Out of the Noise : A Postwar Childhood in a Moorlands Town

Walking around the North Staffordshire town of Leek, you may hear the unusual saying `Leek - out of the noise'. Tucked away in between hills, this quaint market town is the setting of this nostalgia-steeped memoir that returns the reader to walk the gas-lit streets of Michael Fisher's post-World War II childhood. The narrative covers Michael's early world, from his engineer father's self-crafted toys to the `December Disaster' when the Christmas tree caught fire. Amusing tales of seaside holidays and family antics are woven with the bustling market days of the 50s, the annual `May Fair' and street parties and special events, such as those to mark the Queen's coronation in 1953. Behind the warm stories of childhood is Michael's uneasy adolescent relationship with his father, from which he retreated into the welcome arms of a favourite aunt.