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Johno
The world is a dangerous place for a child when no one's watching.
In post–World War II Scotland, a seven-year-old boy should be walking to school. Instead, he’s shipped off to Australia.
Trapped in a world of anger and violence with nowhere to turn, young Johno clings to the hope that a policeman might help him. But life has other plans.
Decades later, after years of denial by governments and cover-ups by institutions, Johno begins to uncover the truth about his past – and the web of lies that shaped his childhood.
A journey marked by cruelty and kindness, love and war and above all, the enduring strength of the human spirit.
In post–World War II Scotland, a seven-year-old boy should be walking to school. Instead, he’s shipped off to Australia.
Trapped in a world of anger and violence with nowhere to turn, young Johno clings to the hope that a policeman might help him. But life has other plans.
Decades later, after years of denial by governments and cover-ups by institutions, Johno begins to uncover the truth about his past – and the web of lies that shaped his childhood.
A journey marked by cruelty and kindness, love and war and above all, the enduring strength of the human spirit.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 16, 2026
Scotland, 1943. Norman lives in an orphanage called Nazareth House in Aberdeen, when he and a group of children are put on a ship to Australia. They were victims of the child migration program, to help increase the population of Australia and its workforce. The children are told a lovely story about living in a place full of sunshine, with lots of food and being able to ride a horse to school and it’s all a lie.
Johno is only seven years old, he’s powerless and he has no idea he and the other boys will be taken to a series of institutions and where some will be subjected to unspeakable acts of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Despite all the things he endured Johno kept going and couldn't wait until he turned fifteen, leave the terrible place and get a job.
Years later, an older, battle scarred and wiser Johno tries to seek justice, compensation and an apology for himself and the thousands of victims from the countries involved. Despite the lack of paperwork and a record of his birth, Johno begins to uncover the truth about himself and the other children, and many were not orphans at all.
JOHNO by Kathleen O’Reilly Johnston isn’t the easiest book to read, as a mother I struggled to comprehend anyone could treat children in such a cruel and inhumane way, but it did happen and by reading about the victims we honour them and make sure this never happens again.
Five stars from me, Johno should have been loved, had a home, family, education, and he was a survivor.
Johno is only seven years old, he’s powerless and he has no idea he and the other boys will be taken to a series of institutions and where some will be subjected to unspeakable acts of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Despite all the things he endured Johno kept going and couldn't wait until he turned fifteen, leave the terrible place and get a job.
Years later, an older, battle scarred and wiser Johno tries to seek justice, compensation and an apology for himself and the thousands of victims from the countries involved. Despite the lack of paperwork and a record of his birth, Johno begins to uncover the truth about himself and the other children, and many were not orphans at all.
JOHNO by Kathleen O’Reilly Johnston isn’t the easiest book to read, as a mother I struggled to comprehend anyone could treat children in such a cruel and inhumane way, but it did happen and by reading about the victims we honour them and make sure this never happens again.
Five stars from me, Johno should have been loved, had a home, family, education, and he was a survivor.
September 16, 2026
Kathleen O'Reilly Johnston Im not a reader because I find it hard to get a book to hold my interest. OMG I could not put your book down. I wanted to take that 7 year old boy home, I admired the young Military Man and I smiled when he met Kathy. So beautifully written and to Johno what a brave, intelligent, good man you are, Thankyou for sharing and writing Kate. ❤️❤️ I hope people see how authentic your book is and pitch it for an Australian movie, as our history of this country starts with these biographies.
July 19, 2026
I was sent a reader's copy. Just finished Johno. It is an important book about the reality of children post WW2 who were sent alone to Australia from UK, to unendurable conditions including starvation, cruelty, inhumanity and child abuse. Parents were left grieving as they did not know where their children were sent. The children were left grieving as they felt abandoned. The Catholic Church needs to do penance for their crimes against children. This story seeks accountability. Not enough. Never enough. However it is also a positive book as despite the brutality of Johno's young life and lifelong consequences. Johno develops the strength to fight, to find purpose, to find kindness and so much more. I cheered when he found recognition in the army, Vietnam, friendship. His self-doubt was painful, but in the end he defended the voiceless migrant children. There is so much in this story. The footnotes are valuable as it partners the history of the time. Worth reading.
Susanne Gervay OAM author of 'The Edge of Limits', 'Heroes of the Secret Underground'
Susanne Gervay OAM author of 'The Edge of Limits', 'Heroes of the Secret Underground'
September 11, 2026
An amazing childhood story told with clarity and compassion (not a smidge of pity - v clever). It’s important. Fascinating. Human resilience.
August 6, 2026
Johno by @katejohnston48
@hawkeyepublishing
There are stories that must be told, difficult as they are to read they are important that the truth be known.
Brave, sad, infuriating, funny, inspiring …… I could not put this book down. Johno’s story touched deep in my heart.
Kathleen’s writing of Johno’s story was honest and raw, the chapters of Johno’s experiences while deployed during the Vietnam War were haunting.
I can’t say enough how much I loved this book. It broke my heart in places but hope and courage are left when I think of Johno.
Thankyou for sharing your story Johno.
5🌟
In post-World War II Scotland, Johno was 7 years old, told he was an orphan, no family, unloved, then stolen from his birth place he’s shipped off to Australia. Trapped in a world of abuse, anger and violence with nowhere to turn, Johno was left to navigate life alone. The kindness of a few along his journey gave him the hope that one day he could be someone to be proud of.
Johno never gave up, he did his best becoming a soldier who served his country, two tours in Nam and a distinguished career in the Australian Army. An advocate for returned veterans, his dogged determination and sense of justice guided Johno to fight for the truth. After years of denial by governments and cover-ups by institutions, Johno begins to uncover the truth about his past - and the web of lies that shaped his childhood. A journey marked by cruelty and kindness, love and war, and above all, the enduring strength of the human spirit.
‘The world is a dangerous place for a child when no ones watching’.
@hawkeyepublishing
There are stories that must be told, difficult as they are to read they are important that the truth be known.
Brave, sad, infuriating, funny, inspiring …… I could not put this book down. Johno’s story touched deep in my heart.
Kathleen’s writing of Johno’s story was honest and raw, the chapters of Johno’s experiences while deployed during the Vietnam War were haunting.
I can’t say enough how much I loved this book. It broke my heart in places but hope and courage are left when I think of Johno.
Thankyou for sharing your story Johno.
5🌟
In post-World War II Scotland, Johno was 7 years old, told he was an orphan, no family, unloved, then stolen from his birth place he’s shipped off to Australia. Trapped in a world of abuse, anger and violence with nowhere to turn, Johno was left to navigate life alone. The kindness of a few along his journey gave him the hope that one day he could be someone to be proud of.
Johno never gave up, he did his best becoming a soldier who served his country, two tours in Nam and a distinguished career in the Australian Army. An advocate for returned veterans, his dogged determination and sense of justice guided Johno to fight for the truth. After years of denial by governments and cover-ups by institutions, Johno begins to uncover the truth about his past - and the web of lies that shaped his childhood. A journey marked by cruelty and kindness, love and war, and above all, the enduring strength of the human spirit.
‘The world is a dangerous place for a child when no ones watching’.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is an important book, and an important story that gives a voice to the countless voiceless victims who have suffered under institutional abuse and bloomed regardless of those experiences in ensuing years. That is true counter culture! an act of sheer rebellion and a triumph of the human spirit against those who tried so very hard to erase him. It follows the deeply moving story of Johno navigating a truly nightmarish childhood who was expected by evil men to become nothing more than a victim of their debased desires. Those who claimed to represent God and had a duty of care became his jailers and tormentors. Yet his life became a symphony of compassion and humanity and page after page shows the absolute heroism and resilience of a man determined to navigate against the flow of the lies and scars of his past. I am familiar with my own ghosts...the demons that come alone in the darkness...and found healing within these pages A must read for anyone brought up in the care system. Johno not only confronts his own past but champions the cause of those still bleeding from their own, becoming a powerful advocate for change and recognition to a forgotten generation. It proves in absolutes we are so much more than the product of evil lies spoken over us and that a man can truly blossom even in the driest of environments. Absolutely compelling, hands down one of the most powerful books I ever read
Review of advance copy received from Author
An engaging and well-written debut novel from a talented West Australian writer. O’Reilly Johnston provides us with a convincing portrayal of the character that is Johno and the life he experienced. What I particularly loved about him was his capacity to empathise with other people’s suffering, despite having endured enormous hardship and trauma himself. O’Reilly Johnston conveys this beautifully through the little things he did to alleviate the suffering of others. She has a real gift for capturing the wonder of what it is to be human.
While I developed very strong feelings of care and fondness for Johno, often wanting to reach out and protect him, the strongest feeling that remained with me was indignation. It is hard to comprehend how men purporting to represent Jesus on earth could think it acceptable to abuse innocent children.
I would love to meet Johno in person and congratulate him on the courage and strength it took to achieve all that he did, despite everything that happened to him.
O’Reilly Johnston’s writing is authentic and easy to engage with. She tells Johno’s story with humanity and compassion, without allowing his suffering to define him. She is an emerging author to admire, and I look forward to her next book.
While I developed very strong feelings of care and fondness for Johno, often wanting to reach out and protect him, the strongest feeling that remained with me was indignation. It is hard to comprehend how men purporting to represent Jesus on earth could think it acceptable to abuse innocent children.
I would love to meet Johno in person and congratulate him on the courage and strength it took to achieve all that he did, despite everything that happened to him.
O’Reilly Johnston’s writing is authentic and easy to engage with. She tells Johno’s story with humanity and compassion, without allowing his suffering to define him. She is an emerging author to admire, and I look forward to her next book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
What a heartbreaking story! I cannot believe humans treated children this way, and so many of them. And by the church! These defenceless kids who forcibly left in the 'care' of adults who should have cared for them, but instead neglected and abused them.
Johno's story is not rare. And Australia's First Nations children were also subjected to the cruelty of the religious types who broke up families and destroyed lives for generations.
Thank you for telling his story. It's important and, while hard to read, there are such poignant moments and lovely, small joys experienced by a boy the system let down.
It's an important slice of history that should not be forgotten.
Johno's story is not rare. And Australia's First Nations children were also subjected to the cruelty of the religious types who broke up families and destroyed lives for generations.
Thank you for telling his story. It's important and, while hard to read, there are such poignant moments and lovely, small joys experienced by a boy the system let down.
It's an important slice of history that should not be forgotten.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Kathleen O'Reilly Johnston tells Norman’s story with a raw, conversational style that reminded me of Roddy Doyle’s writing.
Johno, taken from an orphanage in Scotland and deported to Australia at just seven years old broke my heart as did the events that followed through the decades.
Reading the terrifying reality of a broken child migrant system through the innocent eyes of a young boy is devastating.
The story carries a strong political message, condemning the systemic government cover-ups, church complicity, and abuses of power that allowed thousands of British children to be exploited.
It is a devastating, powerful, and essential read I won't ever forget.
Johno, taken from an orphanage in Scotland and deported to Australia at just seven years old broke my heart as did the events that followed through the decades.
Reading the terrifying reality of a broken child migrant system through the innocent eyes of a young boy is devastating.
The story carries a strong political message, condemning the systemic government cover-ups, church complicity, and abuses of power that allowed thousands of British children to be exploited.
It is a devastating, powerful, and essential read I won't ever forget.
Review of advance copy received from Author
In Johno, Kathleen O'Reilly Johnston transforms the painful history of the British child migrant program into an intimate story of survival, identity and reckoning. Through the journey of one boy torn from family and truth, the novel gives human shape to a national scandal, revealing the lasting cost of institutional neglect and the enduring strength of those who refused to be broken. Powerful, compassionate and deeply grounded in historical reality, Johno is a vital testament to memory, justice and the right to know one's past.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Johnno stayed with me, his powerful presence lingering long after I'd finished the last page. This important story from recent history demands that we remember the children sent to Australia into the care of predators. O’Reilly Johnston writes well, making Johnno's story of cruelty and heartbreak live
September 21, 2026
What an amazing, compelling book about illegal child immigration in the 40s. A true story about Johno shipped off to Australia when he was just 6 and all the awful things that happen to him and his mates at the hands of the Christian Brothers. Well worth a read I couldn't put it down. He's still fighting for justice today.!! Eileen Quinsee.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Advanced Copy from Author
Such a beautifully written story that made me cry. Life can be so cruel but the human spirit shines through. Kathleen has done an outstanding job writing such a difficult story with such sensitivity. Well done! A must to read for all.
Such a beautifully written story that made me cry. Life can be so cruel but the human spirit shines through. Kathleen has done an outstanding job writing such a difficult story with such sensitivity. Well done! A must to read for all.
September 9, 2026
Exceptional story of hope and courage amid some of this nations darkest history - thoroughly enjoyed.
September 21, 2026
A book that needed to be written. A child’s childhood stolen by people who should have been able to be trusted.A books that needs to be read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews