You can't, you won't : a life of unarmed combat / Gary Skyner ; with Carol Fenlon.

  • Skyner, Gary
Date:
[2017]
  • Books

About this work

Description

'You Can't, You Won't: A Life of Unarmed Combat, provides an honest, detailed account of his life as a thalidomide child. Gary was born severely disabled in 1959 after his mother was prescribed the thalidomide drug during pregnancy. Originally devised in 1957 by a German pharmaceutical company as a free sedative designed to combat morning sickness, thalidomide was first licensed in the UK in 1958. However, it became apparent that there was a surge in rare birth defects after pregnant women had been prescribed the drug. As one of the earliest in the UK to be born damaged by the deadly drug, Gary's life was destined to be difficult and challenging as it impaired his physical development. Expected not to live, let alone to achieve much, Gary is living proof that there is nothing you cannot achieve if you believe you can.'-- provided by publisher.

Publication/Creation

Kibworth Beauchamp : Matador, [2017]

Physical description

xii, 249 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour) ; 22 cm

Contents

Foreward--He'll never amount to much--A most suitable drug for pregnant women--Your child is a thalidomide baby--David and Goliath--Goals and goalposts--The Grand National of life--A funny thing happened to me...--Giant steps--Pissing in the wind--That's showbiz--After 9/11--You could do with losing a bit of weight--Dark days--Changing the world--Losing my Rock--Still smouldering after all these years--The special ones--References.

Bibliographic information

Includes bibliographical references.

Type/Technique

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatus
    History of Medicine
    BZP (Skyner)
    Open shelves

Permanent link

Identifiers

ISBN

  • 9781785898631
  • 1785898639