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Bread, Jam and a Borrowed Pram: A Nurse's Story From the Streets
The compelling and heartwarming story of a young nurse's life and work in 1950s England from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author.
"Three small children peep out, their eyes watching me from beneath tousled but clean hair. Their clothes seem to have been put on their bodies to cover them rather than to fit them, none wears shoes. Two older girls stand by a table, the only piece of furniture I have seen in the house, apart from a rickety pram, which now stands in the doorway. The crumbling remains of a loaf of bread are being coated with jam, and eager fingers await them..."
It's the end of the 1950s and Britain is changing. The war's long shadow is fading and while the country gets ready for the swinging sixties, Dot is embarking on an adventure of her own. After qualifying as a midwife, young Dot has taken a job as a health visitor in the back streets of Birmingham. There, she's not just responsible for the babies brought into this world, but an army of toddlers, tykes and tots who all need a helping hand.
For Dot it will be a heartrending journey - trying to help families with next to nothing, sharing the struggles of young mums and discovering how the spirit of the community can overcome the toughest of circumstances.
"Three small children peep out, their eyes watching me from beneath tousled but clean hair. Their clothes seem to have been put on their bodies to cover them rather than to fit them, none wears shoes. Two older girls stand by a table, the only piece of furniture I have seen in the house, apart from a rickety pram, which now stands in the doorway. The crumbling remains of a loaf of bread are being coated with jam, and eager fingers await them..."
It's the end of the 1950s and Britain is changing. The war's long shadow is fading and while the country gets ready for the swinging sixties, Dot is embarking on an adventure of her own. After qualifying as a midwife, young Dot has taken a job as a health visitor in the back streets of Birmingham. There, she's not just responsible for the babies brought into this world, but an army of toddlers, tykes and tots who all need a helping hand.
For Dot it will be a heartrending journey - trying to help families with next to nothing, sharing the struggles of young mums and discovering how the spirit of the community can overcome the toughest of circumstances.
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
310 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
33 people are currently reading
246 people want to read
About the author
Dot May Dunn
11 books14 followersDot May Dunn was born in Derbyshire, the daughter of a miner. In 1951 she joined the newly established NHS as a pre-nursing student at Leicester Royal Infirmary, eventually becoming a Research Fellow at St Bartholomew's London and the London Hospital Medical College. She has four nursing qualifications and 50 years on the 'coal face' behind her. She divides her time between England and France.
- from https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/authors/...
- from https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/authors/...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 26, 2021
What is remarkable about Dot May Dunn is that she describes the dirt, the smells and the filth of the families she attended without glossing over. If she would describe a lush it would be in vivid detail.
There is no attempt at glossing over, ‘Mrs. Smith smelled but I could manage it…’
No Dot Dunn says, ‘When I called on Mrs. Smith, I gagged and stepped a couple of feet backwards.’
But the most important is that Dot will see to it that Mrs. Smith is bathed and that the sheets are cleaned.
Take the case of one very poor district where there is an outbreak of diarrhea, Dot does not rest until every person is cared for, the lavatories are cleaned and the water supply is taken care of.
Dot is Angel!
There is no attempt at glossing over, ‘Mrs. Smith smelled but I could manage it…’
No Dot Dunn says, ‘When I called on Mrs. Smith, I gagged and stepped a couple of feet backwards.’
But the most important is that Dot will see to it that Mrs. Smith is bathed and that the sheets are cleaned.
Take the case of one very poor district where there is an outbreak of diarrhea, Dot does not rest until every person is cared for, the lavatories are cleaned and the water supply is taken care of.
Dot is Angel!
January 27, 2014
If nothing else can be said about the book, the speed with which I finished it should count for something. Started it late Saturday night after reading several other nonfiction books and I finished it by lunchtime Monday. (And that included two church services on Sunday and housework and lessons supervised on Monday.)
The author recounts her work as a Health Visitor in post-war England with little bits of her personal life included. It is written as journal entries which cover two years in the late 50s and early 60s. The living situations of many of these families is undeniably atrocious, but her recounting is not sensational, instead it is straightforward, detailed and full of concern for those who need her assistance. The book did leave me wanting to scrub my house down to its very crevices as her entries recounting the filth and rankness she encountered made me feel nervous about some of my own housekeeping negligence.
Looking forward to her other two titles.
The author recounts her work as a Health Visitor in post-war England with little bits of her personal life included. It is written as journal entries which cover two years in the late 50s and early 60s. The living situations of many of these families is undeniably atrocious, but her recounting is not sensational, instead it is straightforward, detailed and full of concern for those who need her assistance. The book did leave me wanting to scrub my house down to its very crevices as her entries recounting the filth and rankness she encountered made me feel nervous about some of my own housekeeping negligence.
Looking forward to her other two titles.
October 19, 2014
The content of this book is really fascinating from a modern, privileged point of view. The stories of the various families the author looks after form the core of the book, chronicling poor living conditions and other unusual circumstances which are quite shocking by today's standards. We see everything through the eyes of the author, a health visitor who by virtue of her job sees into many disadvantaged lives. However, this comes with the obvious limitation that she can often only offer a brief glimpse into a family's circumstances, unable to elaborate on how things came to be that way and remaining largely mystified by what occurs outside her jurisdiction. This can cause the stories to feel incomplete, which may be frustrating if you are looking for a resolution to each of her families' or patients' tales.
Another flaw is a shortage of detail. I would have liked to learn more about the healthcare policies of the time, most of what she does at the clinic aside from drinking tea, what the nappy test is for and what other medical tests/services she carries out, what's in her bag, what she teaches at the mothercraft clinic, and so on and so forth. She focuses far more on the social worker aspects of the job than anything else, and so this is not a book for people who want specific information about healthcare in the late 1950s, the finer details of being a health visitor, or '50s attitudes to dysfunctional families - at best you can get a general impression and make some assumptions from the text.
It's also not for people who want a very personal memoir, as the focus is much more on the families she visits than on herself. It's hard to get a feel for her personality, her passions and what she does in her spare time, and it's even harder to understand her relationship with her partner Alan or how her relationships with her colleagues develop. Otherwise, if your interest is a little less specific and you are looking for memoirs of a working woman in the 1950s or insight into social work and a snapshot of disadvantaged people's lives at the time, this book may fulfil your needs rather well.
Aside from that, I feel that the main flaw is in the formatting and editing. The book is presented in a form I initially thought to be a diary, but it is in the present tense as though we are enjoying the author's narration as the events occur. One therefore expects everything to proceed in a chronological order, and thus it is quite disorienting when the author includes a flashback or aside. Once there is even a flashforward occurring four years ahead and curiously appended to a normal chapter 3/4 of the way through the book; the author seems to have thought it worth cramming in not because it is particularly relevant but because she thinks it's a good story - which it probably could be, in the right context. This book is not the right context, but a sequel might have been.
In addition to the aforementioned complaint, portions of events have been judiciously excised as though to preserve some form of narrative tension, but it's not guaranteed that it will ever be paid off later. For example, on one occasion she visits a house where she meets an expectant mother's husband for the first time. He appears, acts very oddly and leaves again, and the chapter ends immediately afterwards, a sort of cliffhanger that is never resolved. We are given no suggested explanation for his actions, nor any indication how the rest of the visit went or if the author ever discussed her husband's behaviour with his wife. Hopefully you make the assumption he has a mental disability as the author seems to take this for granted. These occasional swerves and random time skips contribute to a sometimes uneven pace, adding another layer of frustration to that caused by the unavoidable lack of resolution to some of the narratives.
Last of all, it is worth noting that the Orion paperback edition I read was poorly edited and proofread in places. I didn't see any mention of this in my brief look at other reviews, so I'm wondering if the text somehow got mangled between editions. Aside from the fact a good editor could have given the book a better polish, there are a number of typos as well as instances of extraneous punctuation, missing commas, and a few jarring comma splices. The author otherwise seems well acquainted with the correct use of the semi-colon so the comma splices were quite puzzling. I wouldn't say the proofreading job was completely disastrous, but for a professionally published book it is definitely subpar, tending towards self-published proofreading quality. I own quite a few Orion books and can't recall any with more than two or three typos, so perhaps this one was just an unfortunate blip.
Now - while my review has almost exclusively focused on the negative, I do feel there are a lot of good things to say about this book. As others have noted, it's a little like 'Call the Midwives' in non-fiction form (minus any delivering of babies). It's able to give a broad view into many homes and the stories we find there are very compelling. Some do end uncertainly, but others end with triumph and hope. All in all it's very easy and pleasant reading, the sort of book you can happily devour in one or two sittings, and if the author does ever write a sequel I would be pleased to have the opportunity to read it.
Another flaw is a shortage of detail. I would have liked to learn more about the healthcare policies of the time, most of what she does at the clinic aside from drinking tea, what the nappy test is for and what other medical tests/services she carries out, what's in her bag, what she teaches at the mothercraft clinic, and so on and so forth. She focuses far more on the social worker aspects of the job than anything else, and so this is not a book for people who want specific information about healthcare in the late 1950s, the finer details of being a health visitor, or '50s attitudes to dysfunctional families - at best you can get a general impression and make some assumptions from the text.
It's also not for people who want a very personal memoir, as the focus is much more on the families she visits than on herself. It's hard to get a feel for her personality, her passions and what she does in her spare time, and it's even harder to understand her relationship with her partner Alan or how her relationships with her colleagues develop. Otherwise, if your interest is a little less specific and you are looking for memoirs of a working woman in the 1950s or insight into social work and a snapshot of disadvantaged people's lives at the time, this book may fulfil your needs rather well.
Aside from that, I feel that the main flaw is in the formatting and editing. The book is presented in a form I initially thought to be a diary, but it is in the present tense as though we are enjoying the author's narration as the events occur. One therefore expects everything to proceed in a chronological order, and thus it is quite disorienting when the author includes a flashback or aside. Once there is even a flashforward occurring four years ahead and curiously appended to a normal chapter 3/4 of the way through the book; the author seems to have thought it worth cramming in not because it is particularly relevant but because she thinks it's a good story - which it probably could be, in the right context. This book is not the right context, but a sequel might have been.
In addition to the aforementioned complaint, portions of events have been judiciously excised as though to preserve some form of narrative tension, but it's not guaranteed that it will ever be paid off later. For example, on one occasion she visits a house where she meets an expectant mother's husband for the first time. He appears, acts very oddly and leaves again, and the chapter ends immediately afterwards, a sort of cliffhanger that is never resolved. We are given no suggested explanation for his actions, nor any indication how the rest of the visit went or if the author ever discussed her husband's behaviour with his wife. Hopefully you make the assumption he has a mental disability as the author seems to take this for granted. These occasional swerves and random time skips contribute to a sometimes uneven pace, adding another layer of frustration to that caused by the unavoidable lack of resolution to some of the narratives.
Last of all, it is worth noting that the Orion paperback edition I read was poorly edited and proofread in places. I didn't see any mention of this in my brief look at other reviews, so I'm wondering if the text somehow got mangled between editions. Aside from the fact a good editor could have given the book a better polish, there are a number of typos as well as instances of extraneous punctuation, missing commas, and a few jarring comma splices. The author otherwise seems well acquainted with the correct use of the semi-colon so the comma splices were quite puzzling. I wouldn't say the proofreading job was completely disastrous, but for a professionally published book it is definitely subpar, tending towards self-published proofreading quality. I own quite a few Orion books and can't recall any with more than two or three typos, so perhaps this one was just an unfortunate blip.
Now - while my review has almost exclusively focused on the negative, I do feel there are a lot of good things to say about this book. As others have noted, it's a little like 'Call the Midwives' in non-fiction form (minus any delivering of babies). It's able to give a broad view into many homes and the stories we find there are very compelling. Some do end uncertainly, but others end with triumph and hope. All in all it's very easy and pleasant reading, the sort of book you can happily devour in one or two sittings, and if the author does ever write a sequel I would be pleased to have the opportunity to read it.
April 15, 2017
Not as heart warming as Call the Midwife but probably more true to life in that not everyone is nice and the poverty is very real. An interesting read.
February 18, 2022
Good story, made me think of Call the Midwives in a way, Dot becomes a Health Visitor in an inner city health clinic. Her boyfriend Alan is at University and they share a flat. Dot is thrown in at the deep end in her work and sees many different people from pregnant women at the Ante natal Clinic, to visiting when they have had their babies. Sorting out Gastro epidemic in a street with little sanitation for residents to assisting with the Polio clinics. Assisting people from all walks of life with their needs and health issues.
April 18, 2015
A lovely tale set in the late fifties recounting the experiences of the author Dot May Dunn as she commences work as a health visitor.
Her enthusiasm is tempered by the squalor and deprivation she sees daily on her rounds, inept parents unable to cope, the heartbreak when she loses one of her patients but amidst all the struggles and hardships she sees a strong sense of community and a willingness on the part of most to help their neighbours.
Determined to do all she can to help their lot she sets to with a will an tries her very best to help every person under her care as a welfare health visitor.
The reader also gets a glimpse into her home life, her boyfriend Alan an ambitious university graduate who dreams of getting a job in a university in America seems to be moving away from the life they share together but is Dot willing to uproot herself and leave her fledgling career working at the clinic and lose the rapport she has built up with all her clients?
A wonderful read with at times humour running through it to lighten the grim realities of life in a deprived area.
A must read for fans of memoirs and for a slice of history told through the eyes of one who experienced it.
Her enthusiasm is tempered by the squalor and deprivation she sees daily on her rounds, inept parents unable to cope, the heartbreak when she loses one of her patients but amidst all the struggles and hardships she sees a strong sense of community and a willingness on the part of most to help their neighbours.
Determined to do all she can to help their lot she sets to with a will an tries her very best to help every person under her care as a welfare health visitor.
The reader also gets a glimpse into her home life, her boyfriend Alan an ambitious university graduate who dreams of getting a job in a university in America seems to be moving away from the life they share together but is Dot willing to uproot herself and leave her fledgling career working at the clinic and lose the rapport she has built up with all her clients?
A wonderful read with at times humour running through it to lighten the grim realities of life in a deprived area.
A must read for fans of memoirs and for a slice of history told through the eyes of one who experienced it.
July 24, 2014
A very well written memoir chronicling the author's first years as a health visitor in Birmingham in the late 50s/early 60s. The tone here is perfect - although many of her cases were ones of deprivation and neglect, Dunn's writing is not sensationalist. But neither is it dry. It doesn't read like a series of case notes (Cathy Glass and Please Don’t Take My Baby, I'm looking at you). There is emotion. There is realism, but there is also hope. Most of all, there's Dunn's own brand of practical compassion. I whipped through this in ten hours or so - I couldn't put it down - and I shall definitely be keeping an eye out for her other books.
There is some interesting info about this book and Dunn, at: http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/lifes...
There is some interesting info about this book and Dunn, at: http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/lifes...
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March 26, 2012Really interesting! Set in the 50's 60's in the midlands of england, a young health worker gets to grips with issues of the local area.Unbelievable living conditions, often no running water never mind hot water, toilets out the back.....shared with all the other residents. The author deals with babies living in squalor, neglected because the mother was shell shocked when a bomb dropped on her home during the war.....an old lady whose husband had died had no family and basically lived in her bed under piles of filthy blankets! believe it or not tho' there was a positive outcome by the end of the book and it was a good read!
September 5, 2014
Story of a strong and modern woman finding her feet as a public health nurse in late fifties/early sixties England. Her descriptions of parts of poverty stricken Birmingham still struggling to recover after WW2 were heart breaking at times, but it's a realistic and worthwhile read. (Didn't think much of her boyfriend though!)
December 7, 2019
Bread,Jam and a Borrowed Pram by Dot May Dunn
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This is a story told through the scope of diary entries. Dot is the newly appointed Health Visitor in London. This is her first hand account of her growth as a person.We get an idea about the life of the poor and desolate of London. Dot is a caring person who gives her complete attention to her job. We get snippets of her personal life and how she made other lives better. The story offers some gut wrenching situations that the poor face and how like a breath of fresh air Dot comes into their life (Sounds corny but actually it is so true!). Grab a copy fellas, this is a good read!
.
.
This is a story told through the scope of diary entries. Dot is the newly appointed Health Visitor in London. This is her first hand account of her growth as a person.We get an idea about the life of the poor and desolate of London. Dot is a caring person who gives her complete attention to her job. We get snippets of her personal life and how she made other lives better. The story offers some gut wrenching situations that the poor face and how like a breath of fresh air Dot comes into their life (Sounds corny but actually it is so true!). Grab a copy fellas, this is a good read!
June 13, 2018
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Dot May Dunn’s books. This book chronicles her work as a health visitor as she seeks to assist the families in her assigned district. Some of these impoverished people were so resistant and difficult to serve, but she continued to do her best despite hindrances and discouragement and revealed how rewarding a job well done can be. I love her writing style and honesty. You can feel the cold winds, smell the odors and see the housing as she takes you down the streets of England in this book.
May 29, 2017
The story of Dot May Dunn's time as a public health worker in Birmingham in the late 50s. Written using excerpts from her diary it is a pleasant read.
Her job is terribly difficult , but essential. She shares both happy and sad stories about her work life and personal life.
Her job is terribly difficult , but essential. She shares both happy and sad stories about her work life and personal life.
August 21, 2018
A lovely book, inspiring and a wonderful glimpse into the past of a career I adore today. So pleased to realise she has other books for me to read.
Moving, shocking, sad, joyful, quiet, real. Brilliant
Moving, shocking, sad, joyful, quiet, real. Brilliant
September 12, 2018
Loved this so much, Just my cup of tea Easy reading , heartwarming and sad, I do wonder if Author left her Hubby ..plus it mentions a computer print out in what late 50's did they have pc then? I was one of the first to study pcs in 92!
October 18, 2018
Lovely read
Well wrote book look forward to reading more by this same author. Really enjoy reading about the past lives and what they had to overcome
Well wrote book look forward to reading more by this same author. Really enjoy reading about the past lives and what they had to overcome
January 17, 2019
Interesting. Easy read. Appalling living conditions in England not that long ago.
May 5, 2020
A brilliant book about life as a health visitor. What a long way we’ve come since then!!!
August 2, 2020
A really good book! I enjoyed the set out of the book and the storyline aswell, really bonded with the characters. Would definitely recommend.
April 19, 2021
Just a lovely book. Along the lines of Call the midwife.
November 19, 2024
Started off were I could not get into it, however after chapter 3 I could not put it down. I want to know how things ended up with the families etc
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October 17, 2025Good read
A very good read really enjoyed reading this book about how times were in those days would read it again
A very good read really enjoyed reading this book about how times were in those days would read it again
May 27, 2025
I enjoyed getting a small glimpse into the welfare system in the UK many years ago. It is written in a dairy format, which means that the book can feel a little disjointed, and the movement from one story to another is often rather abrupt. It was a fun, chill read, but the numerous grammatical mistakes were a little annoying.
March 8, 2016
In some ways this book could make a case against the NHS when you see how awful, ungrateful and incorrigible some of the people Dot works with are. But it doesn't. The language in the book can feel a bit off in the sense that no - this isn't your diary, this is adapted from your diary - it's in the present tense! But you see how important free health care, preventative healthcare and just having someone who cares in the community working with families and just seeing and reporting first hand the conditions poorer people live in really is, and how important having it available to *everyone* is - some families are so proud they won't even accept gifts at Christmas, there is a sense of everybody recognising "The Welfare" so there's not a stigma when she comes to visit. A very worthwhile read.
July 1, 2016
This is a lovely memoir (basically a sequel to Twelve Babies on a Bike) in the form of diary entries, about the author's life as a health visitor in the English Midlands in the 50s and 60s. I love reading about the way things were back then, and I am shocked every time I read about the squalor and poverty in England post WWII. The author presents the stories of the families she visits, and gives facts without judgment or rancor. Mental illness, child abuse, possible infanticide, and domestic violence are just some of the subjects that are touched upon, although they were not really acknowledged as such back then. It's a great window into a time so different from now, yet not so long ago, and makes a great case as to why the NHS was so desperately needed.
March 19, 2016
I have so enjoyed these books and this author, mostly for the social commentary of the time.
Dot May Dunn was born in Derbyshire, the daughter of a miner. In 1951 she joined the newly established NHS as a pre-nursing student at Leicester Royal Infirmary, eventually becoming a Research Fellow at St Bartholomew's London and the London Hospital Medical College. She has four nursing qualifications and 50 years on the 'coal face' behind her. She divides her time between England and France.
Dot May Dunn was born in Derbyshire, the daughter of a miner. In 1951 she joined the newly established NHS as a pre-nursing student at Leicester Royal Infirmary, eventually becoming a Research Fellow at St Bartholomew's London and the London Hospital Medical College. She has four nursing qualifications and 50 years on the 'coal face' behind her. She divides her time between England and France.
December 11, 2021
A sweet, quick read about the life of a health visitor in the 1950s. I read alongside another book for easy reading. This book gives true, short memoirs about her visits to local families and their struggles. It manages to touch on lots of different areas in a relatively short book.
August 30, 2012
Reminded me of my time working on the district I enjoyed reading my times were not as hard though
October 9, 2012
A good book that make you glad to e a baby of the 70's.
March 4, 2013
Interesting, good book. Slightly disappointing ending.
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June 7, 2013Very interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews