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9781911340041

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A wonderful book, bringing us Keith's own experiences, told in the way only he can. His brutal honesty and humour make this a Must Read for those looking for truth, hope and inspiration. I find Keith's humour endearing... the message of this book is firmly carved around bringing things out into the open. Hiding from the truth is tantamount to condoning the abuse that very clearly happens. I am touched that Keith has had the courage to share his story with us. I cannot imagine having the strength he has and I am eternally grateful for my own childhood because No Accountability reveals that not everyone is so fortunate... So, stand beside Keith and all the other children and adults who face abuse every day because if there is one thing I have learned from this book it's that if we don't, vulnerable people will continue to hide in shame... L.M ------- 'No Accountability, the follow-up to Keith Lawton's debut book, No Photographs, offers further insight into his gripping life story. When Keith was only five years old, his family was torn apart by a tragic event: the death of his father. Taken away from his mother and his two brothers, he was placed in a council care home ... Keith's harrowing account of the time he spent in various care homes is moving and deeply revealing about the care system in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. From here, the book follows him after leaving council care, detailing his attempts to discover himself and what he wants to do with his life. Despite its bleakness, No Accountability is a story of hope. It shows how, through Keith's attempts to find his biological family, anything can be achieved if you put your mind to it. It also demonstrates the importance of moving on from traumatic experiences and putting the past behind you. As Keith himself puts it: try not to dwell on the past or the future, as this current moment is all you can live for.' E.S --- Keith Lawton's debut 'No Photographs' is a personal account of care system failings, and now, with his latest offering, No Accountability, Lawton continues to explore and expose the collective disgrace, which should be the subject of far-reaching enquiry and national soul-searching. Care is a euphemism in such a setting, a piece of irony because there is very little in way of actual care available, which No Accountability shows. Lawton describes the systematic and wholesale destruction of innocence in everyday terms and does so with devastating effect, chronicling the long-term impact upon his subsequent life in harrowing detail, expressed in simple terms without excess and decoration. He is to be applauded for this, and his story is stronger because of it. The aftermath of such scandalous treatment is, after all, not experienced, felt or lived in the language of dispassionate evaluations and judicial enquiry - the words of the survivor are raw, and understandably so. Lawton takes the rawness of his emotional reaction to his experiences and, rather than using his narrative to lament or wallow, instead uses it to describe, to guide and inspire those who have also lived it. Throughout, the tone is one of someone who seeks to relay the unfolding of a nightmare to those fortunate enough to have never experienced it, in order to draw attention to the suffering and struggles of those who have. Lawton's bravery is to be applauded. His words add a human face to the bald statistics and anonymous headlines surrounding what is, in no uncertain terms, a national scandal of horrific proportions. The reader is drawn into the trauma and its aftermath, and I dare anyone to read this book and not become a crusader for the accountability, which has so far been absent and denied by those responsible for inflicting such ordeals on the innocent. This book is a worthy successor to 'No Photographs' as well as a commendable read in its own right. D.A. ---

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