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Gypsy Boy
 
 
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Gypsy Boy [Kindle Edition]

Mikey Walsh (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (236 customer reviews)
Print List Price: £8.99
Kindle Price: £4.83 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £4.16 (46%)
* Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

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Kindle Edition £4.83   -- --
Hardcover £15.11   -- --
Paperback £5.16   -- --
Audio, CD, Audiobook, Unabridged £17.28   -- --
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Product Description

Review

A brilliant but bittersweet story. --Dermot O'Leary

Touching, insightful, funny and incredibly shocking. --Heat

Product Description

Mikey was born into a Romany Gypsy family. They live in a closeted community, and little is known about their way of life. After centuries of persecution Gypsies are wary of outsiders and if you choose to leave you can never come back.

This is something Mikey knows only too well.



Growing up, he didn’t go to school, he seldom mixed with non-Gypsies and the caravan became his world. It was a rich and unusual upbringing and Mikey grew up surrounded by a memorable cast of eccentrics, including his three-foot tall grandmother- a fierce matriarch who didn’t let her diminutive stature get in her way, and his flame-haired mother with a penchant for Dynasty, Angel Delight and electric blue mascara...



But although Mikey inherited a vibrant and loyal culture his family’s legacy was bittersweet with a hidden history of violence and grief.



Eventually Mikey was forced to make an agonising decision – to stay and keep secrets, or escape and find somewhere to belong.


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Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 380 KB
  • Print Length: 289 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0340977981
  • Publisher: Hodder (23 July 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002VD6NMI
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (236 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #10,174 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
114 of 118 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful and brilliant memoir 18 Oct 2009
By Greg Jameson
Format:Hardcover
Gypsy Boy is my book of the year, and I would urge everyone to read it. It's the autobiographical story of Mikey Walsh, a boy growing up as a Romany Gypsy during the 80s and 90s. The pictures he paints of life in the camps, the Gypsy culture, and the Gypsy characters who had a major impact on his life (as they're not allowed to socialise with Gorgias - non-Gypsies) are stunningly vivid, conjuring in few words a real sense of place, so that as you read it's as if you can see and smell the places he describes, and as if you're watching the events unfold. Walsh uses a beautiful, lyrical narrative style, but never at the expense of clarity.

The early chapters about his birth and infancy leave his relatives to tell the story, and it helps to establish his mother and sister; as well as set up the major driving force of the narrative - his father's expectations for him. A prize-fighter himself, his father requires Mikey to carry on the line of well-respected Walshes, but it's clear from his first boxing lessons as a young child that he's never going to measure up and grow into the tough, fierce man that's required of him. Without any trace of self-pity, Walsh unflinchingly describes a childhood of horrendous physical, and even sexual abuse; but through using moments of tenderness and wit, he injects humour and pathos in equal measure, as he crafts a captivating story about a boy growing up and trying to fit in with the demands of his culture and satisfy his father's sense of honour. From the passages about his time at school, to the distance that grew between him and his sister, to the hopes he had for the future, Walsh carries you along with the power of his story-telling, and I found myself speeding up the pace of my reading, I was so keen to find out what happened next.... Read more ›
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A story of courage and hope 9 April 2010
By Roy Turner
Format:Hardcover
I have just finished this book, I could not put it down, and it has left a lasting impression. Many of the reviews here echo my own feelings and thoughts but one of the things which shone through this autobiography is the courage with which this young gypsy lad endured the horrendous treatment meted out to him. It is hard to believe that some of these things actually happened, and are allowed to happen, in this day and age.

The inner struggles and torments he suffered, trapped in an alien world where all he felt and wanted was inexpressible and unattainable because of tradition and bigotry, would have overwhelmed a lesser soul....and that is why this book is inspirational. It is distressing at times and heart-rending, but it is also full of hope and shows that the human spirit has a huge capacity to win through, and will ultimately survive and conquer.

Your journey with Mikey will bring you tears, laughter, incredulity and hope. You will find it hard to put this book down as you follow him through his torments and struggles. Wherever you are now Mikey, thank you for daring to put pen to paper and share your expeiences with us!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking yet brilliant 29 Mar 2010
By Mrs. S. J. Zammit
Format:Paperback
I started reading this book with a knowledge of Gypsy culture, as I have been in contact with a traveller family for the past 3 -4 years, and have to say it's probably one of the most thought provoking and heartbreaking true story I have read in a long long time. I actually think Mikey might be the bravest person ever for actually standing up for what he believes in and having the courage to leave behind all he ever knew. So trust me when I say you NEED to read this book, I wont go into details, so as not to spoil what is an amazing journey in Mikeys young life. Just know that it will stay with you for a long time after you finish it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars What dont kill you makes you stronger 30 May 2010
By Jamie Daniels
Format:Paperback
This is an amazing peice of writing. It was so easy to read. As soon as it arrived I got stuck in. It is a powerful journey that makes you realise that no matter what you go through you can make it in the end. I am so very proud to know that Mikey has told his story as I know it will help hundreds if not thousands of people who may have or are going through similar upbringing. Blessings to all that read this wonderful book.
Thanks to Mikey you are a true champion.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars It Touched My Soul 7 April 2010
By Ja Trustram
Format:Hardcover
I can't believe that anyone could rate this with anything less than 5 stars. I was going to say that it was my favorite book of the year but then I realised that it is probably my favorite book ever. I brought it for my holiday and after reading one page I couldn't put it down and now Im ready for my holiday with a case full of books that will never live up to it. I genuinly feel sorry for people that let this book pass them by. I brought it on recommendation and it really did touch my soul. It is a rollercaoster ride of emotions and anyone who thinks this paints gyspies in a bad light couldn't be more wrong. He really could have chosen to go down that road but he hasnt. This is a man that proves that what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. Mikey didn't go to school and he seldom mixed with non-Gypsies and went through so many hard times yet he has written a book which which would be an achievment on its own. You will be shocked, you will probably shed a tear and you will definitly laugh out loud. He never wallows in self pity and is just telling his life story. He has been brave his whole life. He was a brave child and an even braver man.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read
Really great read. What a truly sad and inspiring story.I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book
Published 4 days ago by daniel
5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting read.
I was always wondering what the Gypsy life was like, this tells it all, and I'm glad I wasn't a gypsy!
Published 18 days ago by tonynwuk
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read
A very compelling read couldn't put the book down sad but also heartwarming can't wait to read gypsy boy on the run.
Published 26 days ago by M J Jacks
5.0 out of 5 stars very good read
very good read,good insight to gypsy life,also found it to be quite sad because it is a true story,couldnt put it down.
Published 1 month ago by Glenis Richards
5.0 out of 5 stars It made me laugh and cry... enjoyed all of it!
It made me laugh and cry... enjoyed all of it! Easy reading, interesting, shocking and funny...a different world from many!
Published 1 month ago by Lisa
4.0 out of 5 stars INTERESTING READ
fascinating insight into a whole way of life that is still very much a secret.

Mikey has had some life and lived a whole life before he even reached adulthood. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Raymond
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Great true story, enjoyed Reading this book. Very sad in places and really funny in others. Would recommend this book.
Published 1 month ago by Keely
5.0 out of 5 stars gyspy boy
the first gypsy story from mike walsh i bought and its a great story ,great story well worth a read with fast delivery
Published 3 months ago by diane nordstrom
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! Heartbreaking yet hillarious.
I bought this book after reading a few reviews online and it did not disappoint. I fell in love with Mikey instantly. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Totts
4.0 out of 5 stars Pauline
Really enjoyed reading this book , very sad in parts but a good read could not put the book down
Published 3 months ago by pauline bennett
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Popular Highlights

 (What's this?)
&quote;
1 The Birth of a Pig Boy 2 Wonder Years 3 Sisters Grim 4 Taking a Punch 5 A Bungalow with Barbie Graveyard 6 A School and a Big City 7 &quote;
Highlighted by 10 Kindle users
&quote;
The Gypsy race is an old-fashioned and, sadly, a very bitter one. They live, breathe, sleep, grieve, love and care for only their own people. &quote;
Highlighted by 6 Kindle users
&quote;
A few Romany words are recognised outside the Gypsy community. For instance, the word chavi means a young boy but has been adapted by the outside world into chav, used to describe a rough, working-class or tasteless person. &quote;
Highlighted by 6 Kindle users

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