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Between Hard Times and Great Expectations

Between Hard Times and Great Expectations

Author: Jo Rushby
Date: 2021-12-17

1939. Christmas Day. Britain is at war with Germany. Still, Gone with the Wind is blowing in the crowds at the local cinema. My mum, Averyl, is 5 years old, the 6th of 7 children. The Christmas bells ring for peace but no one is listening. Hard times.

The seven, that range from 3 to 11 years, huddle in the cramped terraced house. But it is Christmas and despite the clouds of gloom, among the children, great expectation. Christmas day, the seven are up early. My grandfather says that something came down the chimney overnight. My mum receives a copy of Black Beauty. Published in 1877, it has glossy green leather covers with gilt lettering and edges. There is even a slipcase which protects it to this day. I ask my mother about it… “What a lovely story it is of good times and hard times. I loved it. I so treasured it, especially because it had this posh cover. Presents like that were very special as things were had to come by, and dad was always keen for us to have books”.

Anna Sewell’s only book, Black Beauty, is written from the horse’s perspective. Horses have feelings and ambition, and above all, they display loyalty. Hauntingly, Sewell preaches: “There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham...” Her message still rings true, 144 years later.

I laughingly told my mother that if she had the book in South Africa, it would have been confiscated. Black Beauty was banned by the apartheid regime. The censors clearly thought that you judge a book by its cover, posh or not.

In this world, where everything has a price and fashion becomes redundant the instant of purchase, the pressure-cooker of giving is at boiling point. What better way to ring in Christmas than a gift that is second-hand but whose ideas are first-rate?

Think about all those books that gave you joy over the years? My mother still has hers. She is 87. Four of her seven siblings are still alive. Still reading. I tell my mother that I hope her present arrives in time. She replies: 'the greatest gift you have given me and your grandfather is dedicating your life to books'.

This Christmas, forget the price of the gift but contemplate one that can change a life. So, give a loved one a book, to spark the imagination and kindle memories to last a lifetime.

Turn a page at Ike’s Books in Florida Road or browse our website https://www.ikesbooks.com