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QueenSpark Books Archive - Free Full Text Books
A unique searchable archive of the books published by QueenSpark Books up until 2010. Free to view and full text this collection features voices that tell the story of Brighton and Hove, across the 20th Century, in their own words. The majority of these titles are now out-of-print.
You can buy those still in-print, and newer titles, with this link.
Life After Stroke - A book by stroke survivors who have learned to live again
Author(s): QueenSpark Stroke Writing Group
Published: 1993
This is an account of stroke survivors' triumphs over adversity, as they undertake the difficult and painful process of learning how to live again. The book examines the lasting effects of degenerative trauma and documents the transition from being able-bodied to becoming disabled. Writing is viewed as part of the process of rehabilitation, as the survivors share their experiences in a mutually beneficial and supportive way. Through descriptions of their day-to-day lives, they demonstrate resilience and offer other stroke survivors an insight that cannot be gained from professionals, however skilled and caring, proving that there is indeed a life after suffering a stroke.Brighton on the Rocks - Monetarism and the Local State
Author(s): QueenSpark Rates Book Group
Published: 1983
Published in 1983, this book was intended to be the first of a new series, but is the only one that was eventually commissioned. It incorporates a collection of interviews, photographs and statistics, which are used to analyse how monetarism affected the economic policies that were pursued by the city's local authorities in the 1980s. When local councils imposed financial cuts from 1980 onwards, they argued that the cuts were necessary because of overspending. This text takes the view that monetarist policies are implicated in the decline in public services and critically evaluates the effects of monetarism on working people's lives, organisations and throughout the welfare state. It poses the question as to whether a different kind of economics was needed that was geared to need rather than to monetarist philosophy?Paper on the Wind
Author(s): QueenSpark women writers
Published: 1984
This anthology contains poetry and prose from a QueenSpark Women's group. This was a group of women aged between 20 and 64 years, who met regularly to write and partake in group discussions and workshops. There is a strong feminist influence to the issues that are covered, encompassing the empowerment of women, particularly in today's world, when women have to balance multiple tasks in their daily lives. Paper on the Wind is relevant to all people regardless of age, disability, gender, religion and sexual orientation. It offers a forum for people to explore and experiment with their own creative writing processes and to take the necessary steps that will enable people to start writing for themselves, as well as providing encouragement to all those budding writers out there!To be a Farmer’s Boy
Author(s): George Noakes
Published: 1977
This tells of George Noakes's childhood and early adult working life before he married Daisy, author of The Town Beehive and The Faded Rainbow, in 1934. George reminisces about his childhood farm memories and forays to the local shops and surrounding areas; for example, when he visited the local bakers, he always knew that a sugar bun would be given to him. When he was old enough to be trusted outside, he ventured everywhere. In short, he had an idyllic childhood, in an era where children had much more freedom to roam "without today's safety worries" and he progressed from a boy into a happy adolescent and adult.Brighton Boy - A fifties childhood
Author(s): Andy Steer
Published: 1994
This autobiography takes as its subject matter the local areas and geography of post-war Brighton, seen through the eyes of Andy Steer. It includes descriptions of institutions in the city that were important to Andy such as Stanford Road School, the now defunct Brighton Cycle Club and the Shiverers Swimming Club at the King Alfred swimming pool in Hove! The book also brings alive those boyhood times when he and his friends played in Cherry Woods, near Withdean Stadium. Here they spent timeless hours on their endless games - lost in their own joyful, imaginary world. In short, Brighton Boy is a schoolboy's tale of Brighton in the fifties which is sure to bring back memories of forgotten times for many local people.Those Lost Years
Author(s): Mary Adams
Published: 1995
This absorbing book tells the story of Mary Adam's life. Born in Birmingham in 1930, she describes a wartime childhood that was spent in convent schools and documents the abuse she suffered at a "farm school" for children with learning disabilities, along with the forty-seven years that she spent at St. Mary's residential unit for women, where, after a difficult start, her life steadily became more enjoyable. From such inauspicious beginnings, she subsequently extols the gradual development of a new life and independence, until, sadly, her life was ironically and tragically cut short by her death from cancer in March 1995 - just as her story was being prepared for publication. So, this is Mary"s legacy, ensuring that she will never be forgotten as long as her special memories live on.Live and Learn - A life and struggle for progress
Author(s): Les Moss
Published: 1979
In this book, Les Moss tells of his lifelong struggle in search of progress, and his personal triumph over adversity. Also documented is the eventful daily and working lives of both himself and his family. Examples of the struggles experienced by Les's family are shown in the tale of how his grandfather's Northampton shoe manufacturing company was driven out of business by the advent of mass production and how his father, who played the flute in the Camden Music Halls in London, could no longer work when mass entertainment became prevalent. In turn, Les's own craft as a centre-lathe turner became largely displaced during his lifetime. This fascinating life history also describes one man's involvement in trade unionism and provides a picture of political activism in London and Brighton from the 1920s onward.Backyard Brighton - Electronic version with new photographs
Author(s): Various
Published: 1988
Backyard Brighton, originally published in 1988, was a seminal book; produced in association with the Lewis Cohen Urban Studies Centre. The collection of photographs and reminiscences was based on material gathered by Brighton Borough Council with the intention of creating a record of houses that were scheduled for demolition during the 1930s. This electronic edition contains a new selection of photographs.From Circle to Spiral - A writers' handbook and anthology
Author(s): AB, Sarah Griffiths, Lorna Jones, Kate Mackrell, Jane Malone, Maria Ragusa, Pippa Scott
Published: 1995
From Circle to Spiral is about the enjoyment of the writing process and the personal satisfaction that can be gained from it. It reveals the insights that creative writing can bring and also provides a useful, practical guide to a method of working that may be helpful to budding writers. The reader is taken on an exciting journey of self-discovery, examining themes that are grouped in terms of paired dichotomies, such as "hedonism and abstinence", "excitement and serenity", "independence and intimacy" and "shame and pride". The product of a QueenSpark writing group consisting of seven women who spent two hours per week exchanging ideas and writing together in a mutually supportive environment, it can be viewed as a testament to the positive benefits that can be gained through the medium of creative writing.Missing the Nile - Experiences of Sudanese people in Brighton
Author(s): Sudanese people in Brighton
Published: 2005
Published in January 2005, this fascinating book examines the customs and culture of the Sudanese community in the Brighton and Hove area. The British and Sudanese cultures are very different to one another and the narrative includes comparisons of the two cultures, as well as giving first-hand descriptions of festivals, celebrations including weddings and funerals, and food. The text is written in both English and Arabic, making it accessible to the widest possible audience and will be especially enjoyed by the second generation of the Sudanese community, living in the Brighton and Hove area. It also fulfils the function of recording a culture's history for future generations.