The Boy Who Loved Books

by John Sutherland

John Sutherland's childhood was far from normal. When his widowed mother decamped to Argentina with a new man, he was left in the care of various relatives, some of whom were better at raising children than others. This is his account of his upbringing and of a childhood immersed in literature.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography

261 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2008

About the author

John Andrew Sutherland is an English academic, newspaper columnist and author. He is Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London.

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this memoir and galloped through its 260 pages. Sutherland is such an engaging writer ( I love his myriad books on literature and reading) that whatever he writes about sparkles and grips. The Boy who Loved Books traces his early life from inauspicious beginnings in Colchester, through a fractured but loving (in its way) childhood to life in the army in the dying days of National Service and ultimately a place at university - the initially unpromising Leicester, where he finds the likes of Richard Hoggart and Monica Jones setting new academic standards and providing enormous inspiration to their students. There are two themes running through Sutherland's life: books and booze. He writes about both with passion, sympathy and understanding. The afterword 'The boy who loved booze' explains how he eventually kicked the booze, but I'm very thankful that he didn't do the same with books.

[Kristian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compelling memoir of Sutherland's early life. It wasn't the book I wanted to read, but only because I am a fan of academic memoirs and biographies. I thought there would be more about books, more about his intellectual growth. Instead I enjoyed a wonderfully vivid portrait of growing up in post-WWII Colchester. I admire Sutherland's honesty, both about his upbringing, his addictions, and his intellectual prowess (modest). When he does talk about his academic career, he describes himself as a slow learner, an almost accidental academic, who only graduated from a third-rate university, but benefited from a sudden demand for university lecturers. This was refreshing.

[Russell James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scenes from childhood in and after WW2, recapturing the war and post-war years and bringing to life again his lively and unpredictable widowed mother, along with his own rather isolated childhood in which, of course, he came to treasure books. But there's far more here than reading!

[Robert Burgon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather expected more about books in this autobiography! Born just before the Second World War commences, John Sutherland experiences a somewhat loveless childhood and then struggles to find his true calling. At times, I found this book both sad and disturbing.

[Dee Michell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of John Sutherlands and found this memoir utterly delightful. I particularly enjoyed his sociological approach, and the literary references which fill the pages.

[Aisling Ceoil · Rating 1 out of 5]

🤷‍♂️😵‍💫

[David James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sutherland, John. The Boy Who Loved Books

John Sutherland catches the spirit of what it feels like to be an only child, although in fact he had two parents alive in his early years. The severance between John and his mother could be in part attributed to his father’s early death, although WW2 and his mother’s willingness, if not eagerness, to foist her only son off on to his grandmother Salter, and indeed anyone else available, makes it plain that her need to be shot of him predominated.

Sutherland makes it plain that his devotion to school was minimal. He learned to be ‘a bad timekeeper, a bookworm and stale chip eater’ in Colchester, around which the bulk of the memoir revolves. His mother ensured that he had adult care, pocket money and what for those days was very good schooling, but he preferred movies, fishing and of course books, preferably not assigned texts. At that time of life it could be said he preferred Fanny Hill to ‘Fern Hill.’ Sir Cyril Burt’s IQ tests which dominated school curricular for decades are Sutherland’s bête noire, although Butler’s Education Act incurs his constant approval.

As one might expect from a Lord Northcliffe Professor at UCL the book is bejewelled with literary reference. Books are his friends and he will go anywhere to talk about them, be they never so humble (Warwick Deeping) or superficial (Colin Wilson). Sutherland rose to the top despite Burt and beer (he is proud to have been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous). He is equally proud of his attendance at his failgate entrance into higher education at the once-despised Leicester University, citing its many luminaries including Richard Hoggart, another boy who needed no Oxbridge credentials to make it big in academe.

Altogether this is a hugely enjoyable memoir, neither self-important nor self-excusing. Some of the portraits of idle teachers at CRGS (Colchester Grammar) are hilarious as well as being heart-warming. With suitable modesty, this writer of many books concludes that he was simply lucky: ‘I merely coincided with a historical opportunity.’ And took advantage of it, I would add, to in later years cock a snook at that much revered but seemingly snobbish as ever Oxbridge brigade.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, because I love Sutherland as a Victorian literature critic and historian, but I just very much liked his bibliomemoir / autobiography. I give him massive credit though, and I think it is much more difficult to write about one's own struggles in life, in contrast to how elegantly he writes about his passion for Victorian literature. Well worth reading, and I feel so much empathy towards a literary legend who has inspired so many of my own choices in reading and academic endeavours.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not sure what the point of writing this book was. It is a mediocre story of a mediocre boy who had a mediocre childhood. I didn't feel edified by it - on the contrary - it confused me and made me feel a little like I had spent good reading time on something not quite worth it. I get the sense he wrote this to try find justification for his own alcoholism, but if this was the case, then publishing it was just narcissistic.

[Dan Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't the only one who struggled at that school then!

[DW Rowlands · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I may be a bit biased in my love of this book, since I took several literature courses from Professor Sutherland as an undergraduate, and I thought he was a wonderful teacher.