Slum Boy

An utterly inspiring story of a young boy's self-discovery through art while growing up in the slums of 1980S Glasgow

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"ONE OF THE MOST MOVING ACCOUNTS OF NON-FICTION EVER WRITTEN" ACCORDING TO THE GUARDIAN

'This is a heart-breaking story, beautifully told. I hope it finds a million readers' - Andrew O'Hagan

'What a brave and powerful story. If you like Shuggie Bain and Damian Barr then Slumboy is for you' - Lemn Sissay

'Compulsively readable, it's Dickensian in its rich cast of Glaswegian characters' - Patrick Gale

'SLUM BOY is a remarkable and moving tale of survival' - Times Literary Supplement

John MacDonald must find his mother.

Born into the slums of Glasgow in the late '70s, 4-year-old John's life is filled with alcoholism and poverty. Soon after witnessing a drowning, his mother's addictions take over their lives, leaving him starving in their flat and awaiting her return.

A concerned neighbour reports her, and he is forcibly taken away from his mother and placed into the care system. There, his mind is consumed with images and memories he can't process or understand, which his eventual adoptive parents silence out of fear as he grows into a young man within a strict Catholic and Romany Gypsy community. But John is dreaming of being reunited with his mother.

This memoir is about how John found his way to his true identity, Juano Diaz, and how, against all odds, his unstoppable love for his mother sets him free.

Juano Diaz was awarded the Pride Awards 2024 for LGBTQ+ Heroes Changing the World.