Slum Boy: A Portrait

Slumboy is a memoir by John MacDonald that tells the story of his childhood, filled with poverty, alcoholism, and the search for his mother. After witnessing a drowning, he was forcibly taken away from her and placed into the care system. His memoir explores how he found his true identity, Juano Diaz, and how his love for his mother set him free.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 29 February 2024
Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group

One of the most powerful and moving accounts of non-fiction ever written, according to The Guardian, is John MacDonald's memoir. This is a heart-wrenching tale that is masterfully told. I really hope it finds a million readers.

What a brave and powerful story! If you enjoy Shuggie Bain and Damian Barr, then Slumboy is definitely for you.

Compulsively readable, it's Dickensian in its rich cast of Glaswegian characters. Patrick Gale said, "I couldn't put it down."

John MacDonald must find his mother. Born into the slums of Glasgow in the late 1970s, John's life is filled with the debris of alcoholism and poverty. Soon after witnessing a drowning, his mother's addictions take over their lives, leaving him starving in their flat, awaiting her return.

A concerned neighbor reports her, and he is forcibly taken away from his mother and placed into the care system. There, he dreams of being reunited with her. His mind is consumed with images and memories he can't process or understand, which his eventual adoptive parents silence out of fear as he grows into a young man within a strict Catholic and Romany Gypsy community.

This memoir is about how John found his way to his true identity, Juan Diaz, and how, against all odds, his unstoppable love for his mother sets him free. It's a story of resilience, determination, and the power of love.

Weight: 458g
Dimension: 162 x 241 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914240829