Problem Kid # 1:The True Story of a Delinquent Kid in the Hungry Thirties

Do circumstances make people or do people make their own circumstances? In Victor Farrell's bookProblem Kid # 1, he shows the reader it can be a little bit of both. We are introduced to eight-year old Lorne Farrell living in Saint John, New Brunswick in the Dirty Thirties. Survival is the number one priority. People do whatever it takes...collecting bones for soup, picking bottles, battling rats. Some people resort to crime and young Lorne is one of them. Sometimes the victim of circumstance, sometimes the author of his own demise, from the ages of eight to fifteen Lorne finds himself in a vicious cycle. Petty thefts, vandalism, mischief and truancy lead him to reform school, then jail. Fuelled by a sense of rebellion, restlessness and impulsive action, Lorne winds up back in trouble as soon as he gets out. He plays a never-ending game of cat and mouse with Detective Stubbs and Judge Palmer, his chief antagonists, but reveals he loves the risk and even gets a high from it. Through it all we see Lorne grow from a boy into a young man, experiencing the flowering of youth, and the need for independence from his parents. Yet the story always returns to Lorne's next crime. There seems to be no hope for him. No chance to right the ship or change his ways...but the end may surprise you! Just as in his first book,I Have To Hurt You, author Victor Farrell's style is simple and clear. He reveals character with a keen eye for detail and makes you want to get to know Lorne Farrell and see what makes him tick...but maybe not invite him to your house just yet. ROB VOGT, Reporter, CLARESHOLM LOCAL PRESSFarrell, Victor is the author of 'Problem Kid # 1:The True Story of a Delinquent Kid in the Hungry Thirties' with ISBN 9780595652464 and ISBN 0595652468.