East End girl

Sally Worboyes is loved and renowned for her gritty, enthralling sagas of East London life. But the story of her own family life in post-war Stepney is no less engrossing and dramatic. Here for the first time is Sally's account of her childhood and her family's history - the two-up, two-down with the outside lavatory and no hot water where her parents raised six children, carol-singing for the Kray twins at Christmas, the story of her grandfather's tragic early death. Full of memories both warm and less welcome, this autobiography paints a vivid picture of Sally's childhood, her days spent 'raking' the East End streets or crowding into her family's small parlour rooms for hard-earned Saturday tea, the tribulations of being part of a poor family, and the deep love she felt and still feels for her childhood surroundings. Warm, affectionate yet clear-eyed, this is probably Sally's most gripping saga yet - and it is all true.