Borstal Boy in Reading 1001

Oct 25, 2014 Rosemary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books

In 1939, 16-year-old Brendan Behan, a volunteer with the IRA, was arrested in Liverpool for possessing explosives. He says nothing about his intentions and little about his trial, but there'd been some deadly bombs planted in English cities and he was presumably planning to do the same. As he was under 17, the maximum sentence he could be given was 3 years in a Borstal, the name at the time for young offenders' institutions in England, and he tells the story of that time in this book, published In 1939, 16-year-old Brendan Behan, a volunteer with the IRA, was arrested in Liverpool for possessing explosives. He says nothing about his intentions and little about his trial, but there'd been some deadly bombs planted in English cities and he was presumably planning to do the same. As he was under 17, the maximum sentence he could be given was 3 years in a Borstal, the name at the time for young offenders' institutions in England, and he tells the story of that time in this book, published nearly 20 years later.

The book could be split into 3 parts: his time on remand awaiting trial in the youth wing of an adult prison, where life is violent; his time in a central Borstal awaiting placement; and his time in the open Borstal that he was eventually sent to - which covered most of his sentence in fact, but only about a third of the book.

His own life gets progressively easier through the three, and he suffers very little aggression from the other prisoners, perhaps surprising given what he had planned to do. He paints a cheerful picture of his own easy charm and hooks up with one and then more 'chinas' (Cockney rhyming slang: china plate = mate = friend), has a few fights that he always wins, and goes blithely singing and blarneying through his time.

I found it a lot lighter and more entertaining than I expected, although I think for readers who aren't either English or Irish, it would be hard to wade through all the slang. I grew up associating Cockney rhyming slang with TV sitcoms, and I had a hard time believing men really called each other 'china' in real life. There's also a lot of sex-related slang - I was amazed it got published at the time with the amount of sex talk that's in it, especially as gay sex was illegal here in 1958. One character, Joe, is constantly making obscene suggestions to sailor Charlie. Maybe it was expurgated, or maybe it passed because there's no actual sex described, just a lot of teasing, taunting, and hints of both rape and consensual sex happening behind the scenes - but never, of course, to Brendan himself.

He's an habitual liar/storyteller, and there's a point near the end of the book where he says that 90% of the stories he told his mates about his sexual exploits (with girls) were lies, and I thought ah, and I wonder what percentage of this book? Whatever, he tells a very good tale. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 05, 2017 Dianna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: memoirs

I feel like I am having to say good bye to a friend now that I am finished with this book. Blimey! Brendan Behan is a right safe bloke. I rather fancy him ;)

1 like · Like · see review