A Very Private School

A Memoir

De: Charles Spencer

Narrado por: Charles Spencer

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NOW WITH A NEW AFTERWORD

“A tour de force.” —The Washington Post

In this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend boarding school.

A Very Private School offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Charles Spencer attended in his youth and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding system. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, he reflects on the hopelessness and abandonment he felt at aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all. Exploring the long-lasting impact of his experiences, Spencer presents a candid reckoning with his past and a reclamation of his childhood. And now, in a new afterword, Spencer reflects on the aftermath of his memoir’s publication, including the outpouring of support and solidarity from fellow abuse survivors.

A most excellent story and performance

Spencer writes beautifully. This book is a perfect example of “show don’t tell” as writers say to do. The story is compelling and heartbreaking. He’s brave to risk inciting wrath and I love him for that. I recommend this and admit I especially loved him reading it as I listened in Audible. His voice made it all the more gripping. Top marks

Charles Spencer has outstanding diction. it was a real pleasure to listen to him narrate his book.

This is extremely interesting. I am so sorry that that actually happened to him and I think it took real courage for him to write this book.

Harrowing Story, Beautifully Told

Spencer tells the harrowing story of his boarding school years in such beautiful prose. He is a wonderful writer.

But the subject matter is gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. I could scarcely believe the unchecked horrors that were perpetrated against these young boys for years.

I have true admiration for the courage it took Spencer to write this memoir. It is a tough read, but well worth it.

The Courage to Speak Out

To tell the truth is a magnificent thing. Kudos to the courage of Charles Spencer for speaking out and fighting the awful “secrets” that the older generation were so found of. Unacceptable, horrific abuse deemed acceptable under an outdated, non-caring system. I am so glad that we are moving towards a kinder world, especially towards our precious, loving children.

Straight forward rational analysis of a systematic crime situation in an English boarding school

The nativity of these young boys were so easy to be taken advantage of. They emerged so different in ways the family could not imagine. The secretiveness of the school and the full reign parent gave to those unworthy guardians. At first I didn’t think I could bear the incidents but Lord Spencer has given an adult perspective back to his readers that helped me understand how they remained secretive and the ways to overcome. Although the content is hard to get through- it was a subject well addressed and the strength it took to overcome the feelings that remained.