A Derry Tale - John Boyle

                A Derry Tale is a nostalgic look at the author’s childhood growing up in a small town called Derry during the 1950s. He writes about what life was like for an Irish Catholic boy in Northern Ireland, exploring the good, the bad, the funny and the devastating, as seen through the eyes of a child. It’s this insight as to how a child perceives different situations that gives the book all of the emotions that the story exhibits. The first quarter of the book seems a bit scattered, almost as if the author wanted to get so much down on paper that his thoughts are unorganized. However once the story becomes more cohesive, the book becomes an entertaining tale about growing up during an innocent time before technology took over our lives. I loved the descriptions about day to day life during the 1950s, from how laundry was done to selling cigarette butts outside the cinema for some extra pocket money. Mr. Boyle also touches on the difficulties that Irish Catholics experienced at the time, something I wasn’t entirely aware of. This book will provide nostalgia for anyone who grew up during the beginning of TV and electricity being brought into small town homes. It will also be of interest to anyone who is curious about life during the 1950s in Ireland. I read this book in digital form and it worked well. The cover didn’t really draw my attention as it was more so the title that made me take a look at the book.