The Story of Childhood

by Libby Brooks

Libby Brooks suggests that there is much we don't understand about contemporary childhood. She talks to nine very different children between the ages of four and sixteen growing up in Britain today. The public schoolboy, the young offender, the teenage mum, the country lad, for example, talk about their own lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens

344 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2006

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, the best and definitely most engaging book I've read for uni ever - 5*

Honestly, I wish I could have read this as in-depth as a pleasure read because this book was amazing. It's sort of set up like a 'story' but it has literature and research to support, which is brilliant for my assessed debate.

This book stole a couple of hours away from me and I was happy for it to be taken. I've got so many references and I have a better conceptual understanding of 'childhood'.

An essential read!!!

[Grace Duthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

* I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as it offered a raw and real insight into childhood, highlighting the differences each child experiences.
* My favourite part about this book was that everything was presented to us as it is; no judgement, shame or viewpoint of the author suggested.

[Perdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit outdated but still very relevant.

I would love another book exploring more recent affairs.

[Candy Wood]

Through stories of nine children aged 4-16 and representing a variety of situations, Brooks focuses on the issue of adult fears of and for children, reflected in the British media by frequent references to gang violence, drugs, teen pregnancy, and paedophiles. She concludes that panic is not necessary: after all, most of her subjects are coping well under challenging circumstances. However, the boy at the center of the book (#5 of 9), a 7-year-old called Adam, is the only one who lives in rural surroundings, the only one without siblings, and the one least worried about conforming. Brooks asserts that adult ideas of childhood innocence are mistaken, but Adam seems to typify exactly those ideas. She is least sympathetic to the most affluent subject, 8-year-old Nicholas, and she ends hopefully with 16-year-old mother Lauren, cheerfully determined to finish her 10 GCSEs and go on to university. Each chapter draws on many published studies, but the result is less than scholarly (and needed copyediting).

[Sue Lyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is well written in a great journalistic style with a clear moral purpose. It presents the voices of 9 children growing up in Britain today and uses their narratives to reflect on the most important issues around childhood today. A must read for parents and teachers and teenagers. What drove me mad was the lack of references and the arbitrary way that resources were selected for the select bibliography. I wanted to find the sources she had used for myself and couldn't do that. So we have to take on trust her interpretation of her sources. I do feel quite confident about that as I have read many of the sources she refers to and found her to be honest in her approach but no less frustrating for that! But having said that it is clear that Libby brooks cares about children and respects them. The children in this book have strong voices that are presented with care.