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Slum Boy

'One of the most moving accounts of non-fiction ever written' GUARDIAN

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Pub Date Feb 13 2025 | Archive Date Jul 01 2025

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Description

'A heart-breaking, inspiring read' ALAN CUMMING
'ONE OF THE MOST MOVING ACCOUNTS OF NON-FICTION EVER WRITTEN' GUARDIAN
'If you like Shuggie Bain, then Slum Boy is for you' LEMN SISSAY

John MacDonald is a four-year-old boy growing up in the slums of Glasgow. His mother is an addict who leaves him starving in their flat for days at a time.

When a neighbour files a report, John is wrenched away from her and dropped into the care system. There, he has experiences he's too young to understand which his Romani adoptive parents silence as he grows into a gay man.

But John dreams of being reunited with his mother and will stop at nothing to find her. Slum Boy is about how, against all odds, John found a way to his mother and true identity: JUANO DIAZ.

'Remarkable' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

In 2024, Juano Diaz was awarded the Pride Award for LGBTQ+ Heroes Changing the World.
'Beautiful. I hope it finds a million readers' ANDREW O'HAGAN

'A heart-breaking, inspiring read' ALAN CUMMING
'ONE OF THE MOST MOVING ACCOUNTS OF NON-FICTION EVER WRITTEN' GUARDIAN
'If you like Shuggie Bain, then Slum Boy is for you' LEMN SISSAY

John MacDonald is...


Advance Praise

"Beautifully written... This elegant memoir immediately brings to mind Shuggie Bain. Slum Boy is one of the most moving accounts of non-fiction ever written" —Guardian

"Powerful... A remarkable and moving tale of survival" —Times Literary Supplement

"Vivid prose, novelistic pacing and Diaz's palpable passion for the creative life makes this sing... Remarkable" —Publishers Weekly


"Beautifully written... This elegant memoir immediately brings to mind Shuggie Bain. Slum Boy is one of the most moving accounts of non-fiction ever written" —Guardian

"Powerful... A remarkable and...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781914240836
PRICE £10.99 (GBP)
PAGES 272

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Average rating from 3 members


Featured Reviews

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Wow! What an inspirational story about coming up from hardship and thriving. Diaz’s work was so easy to read, the moment I picked this up I was pulled in.

If you want an inspirational memoir, this one is for you.

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Really heartwarming yet tragic boy. It's a book about struggle and trying to find yourself when you're living a tough life.

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