Other editions of book LIGHT IN THE DUST

A harrowing yet greatly uplifting and humorous account of the author's childhood experience within a seriously dysfunctional family. Set in the slums of Walsall, Staffordshire, 'Light in the Dust' spans the author's formative years 1939-1960 opening with the outbreak of WWII. Follow Jo Mary in her life journey as she blossoms into an enchanting young lady, enrapturing and shattering the hearts of many a besotted admirer along the way.As well as the main thread being of a serious nature, Jo Mary's humour radiates throughout the book. Anyone reading even a few pages of Light in the Dust will realise Jo Mary Stafford is not a woman who gives up easily. This fascinating autobiography shows her to possess both fortitude and courage with herculean inner strength.This first volume of Jo Mary's memoirs has variously been described as funny, lyrical, tragic, evocative and entertaining by prestigious British writers, including Beryl Bainbridge ('extremely good'), Colin Wilson ('Fascinating. A remarkable piece of writing') and Meera Syal ('...brave, truthful, vivid, memorable). Light in the Dust is hard to categorise. Jo Mary Stafford has produced a book that has a timeless appeal, her readers spanning age grades, gender divides and geographical locations. Its universal theme 'appeals to the head as well as the heart' (The Black Countryman Magazine.) As a slice of social history, it is a striking, thought-provoking book which stays with the reader long after the last page had been read. It is hoped that the long-awaited sequel will shortly be published.

Light in the Dust is the heartwarming tale of one young woman's struggle to survive the poverty and oppression of the post-war years. Written with startling clarity and honesty, it is a book that celebrates the triumph of an irrepressible optimism in the face of the greatest of odds. This is the story of the survival of the human spirit in the face of parental oppression and social and economic deprivation. It points to a greater need for compassionate understanding in a society often deaf and blind to the mental scarring of the growing child and, by definition, of the adult.