Cracked Eggs and Chicken Soup - A Memoir of Growing Up Between The Wars

Biography & Memoir, Historical, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Cracked Eggs and Chicken Soup - A Memoir of Growing Up Between The Wars by Norman Jacobs, John Blake Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Norman Jacobs ISBN: 9781789460049
Publisher: John Blake Publishing Publication: May 3, 2018
Imprint: John Blake Language: English
Author: Norman Jacobs
ISBN: 9781789460049
Publisher: John Blake Publishing
Publication: May 3, 2018
Imprint: John Blake
Language: English

In this revealing memoir of childhood, the author shows not only what affected his family, but also reveals a large slice of social history concerning the lives of all ordinary working-class people struggling to live in the slums of the East End of London in those pre-Welfare State days. He writes with sympathy, and sometimes anger, of the overcrowded houses with families of anything up to eight children, as his own had, living in just two or three rooms with outside W.C. and water tap; of the reliance on charity and the soup kitchen for food; of trying to eke out what little income they had by buying stale bread and cracked eggs or other cheap food from the many itinerant street sellers.

Yet this is also a chronicle of what was a turbulent time in British history, and especially in the East End, with its then still large Jewish and Irish populations. So here too is an eyewitness account of the Depression, and of the provocative marches by Sir Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists through the area, culminating in the Battle of Cable Street that saw the marchers turned back by the efforts of Jewish, Irish, communist and socialist protestors. Above all, however, Norman Jacobs writes with affection of the area and its extraordinary mix of peoples, as well as the now-vanished aspects of everyday life, such as the music hall, the two-valve radio, and the first Cup Final to be played at Wembley.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this revealing memoir of childhood, the author shows not only what affected his family, but also reveals a large slice of social history concerning the lives of all ordinary working-class people struggling to live in the slums of the East End of London in those pre-Welfare State days. He writes with sympathy, and sometimes anger, of the overcrowded houses with families of anything up to eight children, as his own had, living in just two or three rooms with outside W.C. and water tap; of the reliance on charity and the soup kitchen for food; of trying to eke out what little income they had by buying stale bread and cracked eggs or other cheap food from the many itinerant street sellers.

Yet this is also a chronicle of what was a turbulent time in British history, and especially in the East End, with its then still large Jewish and Irish populations. So here too is an eyewitness account of the Depression, and of the provocative marches by Sir Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists through the area, culminating in the Battle of Cable Street that saw the marchers turned back by the efforts of Jewish, Irish, communist and socialist protestors. Above all, however, Norman Jacobs writes with affection of the area and its extraordinary mix of peoples, as well as the now-vanished aspects of everyday life, such as the music hall, the two-valve radio, and the first Cup Final to be played at Wembley.

More books from John Blake Publishing

Cover of the book Oasis What's The Story: I Was Oasis Tour Manager - F**k Me, What a Job by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Who the Hell is Alice? My Story - Alice Barry by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Victim Zero by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book The New Royal Family - Prince George, William and Kate: The Next Generation by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book The Girl in the Spotty Dress - Memories From The 1950s and The Photo That Changed My Life by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Armed and Dangerous - This is the True Story of How I Carried Out Scotland's Biggest Bank Robbery by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Will Ferrell - Staying Classy: The Biography by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Prime Suspect - The True Story of John Cannan, The Only Man the Police Want to Investigate for the Murder of Suzy Lamplugh by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Tell Me a Secret - True Confessions of Britain's Most Erotic Dancers and Models by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Nice Work if You Can Get It by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Gang Wars of London - How the Streets of the Capital Became a Battleground by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book The Happy Hack - A Memoir of Fleet Street in its Heyday by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Two Sides of Hell - They Spent Weeks Killing Each Other, Now Soldiers From Both Sides of The Falklands War Tell Their Story by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book On the Run - TV's Top Fugitive Hunter Investigates the UK's Worst Unsolved Murders by Norman Jacobs
Cover of the book Champagne Charlie - Charlie Magri by Norman Jacobs
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy