Vividly told and deeply moving story of the plight of four children orphaned when their mother became the first victim of the Yorkshire Ripper. A tale of abuse, cruelty and survival. Heartbreaking.
One October night in 1975 Richard, aged five, was alone in the house with his three sisters. It was 3am and their mother hadn't come home yet, so he and his eldest sister set off through the foggy streets to find her. At dawn they returned home alone. Next morning, the police arrived to take the children away. Their mother had become the first victim of a serial killer soon to become known as the 'Yorkshire Ripper'. Passed from one violent home to another, the children were forgotten by all except the press. As the salacious headlines multiplied, Richard and his sisters were never able to recover from their mother's murder.
Whilst Richard tried to handle the terror of his violent upbringing, his sister struggled to deal with memories of sexual abuse. Without love or support they spiralled away from help or happiness.
Until one day when Richard McCann, having reached suicidal rock bottom, decided no one was going to rescue their lives but him. It was the beginning of an inspirational transformation. Now he is able to tell the story of how the forgotten children of violence suffer, and how they can heal.
A heartbreaking, uplifting story of survival and hope.
Richard McCann was born in Leeds in 1970. He now works as a buyer in the fashion industry. This is his first book. Andrew Crofts is a respected ghost-writer and collaborator. His most recent title, The Kid, written with Kevin Lewis, has been in the Sunday Times Bestseller list for over 10 weeks.
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