsome boy called Andrew, rescue, terrible tram accident, injuries, a death, home circumstances worsen beyond belief.
Take a breather.

Drudgery, cruelty, violence, some good friends, a neglectful boyfriend, another death, worse cruelty, planning an escape, hardship, a very poorly girl, hospital, misunderstandings and a lot of snow and slush.
Take a breather

true love is sorted out. Happy ever after for all those who deserve it, except ineffective mother, who is dead and sorely missed.

Of course, I mock, but I still like these books for the car. I can travel 22 miles and not know how I got from A to B because I am so caught up with the Trixies and the Sallys and the Mollys and the Susies.

Lillian Harry - just finished reading / listening.....

A Farthing Will Do by Lillian Harry (audio)

5/10, no 6/10

Listened to this in the car, so it is predictably easy and a lacking in depth.
It might have been cleverer than I thought because the values it portrayed did seem to be those of the 1940s, and so I couldn't work out whether it was written recently or back then.
Follows three women's lives just as the second World War is ending. Everyone in this small rural village has to make adjustments as the men come home from the war, the evacuee children start to go back to the big cities and the land-girls go home.
Actually, I'm just upgrading it from 5 to 6 out of 10. This book made me think about women's lives, roles and occupations and how the war and the end of the war had its impact. Women had to be seen differently, after they had been keeping industry, farming and public services running in the duration of the war. But how would men deal with this on their return?

Easy listening. Shame about the lengthy and silly focus on a love affair that was going nowhere. Serves me right for choosing easy  books for the car. But at least it didn't cause any motoring accidents by distracting me too much.

Nicholas Sparks - just finished reading ....

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

6/10

What an intense love-story! I read it in about 4 days. Very nice, very poignant towards the end. A perfect relationship? Does this ever happen?
Not a very satisfying story, I think.

I find myself at odds with most Amazon reviewers, who drooled over it.

The-Notebook-Nicholas-Sparks

My secret teenage diary 1974 November (i) - in which my career in speaking to audiences begins, we have a dance and I struggle with my parents

1st (Fri)
Fed up. Go back to school on Monday - I'm nervous about Speech day. I don;t even like to think about it. Dad won't do speech. Ju came for dinner, we did some maths and talked a lot. SG phoned up. Said he's got girl trouble and wants my advice. Went on pub crawl with G. He said he's been jealous.

2nd
Worked at Hardcastles. Boring. Got pay rise - £3.22 now - not bad. I went to Rochdale and an Italian man tried to chat me up on the bus!

3rd
Behind with diary and I hate catching up. Going to get a new diary next year. Been upset today 'cos dad says he won't do speech. Am I being selfish? Yes!

4th (Mon)
Another 6th form committee meeting. SG brought American Pie for me to borrow. Lovely! Got round dad a little bit. I do so want him to speak. Very tired and nervous.

5th
I'm getting a bit nervous about the dance now. Hope nowt goes wrong. SG phoned - wanted advice about various things - didn't get it. My crush has died down a bit now. Mum ill. Dad not too well I'm miserable  Lady ill.

6th (wed)
I might be the head of the crocodile in the panto - whippee! Sellin poppies at school. Feeling happy, unusually.

7th
I'm frightened. I sometimes think that I'm insane. One minute I'm up and happy, the next minute I'm down for  hardly any reason. I was happy, all was fine - I've won a bequest prize at school - came home, proudly told mum and dad - they asked me how much it was, jokingly, then they started talking about something else. Made me cry.

8th
Our dance tonight at Chadd Town Hall. G didn't come. It was a great success. I fancied S all night but behaved. T was drunk on vodka - we had a great time. All my friends. I missed G though. Nasty  incident with Mrs Stanton and one of my class mates. Hell

9th (Sat)
Normal day at Hardcastles. Miss Hoodless is back and Barbara is back to her normal sulky self. I'm on top of the world about the dance and everything in the garden's rosy.

10th
Weird times - people change. Me, Ju and S all going steady, E too. - it's frightening. People sending off for  universities. I'm scared of life. I love G.

11th
Normal day at school. Sick of the bloody Speech Day rehearsals. At last dad has written to Miss Crabtree to say he'll do the speech and I feel like a prize cow for making him. Bought E a birthday present - paper and calendar - nice.

12th (Tue)
Getting very, very nervous about Speech day tomorrow. We wrote dad's speech tonight and I've been practicing mine. I'm nervous. Dance got a write-up in the paper last night. Phoned SG to tell him.

13th
Oh well. The BIG DAY has come and gone - speech day, that is. I did okay, too. I think dad was very very nervous but he did all right. I got congratulated all round and everyone was very nice. Just one thing - Miss Crabtree says she wants to see me tomorrow morning. What the hell for?

14th
People were really nice, congratulating me about my speech. Im so proud! Crabtree only wanted to see me about Speech Day holiday. I think my crush on S is dying down a bit now. He annoys me sometimes. Had another meeting about an Xmas dance.

15th
Suffering from bad depressions just recently. Today not too bad really. Fell on the way to catch the 409 bus to meet G and grazed my chin and knee. I love G lots. He's silly like m, but I'm sacred of hurting him.

16th (Sat)
A woman in Hardcastles thought I called her 'fat bottom' today - it was hilarious! But I was talking to my friend. In a giddy mood with G, but then got depressed and upset him

17th
Nothing. Boring day.

Joseph O'Connor - Just finished reading ....

Redemption Falls by Joseph O'Connor

9/10


Not sure I could give full marks to a book that made me feel so uncomfortable in parts - though it could be argued that the job of good literature is to prod and poke people out of their complacency. The start of this book is one of the most harrowing chapters I have ever read.

John Wayne movies, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - these were my previous sources of knowledge about the pioneering, early days of America. Now Redemption Falls has changed all that - a much harsher, realistic view of what it was like to travel, live, survive (or not) in the days before towns had names and people struggled to make a living. The country was trying to make itself whole and habitable after the Civil War. People had a closeness to their European roots.

This is a story about a particular Irishman and the people around him Do we like him? Has he got principles? Is he vain and arrogant? Is he kind and brave? And what about the boy he takes under his wing? How can we like him? Do we care if he survives?
And what about the women associated with James O'Keeffe and young Jeddo? Can we understand and empathise with them?

There is another chapter in this  book that is almost unbearably harrowing. Joseph O'Connor puts a suggestion in your mind of something terrible but unspoken - so your mind produces horrible things you didn't know that your mind could contain. It is a skilled author who can make you aware of your own potential for evil and cruel thoughts.

O'Connor is also skilled because he uses different media to construct the narrative. It is like a scrapbook, and sometimes you have to add the clues together to see the full picture.

There is humanity in this book, and a deeper understanding of what America may have been through in its history. I think people should read it. But like Star of the Sea and The Salesman  don't expect an easy ride.