The Father I Had

Father and son: arguably the most complex of all family relationships. But what happens when your dad is a manic-depressive who paints the front door in the middle of the night and sends good-wishes to Michael Crawford scrawled on a pair of underpants?Martin Townsend grew up with a father, Ron, who had suffered recurring mental illness since the early 1950s. At the slightest emotional trigger he could turn from a loving and compassionate dad to a restless, dead-eyed depressive or a spiteful, bullying monster. In The Father I Had, Martin Townsend, editor of the Sunday Express, paints a powerful, often painful portrait of life with his dad. From the soaring, often hilarious 'highs' to the horrific 'lows' of his father's three suicide attempts, he tells a story of pain, courage and resilience and produces a moving and account of a close family nearly torn apart by mental illness.

Product details

• Authors: Martin Townsend, Townsend Martin
• Publisher: Corgi
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 31.12.2018
• EAN: 9780552174664
• ISBN: 978-0-552-17466-4
• No. of pages: 448
• Dimensions: 127 mm x 198 mm x 28 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Editors, Journalists, Publishers, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Services, Child welfare, Biography: philosophy and social sciences, Child welfare and youth services, Autobiography: philosophy and social sciences, HEALTH & FITNESS / Diseases & Conditions / General