Biography Books > U Biography Books > less than 5 GBP

Advantages: Interesting
Disadvantages: nothing

Kim Woodburn is best known for the being the bossy person on "How clean is your house? As you can guess by the title of the book it is about her Brutal childhood. Kim was bought up by her violent mother as her father was often away as he was in the Royal Marines. Kim was the second child, another daughter. Her parents made her feel that she had disappointed them from the start as she was not a boy (obviously they must have wanted a son). Her mother ...
...friend, they ended up having seven children together. Kim left home at the age of sixteen and went to live with her father, their relationship as father and daughter was not very good. By 1966 she was living in the house of a lady whose daughter was at drama school (this daughter played the role of Suzie Birchall in coronation street in the 70's and later went on to play Suzie Birchall in Coronation Street in the 1970. Later Kim had been encouraged ... Read review

Advantages: an interesting and in depth read
Disadvantages: can sometimes be overwhelmed by the information

Jackk Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion in history, at a time when ‘drawing the colour line’ (the refusal of white heavyweights to fight black contenders) he took the title, amongst fear and hatred from both black and white communities alike. Fear and hatred from the white communities as they felt that they were the master race, and that a black man shouldn’t be able to beat someone who was white. Hatred from the black community as ...
...man should, as was blamed for years after for holding back the progression of black men in boxing. Jack Johnson was a one off. A man a head of his time, he was not into boxing just for the money as other heavyweights champions would claim, but for the fame and adulation as well. At a time when black men were hung for being suspected of having just having an ‘interest’ in a white woman, Jack Johnson married three, causing a huge furore over the first ... Read review

Advantages: A real eye opener
Disadvantages: Not for the faint hearted

I probably have every new book that comes out that tells a story of childhood abuse and neglect, but this is one of the most compelling story that I have read that come under that genre umbrella. We think that children of our generation are sometimes missed from the loop when it comes to abuse and neglect, but this is what I would call scraping the bottom of the barrel and takes place in the 60's. The story pulls the heartstrings, as does every ...
...but the difference with this story is that the author Peter, was pictured (that picture is shown on the cover) headed up the NSPCC campaign at that time, he was two years old. And then they just forgot about him, albeit the lady that was present at the time, but she never attempted to contact him, he approached her many many years later. Infact Peter didn't even recognise himself in this picture. But read the book, it doesn't just stop at being ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, fun and easy to read
Disadvantages: I want her life

I bought this book on a spur of the moment shopping trip, basically because I was interested to see how Coleen went from being a schoolgirl to a WAG in such a short space of time. I was amazed to read her story and see how down to earth she really was, even after being catapulted at amazing speed into the limelight. She was even thoughtful enough to come back to her book and update it with her wedding plans for the release of the paperback edition. ...
...quick life update, within which she includes girly pages with tips on make-up, fashion, nights out and quizzes, making it so much more like a diary. It is really easy to read and highly enjoyable to learn how down to earth she is and how she enjoys nothing more than snuggling on her sofa watching the soaps just like the rest of us. ... Read review

Advantages: Shows a reverse perspective.
Disadvantages: Heartbreaking at times.

...six, makes this sometimes a little difficult to read and comprehend. ( I have a six year old daughter and the idea of her seeing the atrocities that the author did is heartbreaking to me). Amongst all the fear, desperation, hunger and complete and utter exhaustion is the story of the true hero's of this book……. The people. The true humanitarian feeling you get throughout the entire book is astounding, the people who have nothing and nowhere to ...
...a stranger, the people who fear for their homes due to the "invasion" of the English and like, who at a moments notice, will have someone "billeted" to them, ( this is what they called the refugees, after they were allocated a bed or home in the village they happen to come across) and show the refugees unforgettable kindness by providing a warm bed for the night and a delicious meal to boot. This book is full of sadness, and the stories of the complete ... Read review