How does an individual maintain resilience and personal integrity while navigating the extreme hardships of early 20th-century Australian life? Albert Facey, a self-taught writer and laborer, documents his life from his early childhood in Western Australia through his experiences in the First World War and the Great Depression. The narrative serves as a primary historical account of the working-class experience, utilizing a straightforward, chronological framework to detail the physical labor and social conditions of the era.

Critics and historians frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the Australian working-class experience in the early 20th century. Readers often note the unadorned, direct prose style that emphasizes the author's stoic approach to significant personal and national adversity.