A Sense of Freedom - Jimmy Boyle

I first heard about Jimmy Boyle many years back during some TV documentary. He was a hardened criminal who had done plenty of time in various Scottish prisons. The book was written in the mid 1970s when Jimmy was still in prison having already completed 10 years of a life sentence for murder. Some years later I know that a film was made based on the book but I have never seen it. I also knew about one of Jimmy's most infamous prison protests whereby he smeared himself in his own excrement so that violent prison guards would be reluctant to jump on him and give him a beating. It was these memories that sprung to my mind when the book caught my eye on the shelf in my local ...  Read the complete review

There’s not many films or books that pass through your life without making a lasting impression, most stay in your mind until the next one comes along, unless they are particularly exceptional. I love to read and have always been able to pick up a book, sometimes the book has gripped my attention and I have done all my housework and cooking in-between reading the pages until the book has been finished. I mostly read sci-fi or fantasy but every now and then an autobiography comes my way and this book I’m writing about is one of these. A Sense of Freedom by Jimmy Boyle. I first saw this as a film when I was in my teens and it made a lasing ...  Read the complete review