Kevin Lewis: The kid: a true story

Reviewed by MARGIE THOMSON

Even more harrowing than the ones above is this devastating story of the author's childhood, growing up poorer than poor on a London council estate, with parents who hated him and shamelessly beat him. He had brief respites in foster homes, but always ended up where he started, thanks to the incredible slackness of the social services.

Despite his ghastly beginnings and his early, inevitable slide towards the criminal underworld, Lewis is an engaging, charming and highly inventive person, determined to succeed — if the world will let him. Impossible to put down.

Publisher: Penguin

Price: $25