Ghost Signs - Rambling Readers

English language

Published Feb. 26, 2022 by Bluemoose Books, Limited.

ISBN:: 978-1-910422-96-0

(1 review)

When Covid struck in early 2020, librarian Stu Hennigan volunteered to deliver food parcels to vulnerable people in Leeds who were self-isolating and had no other access to food during the savage days of the first lockdown; but when word got out that the council were giving away food, people on low incomes struggling to feed themselves and their families were quick to accept the offer of help and it became immediately apparent that the pandemic was not the whole story. Ghost Signs is Stu's account of the scandalous deprivation he encountered during that time, and shows up close how a decade of Austerity has ravaged our most vulnerable communities and left local authorities financially unable to cope with a crisis of this magnitude. It's also a day-to-day diary of the earliest months of the pandemic which holds up a mirror to the trauma inflicted by lockdown on the national …

When Covid struck in early 2020, librarian Stu Hennigan volunteered to deliver food parcels to vulnerable people in Leeds who were self-isolating and had no other access to food during the savage days of the first lockdown; but when word got out that the council were giving away food, people on low incomes struggling to feed themselves and their families were quick to accept the offer of help and it became immediately apparent that the pandemic was not the whole story. Ghost Signs is Stu's account of the scandalous deprivation he encountered during that time, and shows up close how a decade of Austerity has ravaged our most vulnerable communities and left local authorities financially unable to cope with a crisis of this magnitude. It's also a day-to-day diary of the earliest months of the pandemic which holds up a mirror to the trauma inflicted by lockdown on the national psyche while the Prime Minister and his government partied in Downing Street in flagrant breach of their own draconian rules.

1 edition

stozzer reviewed Ghost Signs by HENNIGAN

Impactful

5 stars

Very moving account from the point of view of a librarian-turned relief volunteer during the opening months of the covid pandemic. It is a mercifully short potrait of the state of deprivation to be found in the uk. The covid element lends sharp focus on what was already a runaway problem before the virus arrived.

The writing is direct and well composed given the tricky subject matter. The chapter structure makes good use of key dates when particular government press briefings were given.

There is a lot of humanity in the retelling of these stories. The author keeps everything anchored in such a way as to ensure the victims of poverty are not easily disimissed as statistics.