Ma, He Sold Me for a Few Cigarettes

A Memoir of Dublin in the 1950s

Nonfiction, History, Ireland, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Women&, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Ma, He Sold Me for a Few Cigarettes by Martha Long, Seven Stories Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Martha Long ISBN: 9781609804152
Publisher: Seven Stories Press Publication: November 13, 2012
Imprint: Seven Stories Press Language: English
Author: Martha Long
ISBN: 9781609804152
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
Publication: November 13, 2012
Imprint: Seven Stories Press
Language: English

"Not for the faint of heart, Long's story is a gritty, grueling, and heartbreaking testament to one girl's unbreakable spirit."—*Publishers Weekly, *starred review

When Martha Long's feckless mother hooks up with the Jackser ("that bandy aul bastard"), and starts having more babies, the abuse and poverty in the house grow more acute. Martha is regularly sent out to beg and more often steal, and her wiles (as a child of 7, 8) are often the only thing keeping food on the table. Jackser is a master of paranoid anger and outburst, keeping the children in an unheated tenement, unable to go to school, at the ready for his unpredictable rages. Then Martha is sent by Jackser to a man he knows in exchange for the price of a few cigarettes. She is nine. She is filthy, lice-ridden, outcast. Martha and Ma escape to England, but for an itinerant Irishwoman finding work in late 1950s England is a near impossibility. Martha treasures the time alone with her mother, but amazingly Ma pines for Jackser and they eventually return to Dublin and the other children. And yet there are prized cartoon magazines, the occasional hidden penny to buy the children sweets, the glimpse of loving family life in other houses, and Martha's hope that she will soon be old enough to make her own way.

Virtually uneducated, Martha Long is natural-born storyteller. Written in the vernacular of the day, the reader is tempted to speak like Martha for the rest of a day (and don't let me hear yer woman roarin' bout it neither). One can't help but cheer on this mischievous, quick-witted, and persistent little girl who has captured hearts across Europe.

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

"Not for the faint of heart, Long's story is a gritty, grueling, and heartbreaking testament to one girl's unbreakable spirit."—*Publishers Weekly, *starred review

When Martha Long's feckless mother hooks up with the Jackser ("that bandy aul bastard"), and starts having more babies, the abuse and poverty in the house grow more acute. Martha is regularly sent out to beg and more often steal, and her wiles (as a child of 7, 8) are often the only thing keeping food on the table. Jackser is a master of paranoid anger and outburst, keeping the children in an unheated tenement, unable to go to school, at the ready for his unpredictable rages. Then Martha is sent by Jackser to a man he knows in exchange for the price of a few cigarettes. She is nine. She is filthy, lice-ridden, outcast. Martha and Ma escape to England, but for an itinerant Irishwoman finding work in late 1950s England is a near impossibility. Martha treasures the time alone with her mother, but amazingly Ma pines for Jackser and they eventually return to Dublin and the other children. And yet there are prized cartoon magazines, the occasional hidden penny to buy the children sweets, the glimpse of loving family life in other houses, and Martha's hope that she will soon be old enough to make her own way.

Virtually uneducated, Martha Long is natural-born storyteller. Written in the vernacular of the day, the reader is tempted to speak like Martha for the rest of a day (and don't let me hear yer woman roarin' bout it neither). One can't help but cheer on this mischievous, quick-witted, and persistent little girl who has captured hearts across Europe.

More books from Seven Stories Press

Cover of the book Remembering Tomorrow by Martha Long
Cover of the book Autobiography of a Blue-eyed Devil by Martha Long
Cover of the book Voices of the Women's Health Movement, Volume 2 by Martha Long
Cover of the book Prince of the World by Martha Long
Cover of the book The Graphic Canon, Vol. 1 by Martha Long
Cover of the book Flying Close to the Sun by Martha Long
Cover of the book Congress and the Shaping of the Middle East by Martha Long
Cover of the book Stop Breast Cancer Before it Starts by Martha Long
Cover of the book Exercise Will Hurt You by Martha Long
Cover of the book A Man's Place by Martha Long
Cover of the book Government in the Future by Martha Long
Cover of the book Natural Pet Care by Martha Long
Cover of the book Voices of the Heart by Martha Long
Cover of the book The Fluoride Deception by Martha Long
Cover of the book Bernie by Martha Long
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