If you're in the market for some biographical non-fiction, then have a look at the attached piece, Growing up Peculiar, an account of a strange childhood in England. It was first published last year in an anthology on adoption called Family Wanted (Granta Books) and a shortened version was in the NY Times Magazine.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Interesting for Fans of Bernard Cornwell
Comment: This is an autobiographical piece by one of my favorite authors in the 'historical fiction' genre. It is, naturally, well written and insightful.

I knew, from TV interviews and the like, that he had been raised in a family of the Peculiar People sect, and, as someone with a lot of interest in religion, I thought it might be interesting to read this piece.

Without divulging any plots from his books, or rehashing what the author says in "Growing Up Peculiar," I do appreciate Cornwell's sensitive treatment of religion. In a way, he has a very complete view of religion, or the Western religions at least. What I mean is this: He frequently seasons his novels with characters who are genuinely pious and good believers, but he also shows us sham priests, religious fanatics and opportunists who use religion for nefarious ends. And he does this all without simply treating each character with contempt; in the best of his novels, even (some of) the sham priests and opportunists are still human, not mere two-dimensional, evil beings. Likewise, his truly-believing characters have doubts, and superstitions, but they are not hokey (for lack of a better term), but in fact rather realistic.

"Growing Up Peculiar" offers further insight into Cornwell's treatment of religion and religious institutions. I imagine it took him many years to develop his mature view of his adoptive parents, but again I can well appreciate both the good and the bad aspects of his experience. I daresay it is a perspective which needs to be shared with the world, so that people on both sides of the religious/atheist divide can see what all is involved, psychologically, spiritually, etc., in this great issue.

If you were ever in doubt about Cornwell's own, personal religious or non-religious convictions, this piece will eliminate your doubts. Considering this, I will offer this word of warning: If you prefer not to know what he believes, if you prefer to keep that knowledge from tainting your view of the characters in his novels, then you might not want to read this piece. Typically we, as readers of a novel, are left in the dark as to the fundamental personal beliefs of an author, and there is something pleasurable in the mystery of not knowing. It makes it easier, perhaps, to believe in the genuine nature of his characters, whether they are believers or non-religious.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Growning Up Peculiar
Comment: The same story is in the book 'Sharpe's Story.' Its title is "Cakes and Ale.'

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Thank you for having the bravery to do this...
Comment: Bernard, I have to thank you for providing such a phenomenal glimpse into your background...for telling it with such gripping honesty and compelling genuineness.

For some reason, I find there's a grand misconception swirling about the "reading community" that it's an abundantly simple step for authors to just dig deep into the well of their minds and talk about their earliest beginnings.

It's the hardest thing imaginable.

While the inspirations from childhood might be plentiful, I find the thought of doing so to be one of the most harrowing things in existence. That's certainly not what transpires in this here read.

In this compact Short, author Cornwell leads us through the slowly-meandering development of his childhood and adolescence, providing a hopeful account of what is a true tale of perseverance against the odds, the ultimate returning to full-circle.

You feel with him at every bend in the telling.

While this 12pp delightful read is *sans dialogue*, I'm almost certain a large number of readers could recreate several of the dialogues on their own. Cornwell really does a beautiful job of painting a captivating canvas of what it truly means to come home.

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