Maw

by William Forde

Overview

When good people fail to stand up for what they believe to be right, bad behaviour is provided with a golden opportunity to triumph! Into such environments, bullying is born and permitted to flourish.

The silent observer who declines to challenge the bully's behaviour – the reluctant witness who refuses to testify – anyone who fails to stand alongside the victim, becomes the bully's accomplice! Bullies are cowardly people and they need silent accomplices to observe their dominance over their victim. They never walk alone.

Bullies feed upon the fear of their victims. They feel big when you let them make you feel small. Their aim is to elevate their own stature in the eyes of others by putting you down. They hate resistance and they rarely try to victimise anyone who they believe will fight back. Being prepared to stand up to a bully is often enough to prevent the bully putting you down!

There are three types of people involved in the process of 'bullying'. There is the bully, the person being bullied and the people observing the bullying. Wherever bullying continues to exist, all three types remain victims of their role.

Many fail to understand that almost all bullies have, at sometime, in their own lives been the victim of bullying and they are attempting to replicate the immense feeling of 'power' that dominating the victim brings to the bully.

Power carries with it the responsibility to ensure that no individual experiences the indignity of being rendered powerless. It was this concept and the inspiration of my son, William, which led me to write Maw. The name 'Maw' was also a name of endearment that all of the Forde family gave to my dear mother when she lived, it being an abbreviation of her name Maureen.

This story was first published in 1994. It was due to be read to the pupils of 'R. M. Grylls Middle School', Hightown, Liversedge, West Yorkshire by the late Roy Castle. Due to his illness before he died, the legendary, international footballer, John Charles read in Roy's stead, and the television magician, Paul Daniels kindly recorded an abridged version of the book.

The story of 'Maw' is suitable for any reader over 8 years. It is written in the style of the 1950s when the sport of boxing and football tended to dominate the world of growing boys and some girls. Because its story theme focuses on the sport of boxing and football, some girls may not feel it to be suitable for them.

Maw is born exceptionally small and enters secondary school life to face the school bully. He confronts the bully and challenges him to a boxing match. On the very start of his fourteenth year of life, Maw makes a wish upon a shooting star and from that moment, his life changes. He awakes with super human powers, but quickly learns that with all power comes a responsibility to discharge such power humanely. Later, the school loses its striker from the football team at the semi- final stage of the School League Football Cup and Maw is asked to stand in as the striker. A super story told in the adventure style of writing that was more common in the 40s and 50s.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940044717060
Publisher:	William Forde
Publication date:	03/18/2012
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	5 - 11 Years

About the Author

William Forde was born in Ireland and currently lives in Haworth, West Yorkshire with his wife Sheila. He is the father of five children and the author of over 60 published books and two musical plays. Approximately 20 of his books are suitable for the 7-11 year old readers while the remainder are suitable for young persons and adults. Since 2010, all of his new stories have been written for adults under his 'Tales from Portlaw' series of short stories. His website is www.fordefables.co.uk on which all his miscellaneous writings may be freely read. There are also a number of children's audio stories which can be freely heard. He is unique in the field of contemporary children's authors through the challenging emotional issues and story themes he addresses, preferring to focus upon those emotions that children and adults find most difficult to appropriately express. One of West Yorkshire's most popular children's authors, Between 1990 and 2002 his books were publicly read in over 2,000 Yorkshire school assemblies by over 800 famous names and celebrities from the realms of Royalty, Film, Stage, Screen, Politics, Church, Sport, etc. The late Princess Diana used to read his earlier books to her then young children, William and Harry and Nelson Mandela once telephoned him to praise an African story book he had written. Others who have supported his works have included three Princesses, three Prime Ministers, two Presidents and numerous Bishops of the realm. A former Chief Inspector of Schools for OFSTED described his writing to the press as 'High quality literature.' He has also written books which are suitable for adults along with a number of crossover books that are suitable for teenagers and adults. Forever at the forefront of change, at the age of 18 years, William became the youngest Youth Leader and Trade Union Shop Steward in Great Britain. In 1971, He founded Anger Management in Great Britain and freely gave his courses to the world. Within the next two years, Anger Management courses had mushroomed across the English-speaking world. During the mid-70's, he introduced Relaxation Training into H.M. Prisons and between 1970 and 1995, he worked in West Yorkshire as a Probation Officer specialising in Relaxation Training, Anger Management, Stress Management and Assertive Training Group Work. He retired early on the grounds of ill health in 1995 to further his writing career, which witnessed him working with the Minister of Youth and Culture in Jamaica to establish a trans-Atlantic pen-pal project between 32 primary schools in Falmouth, Jamaica and 32 primary schools in Yorkshire. William was awarded the MBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1995 for his services to West Yorkshire. He has never sought to materially profit from the publication of his books and writings and has allowed all profit from their sales (approx £200,000) to be given to charity. Since 2013, he was diagnosed with CLL; a terminal condition for which he is currently receiving treatment. In 2014, William had his very first 'strictly for adult' reader's novel puiblished called‘Rebecca’s Revenge'. This book was first written over twenty years ago and spans the period between the 1950s and the New Millennium. He initially refrained from having it published because of his ‘children’s author credentials and charity work’. He felt that it would have conflicted too adversely with the image which had taken a decade or more to establish with his audience and young person readership. Now, however as he approaches the final years of his life and cares less about his public image, besides no longer writing for children (only short stories for adults since 2010), he feels the time to be appropriate to publish this ‘strictly for adults only’ novel alongside the remainder of his work. In December 2016 he was diagnosed with skin cancer on his face and two weeks later he was diagnosed with High-grade Lymphoma (Richter’s Transformation from CLL). He was successfully treated during the first half of 2017 and is presently enjoying good health albeit with no effective immune system.