The Boy Grows Up: The Inspirational Story of His Journey from Broken Boy to Family Man

by Richard McCann

In Richard McCann's best selling account of his childhood, he told the harrowing story of how he and his sisters were left motherless when the Yorkshire Ripper killed his first victim, Richard's mother Wilma McCann. Just A Boy was praised for its unflinching and unsentimental account of a neglected childhood at the hands of an abusive father and uncaring authorities. The only constants in his and his sister's lives were grief for their mother and newspaper coverage of her killer and the gruesome nature of his crimes. With his book in the bestseller charts Richard sets out to make sense of his past, attempting to meet the other children of Sutcliffe's victims and discovering the secrets of the mother that was taken away from him. McCann comes to terms with the loss of his own childhood by talking to others, hearing their stories, and learning about how to accept what has happened and move on.

Genres: Biography

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[David Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational

What an amazing man. Any time I'm feeling down and a bit sorry for myself I will remind myself of what you want through and how you turned your life around and give myself a talking to. A truly amazing read. Thanks for sharing with the world.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really inspirational. Richard has developed as a writer. I enjoyed his first book, but this one flowed better. Really happy he has found comfort in his life

[Janet Hollman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational

A powerful insight into a survival of those dealing with the unimaginable. It’s identifies how many other victims are affected.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looks closely at McCann's adolescent and early adulthood life which was touched upon in his first volume; the details are more explicit, including his stint in prison for drug offences and his on-going support to his sister with her alcoholism. It specifically gives light into his work with a number of helpful organisations of which he turned to and later volunteered for. A great read into his life after the death of his mother, and the on-going media coverage about Peter Sutcliffe.