A Blackburn Childhood 1940-58: Two and Two Halves…and a Dog

Also available in E-book from Amazon

"Two and Two Halves...and a Dog" provides an antidote to the huge amounts of 'misery' literature inflicted upon us in its depiction of a happy childhood in Blackburn. It is a vivid evocation of a vanished way of life, many can still recall.

Covering an eighteen year period in which horses and carts are displaced by motor vehicles and black and white television joins the wireless as home entertainment this memoir evokes a time of significant social change.

An account of a northern childhood, it delivers snapshots not only of one family and one town, but also of a wider, vanished way of life.

The main location is Blackburn, still a thriving cotton town in 1940 when the account begins with wartime and the departure of the father and two uncles for the RAF, one of them never to return.

There is grief, joy, humour and family conflict as Joan acquires the attitudes, interests and knowledge she will carry with her as she leaves for university, but always set against the secure background of a loving family.

About the Author

Joan Potter found the opportunity to write following her retirement in 2000 and has gained success with poetry and travel articles. Joan was born and brought up in Blackburn but went on to work as an English teacher in Crosby, Merseyside.

However she never forgot her happy childhood and has always retained an affection for her birthplace and considered herself a Blackburnian.

Joan decided to tell her story of an enjoyable time growing up in Blackburn to show that childhood does not necessarily equal unhappiness. This book is the result.