[DtheP47]

Originally Posted by bzk

It's the constant victimhood which annoys me. I've never read her books, maybe a more balanced view is apparent there. But the TV programmes give only her side of the story.

Consider: we only really hear about her primary school years. All I'll say about that is young children learn to read at home more than at school. After that, she must have passed her 11+ to get into Accrington High School for girls. She then went to Accrington and Rossendale College (and must've been there at the same time as Max from Brookside BTW).

Whilst there, she must have taken the Oxford entrance exam, presumably she passed because she was accepted. She then went to Oxford (and apparently possessed a car at the time, albeit a rather humble one -so she learned to drive at a very young age).

Is all this really possible without a very supportive background? I would say not. In many respects she had a privileged background. Can today's teenagers look forward to this level of social mobility? Again I'd say not. Far from being this downtrodden heroine, she was probably helped and supported in most important respects.

I think the truth would not have made such an entertaining story ?

You cover some great points here bzk. One is minded of that old adage “Why let the truth get in the way of a good story. I have just finished reading David McRaney’s excellent book “You are not so smart” ** and in there is a chapter “Confabulation” The Misconception: You know when you are lying to yourself. The Truth: You are ignorant of your motivations and create fictional narratives to explain your decisions, emotions and history without realising it.
He finishes the chapter off, How do you separate fantasy from reality. How can you be sure the story of your life both from long ago and minute to minute is true? There is a pleasant vindication to be found when you accept you can’t. No one can, yet we persist and thrive. Who you are is sort of like a movie based on true events , which is not necessarily a bad thing. The details may be embellished, but the big picture, the general idea is probably a good story worth hearing about.

There is a pre “Why be happy.....” interview where JW says her birth mother is dead, interesting and not true and hinting at her sense of theatre, play and danger.

** One World Publications ISBN 1-85168-939-2