Author Description

In this thought-provoking and sensitive collection of short stories, young people find themselves up against prejudice, hypocrisy and bewilderment. There's Lorraine and Mohammed who fall wildly in love, ever conscious of the family pressures which might force them apart; John feels trapped by his marriage and the birth of his son, neither of which he is emotionally ready for; Jim finds himself on trial for a violent crime after he accidentally becomes caught up in a demonstration; and Tony, who despises the mindless prejudice of his schoolmates, is himself dealt a nasty blow by the people he seeks to defend.Jan Needle observes with great intensity and sometimes humor, the passion, despair and hopes of young people in the urban life of the 1980s.