This autobiography of the author of "Alfie" covers his early life, his family's move from Ireland to England and his writing career from the initial difficult stages to the success he enjoyed later. It describes his ambition to write and how after years of difficulty he had, by 1945, published and broadcast a number of stories and his first book "A roof over your head" was in its third impression. A visit to his birthplace in County Mayo in 1945 provides a chapter on forgotten Irish folklore and leads to a description of his family's emigration when he was 4 years old. The book also covers his years in Bolton during World War I and his Catholic schooldays.