Norman: Through My Eyes: A Social and Personal History of Leicester cover art

Norman: Through My Eyes: A Social and Personal History of Leicester

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Norman: Through My Eyes: A Social and Personal History of Leicester

By: Julia Mason, Norman Hastings
Narrated by: Guy Mott
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.99

Buy Now for $27.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

Norman: Through My Eyes has evolved over 50 years. Always ahead of his time, Norman Hastings began researching his own family history well before this national obsession became what it is today, and more latterly through a collaboration between Norman and his daughter to convert his notes into an electronic record.

The motivation for the book was founded on conversations held with Norman and his mother about her own deprived childhood.

Throughout the book Norman gives a unique view of his parents’ family: the Wilemans of Earl Shilton and Hastings of Leicester. It also chronicles his parents turbulent marriage and his own life growing up as a small boy in the poorest neighbourhoods of Leicester during the 1930s and 1940s.

Sometimes poignant and sad, but mostly nostalgic and humorous, Norman recalls his own childhood with fondness and understanding, but one has to remember that what he and his family experienced wasn’t unique in any way for that era.

Whether recalling his experiences as a St Barnabas Church choirboy and singing at the now closed Towers Mental Hospital, or his confinement in Groby Road Sanatorium with TB or being a Moat Boys school boy in a Leicester at war, the subtle way Norman’s own story evolves gives an insight into a world now gone but not that far from living memory.

Norman would often say, "children grow up in spite of their parents." This is true, but because of his own deprived childhood Norman remained a children’s champion throughout his adult life and coined the phrase "every child matters" before it became a 21st-century social care slogan.

Norman passed away August 27, 2011, aged 84 years following a short battle with cancer. Whilst he never lived to see his book published the drive to tell his and his mother’s story remained strong to the end. I am proud to now be doing this on Norman’s behalf through this book. Norman: Through My Eyes. A social and personal history of Leicester.

©2018 Julia Mason (P)2019 Julia Mason
Biographies & Memoirs History Witty

What listeners say about Norman: Through My Eyes: A Social and Personal History of Leicester

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An Exceptional Story

If you enjoyed the book called "Angela's Ashes" you will certainly love this story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.