'I was born in South Yorkshire in 1963. The only other significant event to occur that year was that John F Kennedy tried to drive past the Texas Book Repository without having paid his late fees.'
In this unforgettable memoir of childhood, comedian and novelist John Larkin will have you laughing at every step of his journey from the cold, damp mining town of northern England to the sun-drenched streets of western Sydney.
And along the way are the kind of poignant insights that Larkin has made his own, as he survives regular attacks by a sister who kills teddy bears, Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men, classroom dumpers, pacifist lollipop men, cocks and cocks in waiting, school milk, cobblers, kids who eat paste, deranged science teachers and parents who try to feed him to the sharks.