Customer Reviews

Children of the Resolution

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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.

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.

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 read the first book ("If I Never") released by Gary William Murning last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it, from cover to cover. His second release was, therefore, eagerly awaited and I was not disappointed when I read it. "Children of the Resolution" is a very different type of book from "If I Never". It has a much slower and gentler pace but it is no less absorbing. Gary has a style which makes for easy and enjoyable reading whilst dealing with some important issues. He has a "wicked" sense of humour which pervades his writing. The two books released so far, demonstrate his writing versatility and I look forward hopefully to reading many more in the future. I would recommend "Children of the Resolution" (and "If I Never") without hesitation.

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! Without wishing to sound patronising, I felt it was almost a privilege to have been allowed to share the very personal details of living with a physical disability, first as a young child and then as an adolescent with all the coping mechanisms that that entails. What a truly magnificent book, written with laugh out loud humour and tear inducing poignancy.. and a whole gamut of emotions in between. At the end of it I felt as though I knew Carl personally and I can't wait to see him again. Thank you Gary.

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. The main character, Carl, is a strong-willed and intelligent young man struggling to maintain his identity and to live his own life in the face of an educational system that can be callous and capricious, often seeming to think of him and his fellow students more in terms of lab rats than as people.

Despite this potentially bleak backdrop, Children of the Resolution is funny, uplifting and life-affirming. The moral - though the book is in no way preachy - is that, even suffering from all the physical disadvantages nature could throw at you - you can achieve your dreams and you can live life to the full. A wonderful book that I highly recommend.

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 of friendship and the carefree attitude of youth. Mr Murning takes you through a range of emotions: anger (at the system), sadness and downright laughter. After reading Children of the Resolution, I was left with the feeling that I knew Carl well and he was a friend I was sad to leave behind...but most of all, hopeful for his future.

'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. Wow is all I can say; the book doesn't really have a beginning, middle and end in a traditional story sense, but it is a fantastic read. The characters are so well written they almost come to life and the reader forms an attachment with them straight away. When I got to the end of the book I felt I was leaving old friends behind. This book is a must not only for those that enjoy a well written tale, but for able bodied people to show them that no matter how much they empathise with disability they can never truely understand it.

I was in an odd position for this one - the first time I've ever read a book on the reccomendation of the author! I have to confess to being very well prepared to have to smile politley but I absolutley loved it. I found it interesting from many standpoints. I studied inclusion and education, so from an academic perspective it was interesting to me. Secondly, it was interesting as a human story - I really cared about the characters and what they were going through, exclusive of the setting. Childhood friendships were painted so vividly and beautifully that I was touched. It was also enjoyable from a storytelling standpoint,as the structure of the book was interesting enough to hold the attention of a jaded reader like me. Good stuff.

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