Dragged Up Proppa: Growing up in Britain’s Forgotten North

by Pip Fallow

Dragged Up Proppa is the story of growing up working class in a forgotten England.

'Very compelling, beautifully written memoir of a time and England that no longer exists but remains just as important today as ever' – Sebastian Payne, author of Broken Heartlands

Pip Fallow was born in the coal-miner’s cottage where his family of eight lived, in a village near Durham. Pip was destined to join his father down the pit, but the closure of his village’s mine in the 1980s saw him at the back of the dole queue like the rest. This is Pip’s story of being ‘dragged up proppa’, living by his wits, working and travelling the world before finally settling a few miles from where he grew up.

A lot has been written about the red wall in recent years, but Pip Fallow has lived it. This is his account of some of the most important issues affecting Britain today – from levelling-up and the north-south divide, to social mobility and class, and the devastating social upheaval caused by decades of deindustrialization and government neglect – to show how broken promises of the past impact his village and the politics of today.

This is the memoir of a man who left school illiterate, but has now written a book. The story of a lost generation who were prepared for a life that had disappeared by the time they were ready for it, of communities with once strong social ties that have now disintegrated, and a way of living that simply no longer exists in Britain today.

'Fallow's memoir is not just a classic piece of working-class writing, but a truly gripping narrative' – Brian Groom, author of A History

Genres: Nonfiction

321 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 23, 2023

Reviews

[Lynne Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the authors story of his childhood into adulthood especially being from a pit village in the Northeast myself.
The last few chapters left me shaking my head and completely disagreeing with him.
I felt like he went on a political rant and for me this spoilt the book.
A generous 3 stars from a lefty!

[Rose]

I enjoyed most of the book about the author’s life but the last few chapters were full of Daily Mail-style nonsense about “scroungers” and the welfare system e.g. “[Mobility] cars are provided by the social services for people who for one reason or another cannot afford to buy one.” - completely untrue - with very little sense of hypocrisy from a man who was quite happy to abandon his child immediately after birth then facilitate his son’s single mother cheating the benefit system instead of supporting his child himself:

“Mother and child were living in my house. My mother had stepped in and sorted things out. The letter went on to explain, my mother had taken her to the social services where she had filled out the forms for claiming housing benefit. On one of the papers, she had to declare she didn’t know who the father of her child was. She had filled it out, signed it and been so humiliated, she cried all the way home.

This was another tool in the box commonly used to beat the system. Everybody was at it. If somebody had a child, she would fill out the forms, declaring she didn’t know who the father was. The rent would then be given directly to the mother for her to give to her landlord and she would keep it because the landlord was the father. This was perfect for all concerned as it meant the system could not chase the fathers for child maintenance because they didn’t have a name. This loophole in a fractured system worked well, the winner of course the innocent child. The mother claimed rent but had no landlord to pay. She got her dole money plus child benefit and, in most cases, the father got to keep all of his dole. And if mother or father could pick up a bit of cash doing fiddle work on the black market, it was a win-win.”

[Liam Miles]

All the biases that you would expect from someone telling their life story.

Contradictions between beliefs, actions and things he's witnessed are pretty common.

I do think that that adds to its value rather than detracts from it, it feels more honest and valuable than if he were to assess that in himself more. It makes me feel like I need to read a lot of other books on the topic to assess it properly, which I typically think is a sign of a good book.

On the whole does a good job of painting a portrait of a time and place not long ago from now that reads with such contrast to the present. Seems incredibly self-interested and guilt-free - some of that may have been emphasised in translation to paper.

Good chat on Thatcher sentiments

Definitely leaves me rooting for higher tax brackets

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read .I did think it would have been more about his upbringing because of the title which it did start off that way then became about his working life. It touched on some very interesting topics and opened my eyes about a few things

[Ashlyn L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the early part of this book the most where the subject was Pip’s life and the description of his community. I don’t share the author’s view of people who claim benefits or his views on politics so the latter part of the book was a slog.

[Beverley Geary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having been brought up at the same time and coming from a mining family (Father, uncles, father - in -law & husband) I was looking forward to a nostalgic reflection of the time. However, whilst well written I found the political rants, and factual inaccuracies grew increasingly tiresome. I found it incredulous that the author didn’t even work in the pits and the ‘southern police hating’ was unacceptable- yet the author appeared to condone theft and the kidnapping and beating of a young man with learning disabilities acceptable? (He didn’t go to work that day and he never worked again!!)
My father was on strike like the other miners, and we struggled like many. My recollections of the time are very different, which, given this is the authors story and his reflections possibly understandable. It’s history, time to move on.

[Guy Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opened my eyes a lot to the reality of recent historical working class life in the North. Some great parts.

The book overall was a little meandering and could have stayed more closely focused on the title topic rather than his life abroad etc

[Maggie Wright]

Very political which I did expect but not quite as much. Not as much humour as I envisioned from a Northern English author. Having grown up in a very similar mining community, I understood most of the struggles. Kudos to the author for overcoming barriers.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first half of this memoir, which covered Pip's early life growing up in a pit village in the North East during the miner's strikes. As Pip is a similar age to my dad it opened up conversations with him that I probably wouldn't have thought to have had before!

However the second half of the book covered him living in different countries (appreciate this was important in his life but felt it didn't do anything for the message he was trying to get across to the reader), with the final few chapters his current beliefs upon his return to where he grew up. I didn't really agree with everything he said which made the latter end a bit awkward to get through

[L M Mugridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, not least because I grew up in a neighbouring village, a miners daughter, a similar age to the author, that lived through some of the experiences he talks about. This book brought back many of those memories of the strike. I applaud the author for turning himself around, through sheer hard work and determination. I didn’t enjoy the section where it just became a political rant, I really don’t think that added any value to the book, however it reflects the political views of many people from the area. A poignant and thought provoking read.

[Marilyn Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave up on this about halfway through. Whilst acknowledging the success of Pip's life against the odds, I did find some of it a bit far fetched. I grew up in a mining community in the North and don't recognise much of what he writes about. The difference in attitude between North and South, I think is more down to class than geography. Much of what he says about the '84/85 strike seems to be hyperbole. He doesn't mention the women's involvement in supporting the miners. In the end I became irritated by his self aggrandisment. A disappointing read.

[Laura Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The stories were fascinating and so entertaining. As a northerner myself I felt it’s a true reflection of the north and how a lot of northern people think and feel. If you didn’t like the last chapters of the book I feel you’ve missed the point to the book. It’s a non fiction book about his life and his community past and present and his feelings. Brilliant book that I’ve recommended to everyone I know!

[Jenny Barron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read this local book with strong personal commentary on the miner’s strike of 1984. Pip’s voice is powerful and his journey through life is remarkable although at many points distressing, particularly for the women he meets. He has his own moral compass which does not match with mine but a strong loyalty to his community which is admirable.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a lot of other books out there in a similar vein, but much, much better. I wouldn’t recommend.

Unfair of me maybe, but for a lot of the book I just wanted to say “ok, boomer”.

[Lauren Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others have mentioned, it started off great, i lost interest at about chapter 18

[Peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, highly recommend you read the Pip Fallow story.
Pip and his family tell us all sorts of things at once. It’s important, interesting, fascinating, brutal, sad, historic, urgent, brilliant …
In part, this is a story about coal, and how it honed life in the north east, when poverty was real and life was hard. There’s a whole family history here, the stories of growing up with industry to work at, and tons of coal to be extracted to feed it. The men were rightly proud, the tough but vital work was all they knew, and all that was expected of them.
But this is real history- and it’s balanced by reading the human toll beyond Mrs Thatcher and her Tory government’s actions. Finally someone writes what those decisions actively meant for the people who were trying to keep living under the full impact of them. Finally someone describes all the casual brutality and prejudice that eventually broke the miners and their families in the 1980’s.
My own family were miners. I read the book with an insider’s knowledge. It didn’t make the story of what’s been done to our England any less harrowing, but when I reached the end of this book I was glad Pip had written his story. And I was proud for Pip’s parents, pleased that their achievements could be celebrated. Pip has a story that needed and ached to be told, Pip writes it perfectly, honestly and with plenty of earthy humour and a touch of reality round every corner.
We all need to read his book. Hopefully it’ll shock us awake to what’s happening in England at long long last.

[Chryssula Kokossulis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It tells a story about poverty, deprivation, about dirty mine work, about the lack of opportunities and to flip the coin, it tells a story about love, abundance of ideas, resilience, the will to live. How no matter how poor you are there will be a smile on your face to defeat the gloom of the forgotten north. And how the people of the north have fought themselves through.
You can say that the north & its people is kind of the spine of England. You don’t see it, you don’t feel it, but boy can the spine turn your head to see the right things. This book brings a lot of things into perspective, especially for someone like me who isn’t British. It is in my eyes an important book, an homage to the poor north, even though it is mostly a personal memoir. Definitely recommended for anyone who wishes to settle here. Genuinely touched.

[Russ Lines-Jobling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put the book down, enthralling social history of a northern pit village the troubles abd strife and the documentation of an educational system which ignored swathes of the UK - The North East being one such region. The decimation of an industry and the blind sided sim of one woman to wreak havoc to settle a political store. For me it highlights the death knell of working class communities which are still playing out 30 years plus. And like so many travesties of politics just where are the NUM pension funds and did people really understand that miners lost jobs livelihoods and pensions for standing up to a government hell bent on the destruction of close knit working class communities.

It’s a read to awaken your political steel and test where you sit and perhaps not in the corner…

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t seem to get into these “Northern England growing up poor but happy” books. So many details about minor incidents and people (family friends workmates) and inertia of every day mundane lives. They don’t seem to have a real story to tell, just ramblings and memories. The book remains unfinished because I did skip lots of it. There was some charm, his appreciation of inventions, even what would be considered simple ones, like eye glasses (but he is so right - where would we be without them?) and his desire to grow and improve (he couldn't read when he left school but learned to) and he figured out being a decent husband and father was the right thing to do after making a few mistakes. He has a moral compass and is aware of societies complex problems.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, for someone who was illiterate at school, it is well wrote (his mam proof reads it)

Great story of being brought up in a small mining village, where Thatcher ruined it all, the same as the steelworks in Consett.
The last couple chapters were a bit of a rant about the current government which stopped me from giving it 5 stars, but what he said needed to be said.

[Susan Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

It was a blast from the past for me and a really thorough trip down Memory Lane. My deep anger at the Thatcher Government and the terrible things they did to the mining industry and the working people of the North of England raises my heckles to this day and I relived every terrible minute of the struggle.

A requiem for the working class and a riveting read.

[saoirse :P · Rating 3 out of 5]

my second time reading this book and like many others really enjoyed the first half but strongly disagree with the meandering rambles and rants at the end about benefit ‘scroungers’ and the likes so becomes a big slog. these people are not your enemy!

[KENNY ATKINSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and thought about

From a local lad who speaks with his heart and mind of the place he loves thanks for the memories and truth

[Roger Wilsher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking stuff.

[Ellen Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real insight into life in the pits in the north east. Felt homely

[Dia Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely one of the best books I've ever read. I don’t necessarily agree with all of Pip's views, but the fundamental view that society needs a kick up the arse really resonates. It's changed my views on my hometown, my background, and most importantly, myself. Many many thoughts. Maybe I'll write some of them down.