Being Billy
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Product Description
Product Description
Faces flashed before my eyes.
And for every face there was a time that they had let me down.
Each punch that landed was revenge, my chance to tell them I hadn't forgotten what they did.
Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - with the system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away.
As far as Billy's concerned, he's on his own. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble.
But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else.
Can he?
About the Author
Phil Earle was born, raised and schooled in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children's home, an experience that influenced the ideas behind Being Billy. He then trained as a drama therapist and worked in a therapeutic community in south London, caring for traumatized and abused adolescents.
After a couple of years in the care sector, Phil chose the more sedate lifestyle of a bookseller, and now works in children's publishing. Phil lives in south-east London with his wife and children, but Hull will always be home.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'll say upfront that this is not normally the type of book I would pick up - I'd assume it was issue-led and over-serious. Yet it's neither. It's enormously readable, sometimes funny, and it really stays with you after you finish it. Billy's voice is powerful and convincing, yet he's always a teenager - there's no adult author over his shoulder. I think that's what impressed me most. With a first-person narrative, how does an author maintain our sympathy for this angry and sometimes violent boy while he develops and changes? (Let's be honest, if we saw him in the street, we'd probably cross the road!) How does he convey the bigger picture while never letting the focus slip from Billy's view? Phil Earle manages both of these things, apparently effortlessly. As Billy matures, and his view of the world develops, so does ours, and I genuinely cared about Billy. As an adult, I had the same frustrations as Ronnie, Billy's key worker, in wanting the best for Billy - but it's next on my son's reading pile now, and I am intrigued to know whether he will see Billy differently, as a fellow 14-year-old.
I should add that, having read the book ahead of a literary festival, I also thought Phil Earle made a great speaker! I would guess he'd be brilliant with a roomful of teenagers and so I'd recommend him as well as his book, if you're an English teacher or school librarian.
Looking forward to the next book ...
I should add that, having read the book ahead of a literary festival, I also thought Phil Earle made a great speaker! I would guess he'd be brilliant with a roomful of teenagers and so I'd recommend him as well as his book, if you're an English teacher or school librarian.
Looking forward to the next book ...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having worked in residential care I believe this book highlights the issues faced by young people in care and the issues faced by the staff working there. Phil Earle manages to write in a a way that makes you feel you are there. I loved this book and once started I wanted to read more. I hope there's more to come from Phil Earle.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is such a brilliant read. Totally gripping story that is moving and engaging. The development of the relationships within the story are beautifully written. I could not put it down and read the whole lot in one sitting!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fab Read!
Billy Finn thinks he is unlovable. He and his younger brother and sister have been in care for eight years, a possible adoption has fallen through and now his newly-sober mother... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jan
Brilliant book
Being Billy by Phil Earle. This is another good book. Phil really gets inside the head of Billy who has been in care since he was six years old. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Katie
None
this book is so sad get realist taking u and showing u what its really like to be is a carehome all your life to have all this you love ripped away from you. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Angel J-Hills
Excellant delivery service - enjoyable read
Book was interesting and exciting. The delivery service was excellant. The story is entertaining and suitable for teenagers. It encourages them to read a good book.
Published 4 months ago by pandora princess
Makes you think, makes you cry and ultimately makes you hope
Billy Finn's been in care for most of his life - taken from a mother who battled alcohol abuse problems and a step-father who physically abused him. Read more
Published 5 months ago by quippe
Genuine storytelling
Being Billy was a very realistic book. It is clear from the beginning that Phil Earle has previously worked in care - the authenticity of Billy and the relationships he has with... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Stepping Out of the Page
Gritty and very realistic. An author to watch.
Being Billy is one of the reasons I love Twitter. If I hadn't been on there, this book would have definitely passed under my radar. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Vivienne Serendipity
More Please!
Well this is the first thing i have ever thought worthwhile reviewing. What a super read indeed. The pages turn easily even though the subject matter is often tough and moving. Read more
Published 10 months ago by swit33
Being Outstanding
It's hard to imagine the daily stress and frustration of being a child in care with a history of abuse and neglect, but Being Billy brings this world to life with incredible... Read more
Published 13 months ago by D. Carter
Realistic and sensitive
A young adult novel about 14 year old Billy who lives in a care home. The author really 'gets' the abandonment that children in care experience and through a good story explains... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Helen Simpson
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