A Conversation About Happiness: The Story of a Lost Childhood
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.51 (957 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1782393161 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-06-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
The late 1960s were in full swing, but with total freedom came danger. to board at an experimental British school. A vivid and intense memoir of coming of age amidst the unraveling social experiment of the late 1960s.When Mikey Cuddihy was orphaned at the age of nine, her life exploded. Orphaned at the age of nine, Mikey Cuddihy left the U.S. The setting was idyllic, lessons were optional, pupils made the rules. She and her siblings were sent from New York to board at experimental Summerhill School, in England, and abandoned there. Joan Baez visited and taught Mikey guitar. Mikey navigated this strange world of permissiveness and neglect, forging an identity almost in defiance of it.
The 'happiness' of the title Is clearly debatable, and yet the plight of the orphaned family - victims of thoughtless, selfish adults - is recounted with a commendable lack of emotion. Written with a cool-eyed compassion, this is a fascinating examination of the bittersweet experiments of '60s child rearing, of which Cuddihy was both a victim and a beneficiary. Daily Telegraph She writes with vivid truthfulness, even-handed and observant A fascinating document of an age and a mindset. This paradox lies at the centre of her well-written and moving memoir. Daily Mail As a chilling portrait of the abuse of children - especially read in the context of all the current outrage - it is an impressive and disturbing work Literary Review Cuddihy's craft is to elicit our sympathy in non-combative style Cuddihy's triumph is to remain balanced throughout, leaving us to feel the spills. -- Esther Freud An evocative memoir Guardian Cuddihy survived her damaged childhood both because of an
"Truth quietly uncovered - layer by layer - a wonderful read." according to Jessica. For many of us growing up in the 1960’s and 70’s, Summerhill was the Holy Grail of freedom, the experimental school in England where rules were shrugged off alongside uniforms, and children were granted full artistic expression that traditional methods of instruction squelched forever. Growing up in Canada, I h. Aunt Ann My mom is a family member who really enjoyed reliving small parts of her childhood thru reading Mikey's book. She would be Mikey's aunt. I am so removed from the lives they all led that I found it moving and powerful.
. Mikey Cuddihy is an art lecturer, artist, and writer