276°
Posted 20 hours ago

One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up: A Memoir of Growing Up and Getting On

£10£20.00Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

But on the other hand, it’s also transfixing, albeit in a way I struggle fully to explain. Streeting’s rise from poverty in the East End of London to the Palace of Westminster via Cambridge University is amazingly inspiriting – even now, he’s only 40 – and there’s something so unaffected about the way he describes it, details chosen for no more writerly reason than because he remembers them: the Wall’s coleslaw and He-Man jellies he enjoyed as a treat as a boy; the skate he favoured whenever his grandfather took him down the chippy. He has no discernible self-pity and seems never to judge anyone, not even those who (the reader may think) at times let him down very badly.

A moving and inspiring hymn to the ups and downs of life - to love, to adversity and above all courage.' The young Streeting at home in Clichy House, Stepney, London, 1986. Photograph: Courtesy of Wes Streeting His maternal grandfather Bill, an unsuccessful armed robber, spent time behind bars, as did his grandmother, who was also a political campaigner. Brought up on a Stepney council estate, the young Streeting saw his teenage parents struggle to provide for him. Almost two-thirds of this book is committed to Streeting’s early years in a loving if chaotic family. By comparing the titular Bills, not pieces of legislation but Wes’s two grandfathers – one a law-abiding Conservative voter, and one a jailbird – we’re given a window into two approaches often found in working-class families in the 1980s. Perhaps some of Streeting’s contemporary Labour centrism comes from this tension: being constantly pulled between the half of the family who wanted to escape to suburban home ownership, and the other half of his Stepney roots who were dedicated to maintaining a community in the inner city. This honest, uplifting, affectionate memoir is a tribute to the love and support which set him on his way out of poverty, and informs everything about Wes Streeting’s mission now in politics. He will be in conversation with Professor Pam Cox. Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ

A] compelling story of overcoming adversity… Unexpectedly fascinating… amazingly inspiriting…’— The Observer

Kidney cancer is most common in people over 60 and its severity depends on where it is, how big it is, if it has spread, and your general health. Streeting was diagnosed at the age of 38 in May 2021, and just two months later, he was declared cancer-free after the removal of one of his kidneys.

Join our email club...

the vitality of the book lies in its directness and conversational candour… An engaging memoir’— The Sunday Times ROYAL MAIL STRIKES DURING NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2022 WILL DELAY DELIVERIES. THE LATEST UPDATE ON THE STRIKE DATES CAN BE VIEWED HERE . A moving and inspiring hymn to the ups and downs of life – to love, to adversity and above all courage.’ —Michael Cashman Compulsive reading: Wes's story is inspiring, surprising and full of compassion.' --- Jess Phillips

Money Matters Neurodiversity Preparing for University - Subject Reading Lists Reading For Pleasure Stationery Labour MP Wes Streeting has just published his first book, One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up, in which he recalls how he escaped poverty after growing up on a council estate in East London.Streeting recalled a period when his secondary school was in special measures, and even then, he still had “incredible teachers who spurred [him] on to do well”. Wes Streeting might have ended up in prison rather than in parliament. His maternal grandfather Bill, an unsuccessful armed robber, spent time behind bars, as did his grandmother, who was also a political campaigner.

The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our This riveting tale of social aspiration leads us from the East End to Westminster in detailed honesty.' Decrease quantity for One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up Increase quantity for One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry UpAnd yet, there’s something missing here, which is where the fascination comes in. How did he make it, you wonder, absorbing the more chaotic details. What calmness and determination he had; what self-containment and aspiration. But if the reader cannot quite account for these things – where did they come from? – nor does Streeting, who writes as if he’s a stranger to himself. Either the inward is simply not available to him – some people, a touch robotic, are like this – or (more likely) there are feelings he still finds so painful, he can only push them away. The third possibility – that he’s some kind of saint – seems unlikely given his attraction to the knot of vipers that is party politics. At Cambridge, unlike many of his fellow students, he has to work at Comet in the holidays Brought up on a Stepney council estate, the young Streeting saw his teenage parents struggle to provide for him. In One Boy, Two Bills & A Fry Up he brings to life the poverty, humiliation and incredible struggle for them choosing whether to feed the meter and heat the flat, put carpet on the floor, or food on the table. His teenage parents struggled to provide for him and regularly had to decide whether to heat the flat or put food on the table. Takes approximately 1-3 working days to arrive, (but can take longer during busy periods like bank holidays or Pride Month)

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment