Just a Boy: The True Story of a Stolen Childhood [Hardcover]

Richard McCann's mother, Wilma, was murdered by the Yorkshire Ripper in 1975. Many people will remember those awful years when headlines were in the media everyday about the victims of Sutcliffe. But I wonder how many people have given any real thought about how the deaths of those victims affected their families? McCann's book gives a clear insight into how the media and social systems further abuse these innocent victims.

McCann's style of writing is very moving; it is not complex - it is straight to the point and hits the reader with a huge impact. I have spent 25 years working with both children and adults who have experienced abuse and can assure readers that this book truly reflects the world of victims of abuse. The book is honest, powerful and emotive; yet is it not sensationalised in any way - it is a true account.

McCann starts the book from the morning his mother did not come home. He then takes the reader through his childhood, where he and his siblings experienced extreme forms of physical and emotional abuse. His younger adulthood was also filled with trauma and torment BUT McCann is an incredibly determined person who survives and makes a success of his life. He starts to find some fulfilment.

What I love about this book is that it will educate all sorts of people. It will help victims of abuse who currently feel despondent or anyone who has been bereaved; it will give them hope and demonstrates that survival is achievable. For people who may not believe that such atrocities happen in our society the book will raise their awareness and give them a reality check. McCann's moving story should make everyone feel guilty about the fact that a lot of us have probably been sucked in by the media's potrayal of events and not given enough thought to the children who were left motherless. Finally, professionals and workers need to realise that we are still making the same mistakes as we did 30 years ago.

Whilst reading this book I had to keep reminding myself that this story did not belong in the Victorian era. These children, who grew up in the such appalling conditions, having suffered the worst possible loss, are the same age as my own children. The contrast was almost unbelievable, and made the book all the more heartrending. The book reminds us, in the most graphic way, that even in these enlightened times, children still endure unimagiable hardship at the hands of adults.

Most women over a certain age, especially those living in the Leeds area, remember the "Ripper" years quite vividly. We remember the fear of going out at night and the precautions we took to protect ourselves. This book added to this by making me realise the total devastation suffered by those affected by the murders. The second sentence in the Preface says "Twenty five children were deprived of their Mothers by Peter Sutcliffe". This sentence hit me like a thunderbolt. To my shame this side of the story had not occurred to me before. Twenty five children were the long term victims of the "Ripper" murders, and if my experience is typical, they were also twenty five forgotten victims. Because of this book these children, now young adults, are no longer forgotten.

This story is an example of the inhumanity of man. It shows how long lasting damage can be inflicted by one human being on another, damage that manifests itself by causing a disfunctional personality. Conversely the book also reveals the strength of the human spirit to rise above the most appalling conditions and triumph in the end.

Richard and his sisters would possibly have lived their childhood in poverty and material deprivation if this tragedy had not occurred. They would, however, have had the unconditional love of their Mother, and this can overcome all other adversity in a child's world. Richard had this love cruelly taken away with disastrous results.

This book is very well written and once started very difficult to put down. It is a thought-provoking, sad, poignant story.