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"Children of the Resolution is full of optimism, fight, courage, humour and emotion."
-- Lord Willis of Knaresborough.
"Children of the Resolution is full of optimism, fight, courage, humour and emotion." -- Lord Willis of Knaresborough.
-- Lord Willis of Knaresborough.
"Children of the Resolution is full of optimism, fight, courage, humour and emotion." -- Lord Willis of Knaresborough.
Product Description
It was a time of change and new ideologies, a vision of a more inclusive, fairer future... a time that was destined to shape the lives of many, and fail more than a mere handful. Viewed retrospectively through the eyes of the now adult Carl Grantham, Children of the Resolution is a story of a child poised between two worlds. Thrown into the revolutionary world of integrated education in 1970s England, the physically disabled Carl finds himself torn between what he expects of himself and what his changing environment will allow. At heart, a coming-of-age story -- Children of the Resolution explores the intricacies of friendship and loss, the subtle fears of childhood and the far less subtle fears of adulthoods possibly never realised. -- "Children of the Resolution is more than a novel, it is a commentary on the work of educationalists, practitioners and politicians who see education through their own eyes and experiences and not those of the real participants, our young people." Phil Willis MP.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Gary William Murning has said on several blog interviews that Children of the Resolution is his most autobiographical piece so far. The main character is Carl Grantham, he is in hospital recovering from a serious bout of pneumonia. We hear about his past though interviews he gives to a student writing their dissertation on educational reform. Carl has a very particular view on this subject, being born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy has meant that he was often a guinea pig as a child as the establishment tried out different methods of education.
Carl begins his story by describing his time at Sunnyvale and his subsequent move to The Resolution which was classed at the time as an integrated establishment. These recollections are so interesting as they focus on so many different aspects of growing up. Carl was a child and an awkward teenager just like those without his condition, he had to deal with girls and the school bully. Alongside that, Carl had problems such as finding a desk that was comfortable for him to work on, something that should have had a simple solution but instead caused him no end of problems.
I think that Gary William Murning has written a very interesting and important book. Carl does not behave like a victim; he is simply describing how it was. Children of the Resolution is not out to get anyone but is simply showing what they tried to do within the education system and what worked as well as what went wrong. Having had experience of working in primary schools, I greatly identified with the fact that there are often brilliant ideas within educational reform but that they often get marred by some of the people carrying them out, so that by the time that the child is on the receiving end, sometimes some of the intention has been lost and the child is the one that loses out.
I would recommend Children of the Resolution as the characters are extremely believable and I really liked how the author jumped from the present to the past which highlighted that this is still an important and relevant issue.
Carl begins his story by describing his time at Sunnyvale and his subsequent move to The Resolution which was classed at the time as an integrated establishment. These recollections are so interesting as they focus on so many different aspects of growing up. Carl was a child and an awkward teenager just like those without his condition, he had to deal with girls and the school bully. Alongside that, Carl had problems such as finding a desk that was comfortable for him to work on, something that should have had a simple solution but instead caused him no end of problems.
I think that Gary William Murning has written a very interesting and important book. Carl does not behave like a victim; he is simply describing how it was. Children of the Resolution is not out to get anyone but is simply showing what they tried to do within the education system and what worked as well as what went wrong. Having had experience of working in primary schools, I greatly identified with the fact that there are often brilliant ideas within educational reform but that they often get marred by some of the people carrying them out, so that by the time that the child is on the receiving end, sometimes some of the intention has been lost and the child is the one that loses out.
I would recommend Children of the Resolution as the characters are extremely believable and I really liked how the author jumped from the present to the past which highlighted that this is still an important and relevant issue.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've had the pleasure over the last week to devour a new novel from British writer, Gary William Murning. Murning is the author of If I Never, a fine book, a thriller, I read last year. The new offering is essentially a fictionalized memoir titled Children of the Resolution. To say the least, Murning has upped his already fine game in his second major work of fiction. He did it by reaching into his past -- and his heart. The only thing I don't like about this book is the cover art.
Children of the Resolution is a dark and moving coming-of-age story, the journey of a clever disabled boy, Carl Grantham. The setting is the late 1970's and early 1980's, a time when there was apparently a "resolution" to be more inclusive of the handicap in Great Britain. Part of what makes this story so relevant, right now, is the current effort of the coalition government to sell UK citizens the "Big Society". It's not hard to imagine after reading Children how the impact of that policy will go awry. This book is about how the disabled were (and are) treated, from an insiders perspective. It's not encouraging how good intentions go wrong.
But back to the story, Carl, is disabled, wheel chair bound, but that's really only the beginning of the character. Carl's an avid and thoughtful reader, he listens to Elvis, he can cuss a blue streak, he's willful, sometimes cutting and judgmental, and, he has heart. One of the values of this book is that it humanizes the disabled in an unsentimental way, removing the barrier of their difference, and letting us see them as simply people. People like Carl's mate, Johnny, another disabled boy. Here the portrait painted is Goya-esque; twisted, beautiful, dark, sad, heart-rending, courageous, funny, and unforgettable. Murning has totally upped his game in creating this deeply chiseled character.
There is pain in this book -- the every day suffering and hardships of the disabled, and the unique and unnecessary indignities they sometimes withstand. The disabled lead challenging lives, as this book makes clear, and Murning's characters face the music with courage, and razor-sharp, ironic, ribald humor. Thank God for the authentic humor in this book, without which I would have had to break every so often for a stiff shot of scotch.
Buy this book and read it for inspiration and insight. Enjoy a truly singular story by an emerging master of fiction, Gary William Murning.
Children of the Resolution is a dark and moving coming-of-age story, the journey of a clever disabled boy, Carl Grantham. The setting is the late 1970's and early 1980's, a time when there was apparently a "resolution" to be more inclusive of the handicap in Great Britain. Part of what makes this story so relevant, right now, is the current effort of the coalition government to sell UK citizens the "Big Society". It's not hard to imagine after reading Children how the impact of that policy will go awry. This book is about how the disabled were (and are) treated, from an insiders perspective. It's not encouraging how good intentions go wrong.
But back to the story, Carl, is disabled, wheel chair bound, but that's really only the beginning of the character. Carl's an avid and thoughtful reader, he listens to Elvis, he can cuss a blue streak, he's willful, sometimes cutting and judgmental, and, he has heart. One of the values of this book is that it humanizes the disabled in an unsentimental way, removing the barrier of their difference, and letting us see them as simply people. People like Carl's mate, Johnny, another disabled boy. Here the portrait painted is Goya-esque; twisted, beautiful, dark, sad, heart-rending, courageous, funny, and unforgettable. Murning has totally upped his game in creating this deeply chiseled character.
There is pain in this book -- the every day suffering and hardships of the disabled, and the unique and unnecessary indignities they sometimes withstand. The disabled lead challenging lives, as this book makes clear, and Murning's characters face the music with courage, and razor-sharp, ironic, ribald humor. Thank God for the authentic humor in this book, without which I would have had to break every so often for a stiff shot of scotch.
Buy this book and read it for inspiration and insight. Enjoy a truly singular story by an emerging master of fiction, Gary William Murning.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Because of its semi-autobiographical nature this must have been an incredibly difficult novel to write. That it is such an upbeat and inspiring read, with so much for the reader to indentify with, really is some achievement for the author. This is particularly true when you consider the nature of some of the issues it raises.
I found the main character Carl and his supporting cast of friends to be very believable and engaging; you do have to turn just that one extra page to see what happens next. I'm certainly looking forward to more from Gary Murning, whose writing is diverse, entertaining and thought provoking.
I found the main character Carl and his supporting cast of friends to be very believable and engaging; you do have to turn just that one extra page to see what happens next. I'm certainly looking forward to more from Gary Murning, whose writing is diverse, entertaining and thought provoking.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best book I've read in years
I have just finished reading "Children of the Resolution", a semi autobiographical novel by Gary William Murning, and I fully intend to start reading it again. I miss it! Read more
Published 8 months ago by Marilyn Ambroziak
Warm, poignant and inspirational
Gary William Murning has created a marvellous book that gives an insight into the perils - and joys - of growing up in the 1970s with a severe physical disability. Read more
Published 9 months ago by N. J. Rogers
The struggles of growing up in the 1970s at the whim of government...
This is an amazing story about a child born with a physical disability. It tells the struggles of coping with changes within the educational system but more importantly, the bonds... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jane Lomas
Sybil
'I had no idea what this book was about as I didn't read the press release, I just jumped straight in and started reading. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Book-Shelf
Heartwarming, interesting and gripping.
I was in an odd position for this one - the first time I've ever read a book on the reccomendation of the author! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Helen Cairns
Children of the Resolution
I have to say that this book rates , in my humble opioion as one of the best books I have been blessed with , its fast , fun and well worth a read
Published 11 months ago by Mike Bradbury
Everyone needs to read this book!
Children of the Resolution is a thought-provoking, well written story of a young boy's journey through the integrated education system, juxtaposed with his reflections of that... Read more
Published 11 months ago by ElaineSP
A Good Hard Read
I've read one other Gary Murning novel and found it hard work.
Not because it was badly written, but purely because in a world where heroes and heroines are generally... Read more
Not because it was badly written, but purely because in a world where heroes and heroines are generally... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. R. Griggs-taylor
Solid & Interesting
Reading Children of the Resolution was an amazing journey. The authors style of writing grips you and doesn't let go until the conclusion. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Nibby
A gentle giant of a novel
Children of the Resolution tells the story of Carl Grantham, now an adult but looking back on his childhood. Read more
Published 13 months ago by A. J. Dugdall-marshall
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