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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
This is the story of Stuart Shorter: thief, hostage-taker, psycho and street raconteur. It is a story told backwards, as he wanted, from the man he was when Alexander Masters met him to a “happy-go-lucky little boy” of twelve. Brilliant, humane and funny, it is as extraordinary and unexpected as the life it describes.
Alexander Masters first meets Stuart Shorter on the streets of Cambridge where Stuart threatens to kill himself. They get to know each other during a campaign to free Ruth Wyner and John Brock (charity workers convicted of permitting drug dealing within their shelter and sentenced to 5 and 4 years respectively) and it soon becomes apparent that Stuart, who’s been homeless, is a methadone addict, has self-harmed and been to jail for some horrendous acts, is the campaign’s biggest asset. Articulate, knowledgeable about the system and strangely engaging, he attracts the sympathies of students and other potential supporters and Alexander realises that he’d be a good subject for a book. The problem is that Stuart hates the way Alexander wants to write it. He wants something more Tom Clancy and suggests that Alexander writes the book backwards so that people can see what happened to make him the person he is.
The result is a stunning book, which made me laugh out loud, gasp in horror and become rather teary – sometimes all on the same page. What makes it work is the honesty. Not only is Stuart honest about the events in his life (at least, what he can remember of them), but Masters avoids the temptation to make himself the more sympathetic person and often comes across as smug, condescending and pushy. Stuart’s story is supplemented by interviews with his family, who clearly can’t quite come to terms with what’s happened to someone who was once such a lovely little boy.
There’s no magic bullet here that explains Stuart’s personality, but you do get a good sense of the person from his off-the-wall business ideas to the black rages that made other homeless people call him the Nutter on Level D. Masters never soft-soaps his subject. What is clear is though is that Stuart was beginning to, if not turn his life around, then at least stabilise when he was tragically killed by a train (the coroner’s court unable to determine if it was an accident or suicide).
There’s extra material at the back of the book, including Stuart’s obituary (written by Masters) and an interview with the author plus information on homeless charities for those wanting to find out more.
This is a brilliant book that will make you think about the people you see on the streets and for me, it’s a must read.
The Verdict:
A stunning biography about the complicated reasons for why Stuart Shorter became a self-harming, violent, drug abusing member of the homeless. At the risk of sounding cliché, I laughed, came close to tears and gasped in horror at the events described. It’s a must read book that makes you think about the human tragedies that lead people to live on the streets.
This is the story of Stuart Shorter: thief, hostage-taker, psycho and street raconteur. It is a story told backwards, as he wanted, from the man he was when Alexander Masters met him to a “happy-go-lucky little boy” of twelve. Brilliant, humane and funny, it is as extraordinary and unexpected as the life it describes.
Alexander Masters first meets Stuart Shorter on the streets of Cambridge where Stuart threatens to kill himself. They get to know each other during a campaign to free Ruth Wyner and John Brock (charity workers convicted of permitting drug dealing within their shelter and sentenced to 5 and 4 years respectively) and it soon becomes apparent that Stuart, who’s been homeless, is a methadone addict, has self-harmed and been to jail for some horrendous acts, is the campaign’s biggest asset. Articulate, knowledgeable about the system and strangely engaging, he attracts the sympathies of students and other potential supporters and Alexander realises that he’d be a good subject for a book. The problem is that Stuart hates the way Alexander wants to write it. He wants something more Tom Clancy and suggests that Alexander writes the book backwards so that people can see what happened to make him the person he is.
The result is a stunning book, which made me laugh out loud, gasp in horror and become rather teary – sometimes all on the same page. What makes it work is the honesty. Not only is Stuart honest about the events in his life (at least, what he can remember of them), but Masters avoids the temptation to make himself the more sympathetic person and often comes across as smug, condescending and pushy. Stuart’s story is supplemented by interviews with his family, who clearly can’t quite come to terms with what’s happened to someone who was once such a lovely little boy.
There’s no magic bullet here that explains Stuart’s personality, but you do get a good sense of the person from his off-the-wall business ideas to the black rages that made other homeless people call him the Nutter on Level D. Masters never soft-soaps his subject. What is clear is though is that Stuart was beginning to, if not turn his life around, then at least stabilise when he was tragically killed by a train (the coroner’s court unable to determine if it was an accident or suicide).
There’s extra material at the back of the book, including Stuart’s obituary (written by Masters) and an interview with the author plus information on homeless charities for those wanting to find out more.
This is a brilliant book that will make you think about the people you see on the streets and for me, it’s a must read.
The Verdict:
A stunning biography about the complicated reasons for why Stuart Shorter became a self-harming, violent, drug abusing member of the homeless. At the risk of sounding cliché, I laughed, came close to tears and gasped in horror at the events described. It’s a must read book that makes you think about the human tragedies that lead people to live on the streets.
