A Kind of Hush
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| Author | Richard A. Johnson |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Autobiographical, Novel |
| Publisher | Robson Books |
| Released | 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 172 p. |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-86105-249-9 |
A Kind of Hush is the 1999 autobiographical novel by Richard A. Johnson.
The book describes a group a teenagers, who have all been sexually abused as children, 'getting even' (the original title of the book) with child abusers and child pornographers. Johnson, who was himself molested as a child, writes that "Each of the boys is a part of me". The title A Kind of Hush is taken from the song by Hermans Hermits and alludes to the difficulty that abused children have in telling others about what has happened to them.
[edit] Plot summary
The book centers around a group of teenage boys led by Mick, who was sexually abused in care by 'Uncle' Jack, a residential social worker. The members include Tony, abused by his foster father; the twins Pete and Den who were abused by the Deputy Head school teacher; 16-year-old Si who was molested by his both his hippie parents and is still under five foot tall; fifteen-year-old Mark, a 'classic choirboy type' who looks twelve and a half, and the narrator Stu, who was abused by his father and joined the gang when he was thirteen.
One of the boys acts as bait to lure nonces, who are then set upon and robbed. Sometimes they do 'specials', when the victim is someone who has hurt one of the gang in the past, like Tony's foster father.
Stu gets a job as a trainee chef and forms a very close, loving, and completely non-abusive relationship with his boss 'Chef' and his wife Beryl. He then comes across one of his sisters by accident and learns that his father's abuse of his sisters has descended into unspeakable depravity, also involving his little grandchild.
The gang set about getting even with Stu's dad and the paedophile ring that surrounds him.
The book has been adapted into a movie of the same name, directed by Brian Stirner.
