'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'

Dickens' words perfectly capture the spirit of this fascinating story of growing up amidst horses, trams, cobbles and pig's feet, in the Hammer district of Belfast's legendary Shankill Road at the height of the Great Depression.

We read of bathtimes in the yard, mangling clothes, horses drinking Guiness, and the magical occasion of young John's visit to the Egyptian mummy in the Belfast Museum.

In a work which is funny, affectionate and appalling by turns, John Young Simms skillfully gathers up the bright threads of childhood, and weaves them into a universal tale.