Dot May Dunn – författare

Christmas during war-time - a memoir of community spirit and the sense of coming together and supporting each other Dot May Dunn grew up in Derbyshire, the daughter of a miner, during the wartime years. In 1951 she joined the NHS as an early recruit and went on to train as a nurse - but this heartwarming memoir focuses on one Christmas, during the second world war. Dot's books are full of wonderful anecdotal insight into the life that she has experienced, written with warmth, humour and vivid accounts of her surroundings - from deprivation, health problems and poverty, to personal determination, the surprises faced by midwives and the social history of the pre- and post-war years. Dot draws upon her wealth of experience and shares her life with her readers, provoking both laughter and tears along the way.From the author of TWELVE BABIES ON A BIKE

A young midwife's account of her training in the Midlands in the 1950s. A SUNDAY TIMES bestseller.It's 1957, and in a shattered post-war world, life goes on. Dot, a pupil midwife, negotiates the streets on her trusty old bicycle - come rain or shine - to help women in need.Living and working under the supervision of the strict Mrs O'Reilly, she must complete her training with twelve deliveries: there's Mrs Wardle who lives in a seedy slum; the eighth Clarke baby, born in an unusual place; the superstitious Wests, desperate for a boy; baby Murphy who is received with laughter; and brothel-worker Mrs Maloney.Amid lectures, textbooks and university dances, Dot must saddle up at any time of the day and night to attend deliveries. But just when she thinks she's got the measure of the job, fate deals her an unexpected hand...

'A wonderful tale of 1950s Britain... a vivid account of a midwife's lot' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review'I couldn't put it down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review'Charming, sad, humorous and poignant' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review*****The compelling and heartwarming true story of a young nurse's life and work in 1950s England, from the Sunday Times bestseller.'Three small children peep out, their eyes watching me. The crumbling remains of a loaf of bread are being coated with jam, and eager fingers await them...'It's the end of the 1950s and Britain is changing. The war's long shadow is fading and, while the country gets ready for the swinging sixties, Dot is embarking on an adventure of her own. After qualifying as a midwife, young Dot has taken a job as a health visitor in the back streets of Birmingham. There, she's not just responsible for the babies brought into this world, but an army of toddlers, tykes and tots who all need a helping hand.For Dot, it will be a heartrending journey trying to help families with next to nothing, sharing the struggles of young mums and discovering how the spirit of the community can overcome the toughest of circumstances.'(An) eye-opener of a memoir' Daily Mail'A compelling and heart-warming story' Derby Telegraph