Shuggie Bain

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Stuart, Douglas, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	Due 05-20-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	Due 05-17-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Stuart, Douglas	4-week checkout	On Shelf

1992: The South Side -- 1981: Sighthill -- 1982: Pithead -- 1989: The East End -- 1992: The South Side.
"Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh "Shuggie" Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher's war on heavy industry has put husbands and sons out of work, and the city's notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings. Shuggie's mother Agnes walks a wayward path: she is Shuggie's guiding light but a burden for his artistic brother and practical sister. She dreams of a house with its own front door while she flicks through the pages of the Freemans catalogue, ordering a little happiness on credit, anything to brighten up her grey life. Married to a "whoremaster" of a husband, Agnes keeps her pride by looking good - her beehive, make-up, and pearly-white false teeth offer a glamourous image of a Glaswegian Elizabeth Taylor. But under the surface, Agnes finds increasing solace in drink, and she drains away the lion's share of each week's benefits - all the family has to live on - on cans of extra-strong lager hidden in handbags and poured into tea mugs. Agnes's older children find their own ways to get a safe distance from their mother, abandoning Shuggie to look after her as she swings between alcoholic binges and sobriety. He is meanwhile doing all he can to somehow become the normal boy he desperately longs to be, but everyone has realized that Shuggie is "no right," and now Agnes's addiction has the power to eclipse everyone close to her-even and especially her beloved Shuggie." -- From publisher's description.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
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Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Notable Book. Challenging Read. submitted by Beth Manuel on June 30, 2021, 1:46pm This 2020 winner of the Booker Prize, is a semi-biographical story of the sad and lonely boy, Shuggie Bain. Shuggie's family lives in public housing in Glasgow in the '80s with his alcoholic mother and at the beginning, his cheating father and a couple of half-sibs. The beautifully written and honest prose was at times shocking and unsettling. The challenging part for me was understanding the Scottish references and dialogue, in addition to the very scary situations that Shuggie had to endure. At times this book reminded me of "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt and Hanya Yanagihara's " A Little Life". It was one of the best books I've read in 2021.

Moving and Real submitted by yorkj on July 8, 2021, 10:28pm So often books are unrealistically optimistic. This book is reality through and through. It is a reminder that through all the hardships life brings, there are rays of light. Even the most damaged of us show love and integrity in our own way. And children are resilient as heck. I adore Shuggie and I loved this book.

Loved submitted by bcartm01 on June 17, 2022, 10:45pm I loved this book. I loved its setting, in Scotland, and the resiliency of Shuggie Bain, the main character. It was a truly enjoyable read in my opinion. There were some difficult parts in terms of subject matter (my heart broke for him many times), but I loved the book.