What Next You Bastard by Ken Hall is a biography telling the story of Ken's sixty years getting to where he is now. Ken was a very sickly child born without tonsils or adenoids meant he could not fight illnesses. When Ken was eight, his appendix was removed, and he died on the operating table. Ken is constantly in and out of the hospital; the children's ward is very much home to him. However, he gets to twelve, is declared an adult, and ends up in Ward 1A, the adult terminal ward. Rheumatic fever enlarges his heart, tuberculosis weakens his lungs, and St. Vitus' dance means he has involuntary muscle movements. Ken is not expected to survive and is sent home to spend his last Christmas with his family. Against all the odds, he survives!
Throughout his life, Ken is plagued by bullies. The lack of oxygen when he dies on the operating table affects his short and long-term memory, making it impossible for him to learn to read, write or do even the most straightforward math problems. At thirteen, Ken applies for an apprenticeship; he must pass his school scholarship certificate and signs up for an evening class. Here the tutor makes Ken stand on a chair in front of the class and then says on page thirty-five, "This is the world's only human baboon that you and I will ever know in our lifetime. His composition was the greatest heap of shit I have ever read." Luckily Cortisone is invented, and Ken is the first person in Queensland to have it; this makes a big difference to his health, but as he is still unable to read, write or do even simple maths, how is he going to survive as an adult?
I was initially put off reading this book, the cover picture looked like a thug smoking drugs, and I was not sure it would be a story I would enjoy. However, I found so much to love about Ken Hall's biography What Next You Bastard. Ken's optimism and passion for living the best life he can, shine through even the darkest moments. Ken is truly inspirational, and I found that by the end of the book, I had so much respect and admiration for him. Ken puts up with many knockbacks in life. However, he soon picks himself up and has another go.
What Next You Bastard is set in Australia, where I have never been, and I enjoyed learning about the bush, droving cattle, and the night horses, which are useless in the day because they cannot see but are brilliant for droving at night!
I know this is a biography, but I would not say I liked that there seemed to be too quick an improvement in Ken's health. He is sent home to die, having spent most of his life in and out of the hospital, but his mum immediately takes him on holiday, and shortly after, he is at work.
Even though Monika McFerran had only met Ken once, she was so inspired by his life that she ghostwrote What Next You Bastard; this was Monika's debut novel, and she has done a fantastic job. I found no errors in this book. The editing and proofreading are perfect!
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. One grammatical error caught my attention. I think there should be a question mark after the title What Next You Bastard. Nevertheless, the story of Ken Hall's life makes for a unique and wonderfully uplifting book.
I recommend What Next You Bastard by Ken Hall to anyone who likes biographies or autobiographies about ordinary people who triumph over adversity. There is some swearing, and I do not think it is appropriate for younger audiences due to some of the subject matters covered. There are also some mild sexual references as Ken fumbles his way through getting to know various women, but most of these are rather comical.
Thank you to Ken Hall for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.
You can see more of my reviews here
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you very much for your message, which has been passed to the Red Makes My Heart Sing admin. for approval before publishing. I appreciate all the input my followers give me. Thank you