Bite Me

by John Larkin

Following on from John Larkin's account of his family's Irish roots in "Larkin About in Ireland", this is the story of his family's move to Australia in the 1960s as "ten-pound migrants". From the cold and damp mining town in northern England where he was born, to the sun-drenched streets of western Sydney, this is a comic memoir of his childhood. Laughter helped people survive the potential for anger and violence in grim mining towns like Maltby, and while Larkin's story is set against a background of poverty and disappointment, there is always a sense of people's determination to keep going and keep laughing. The author survives being attacked regularly by his knife-wielding, teddy-bear-decapitating older sister. And along the way, he takes time out to offer an insight into classroom dumpers, Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men, pacifistic lollipop men, cocks and cocks in waiting, school milk, cobblers, kids who eat paste, deranged science teachers, and parents who tried to feed him to the sharks.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Sydney-based author and screenwriter, John Larkin, was born in England but grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney. He has, at various stages of his writing career, supported his habit by working as a supermarket trolley boy, shelf-stacker, factory hand, forklift driver, professional soccer player and computer programmer. He now writes full-time. John has a BA in English Literature and a MA in Creative Writing from Macquarie University. John is currently the Writer-in-Residence at Knox Grammar School and UTS (School of Education).

Reviews

[Shay Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

glad I got it for free... a few funny bits but not that great. maybe if I was Australian I would have gotten more of the jokes