Why my Mother went away
News from Lasserrade Press (February 2026)
“That must have been the winter of 1947. A cold winter and me barely eight. A bad year to catch epilepsy – because that was what had befallen Mother, not that it was something you catch, the doctor said – it was more a random affliction of the mind.”
Publication of the English Edition of Why My Mother Went Away, by Emeritus Professor Alan Kennedy.
Book Description:
Alan Kennedy was a war baby, spending his early years in the Midlands of England, one of three brothers, never far from German bombs. Finding the science subjects he had studied at school would not permit him to achieve his ambition to study English literature at university, he was enrolled, almost by accident, in a tiny group of seven students studying what was then the relatively obscure discipline of ‘psychology’.
When he retired in 2010 – no longer an ‘accidental psychologist’ - Alan Kennedy’s association with the discipline defined a distinguished career stretching back more than fifty years. Serving under no less than nine Principals, the department he helped found in the university of Dundee, played a leading part in defining the study of language as a dominant intellectual force in contemporary psychology.
This absorbing memoir charts the years which led to this decision, years in which he battled war-time deprivations, illness, and the consequences of his mother’s epilepsy, a disease which came to have its own very particular personal relevance.
A second volume (entitled The Cardboard Crocodile) is scheduled for publication in summer 2026 dealing with four Principals of the University of Dundee (James Drever, Adam Neville, Michael Hamlyn and Ian Graham-Bryce) all of whom took decisions with consequences only too evident in 2026.
Back cover endorsements: Why my Mother went Away.
An engaging and persuasive narrative. I found the account of his mother´s leucotomy powerful and moving. Stan Smith, Emeritus Professor of English, Nottingham Trent University and author of Edward Thomas.
Few childhoods can have been so eventful: class prejudice, religious squabbles, larger than life schoolmasters, incompetent doctors, a fearsome aunt, the confusions of adolescent love; and a mother, desperately ill, who wanted a daughter and not a son. All remembered with sadness, humour and honesty. I was engrossed from beginning to end. Julian Lovelock, Senior Research fellow at the University of Buckingham and author of I am Arthur Bright: An Alzheimer’s Story.
I enjoyed this autobiography immensely; it is beautifully written and intensely moving. The account of epilepsy is scientifically revealing, and the account of the effect on the person and the family most instructive. I laughed out loud several times, and it is very rare for any book to make me do that. I look forward to the next instalment. Trevor Harley, Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University of Dundee, author of The Psychology of Language.
An immensely readable and rewarding memoir: Kennedy's unflinching memory, subtle wit and engaging literary style make this book a rare achievement in a genre now monopolized by ghosted celebrity titles. I look forward to the second volume. Graham Lane, writer and publisher.
Bookbag Five Star- Review (Feb 2026):
The exquisitely-written story of how a boy from the Midlands became a founder of the psychology department at Dundee University. The evocation of time and place is a joy to read, and I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
Read the full review here: https://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/Why_My_Mother_Went_Away_by_Alan_Kennedy
How to buy the book
Kindle, epub and paperback version are available from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GCB1MQ7D?tag=thebookbag-21
For further information about the book, visit the Lasserrade Press website
http://s629309087.initial-website.co.uk/
If you read the book, please leave a rating or write a review.
“That must have been the winter of 1947. A cold winter and me barely eight. A bad year to catch epilepsy – because that was what had befallen Mother, not that it was something you catch, the doctor said – it was more a random affliction of the mind.”
Publication of the English Edition of Why My Mother Went Away, by Emeritus Professor Alan Kennedy.
Book Description:
Alan Kennedy was a war baby, spending his early years in the Midlands of England, one of three brothers, never far from German bombs. Finding the science subjects he had studied at school would not permit him to achieve his ambition to study English literature at university, he was enrolled, almost by accident, in a tiny group of seven students studying what was then the relatively obscure discipline of ‘psychology’.
When he retired in 2010 – no longer an ‘accidental psychologist’ - Alan Kennedy’s association with the discipline defined a distinguished career stretching back more than fifty years. Serving under no less than nine Principals, the department he helped found in the university of Dundee, played a leading part in defining the study of language as a dominant intellectual force in contemporary psychology.
This absorbing memoir charts the years which led to this decision, years in which he battled war-time deprivations, illness, and the consequences of his mother’s epilepsy, a disease which came to have its own very particular personal relevance.
A second volume (entitled The Cardboard Crocodile) is scheduled for publication in summer 2026 dealing with four Principals of the University of Dundee (James Drever, Adam Neville, Michael Hamlyn and Ian Graham-Bryce) all of whom took decisions with consequences only too evident in 2026.
Back cover endorsements: Why my Mother went Away.
An engaging and persuasive narrative. I found the account of his mother´s leucotomy powerful and moving. Stan Smith, Emeritus Professor of English, Nottingham Trent University and author of Edward Thomas.
Few childhoods can have been so eventful: class prejudice, religious squabbles, larger than life schoolmasters, incompetent doctors, a fearsome aunt, the confusions of adolescent love; and a mother, desperately ill, who wanted a daughter and not a son. All remembered with sadness, humour and honesty. I was engrossed from beginning to end. Julian Lovelock, Senior Research fellow at the University of Buckingham and author of I am Arthur Bright: An Alzheimer’s Story.
I enjoyed this autobiography immensely; it is beautifully written and intensely moving. The account of epilepsy is scientifically revealing, and the account of the effect on the person and the family most instructive. I laughed out loud several times, and it is very rare for any book to make me do that. I look forward to the next instalment. Trevor Harley, Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University of Dundee, author of The Psychology of Language.
An immensely readable and rewarding memoir: Kennedy's unflinching memory, subtle wit and engaging literary style make this book a rare achievement in a genre now monopolized by ghosted celebrity titles. I look forward to the second volume. Graham Lane, writer and publisher.
Bookbag Five Star- Review (Feb 2026):
The exquisitely-written story of how a boy from the Midlands became a founder of the psychology department at Dundee University. The evocation of time and place is a joy to read, and I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
Read the full review here: https://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/Why_My_Mother_Went_Away_by_Alan_Kennedy
How to buy the book
Kindle, epub and paperback version are available from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GCB1MQ7D?tag=thebookbag-21
For further information about the book, visit the Lasserrade Press website
http://s629309087.initial-website.co.uk/
If you read the book, please leave a rating or write a review.
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