Alumnus releases new book and shares snapshots of his life growing up in the 1950s and 1960s

David R Roberts (Sociology, 1974) reflects on post-war childhood in his new book Slate Days and Bottled Pyramids: Growing Up in the 50s and 60s.

The book focuses on the transition to a new decade and Davids adjustment from a schoolboy to a teenager, in times of significant change from austerity of the post-war period to the cultural shifts in the 1960s. 

The alumnus uses humour to narrate the details of his early years as a primary school student and the hardship of his teenage years. His book is written in a series of anecdotal snapshots leading up to his twenties: 

“As he negotiates the transition from short trousers to long, his interests are also changing from football and music to music, football and girls (“but not necessarily in that order”)”. 

David is a retired lecturer who has written and edited many books and best-selling textbooks. His recent publications include A Rural Revolution: The History of a Staffordshire Village and The Flying Erk: The WW2 Love Letters and Diaries of a Stafford Airman.  

Many of David’s books are centred around history and social sciences, his previous subject of study at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. The Slate Days and Bottled Pyramids differs from the alumnusprevious publications as it focuses on his real-life experiences 

He says: 

These tales will appeal to those old enough to remember the times and to anyone interested in the everyday life and conditions of that influential era”. 

Find out more about The Slate Days and Bottled Pyramids online