Paper Bird: An English Childhood of the Great Depression

Paper Bird is a collection of childhood memories from award-winning author Jan Truss. Born in 1925 in Stoke-on-Trent, England, by the time Jan was six years old the Great Depression had arrived, forever altering her life. These stories are a vivid glimpse into a changing world, a grand tour of a different era. They are also an invitation to tour the backstage, the psychological theatre of events and emotions that later enriched the characters in Jan's novels and plays. The stories are set between 1930 and 1936, and follow the breakdown of a young girl's world and her ultimate survival as a tough eleven-year-old on her way to higher education. Jan Truss has carried these stories with her into her ninetieth year on the planet - choosing to share them now. She still lives in the countryside deep in the rolling hills of Alberta, Canada. * * * You can also download Jan's wonderful interpretation of these stories on CD Baby or iTunes. The stories were recorded some years ago at the Banff Centre, on a fine autumn day, high in the Canadian Rockies. This book and the recordings are a collaboration between Jan and her daughter Sally who served as editor and producer of the project.