Childhood

BY Brendan James Murray

Brendan James Murray's childhood was one of stark contrasts: vivid imaginative adventures but also disadvantage, fear and the shadow of a school he spent months refusing to attend.

When a silhouette on a freeway overpass forces him to confront the ghosts of his own childhood, he has a defining realisation about the extraordinary power of imagination to transform lives, and the degree to which it has been neglected.

Childhood is a vital and deeply personal investigation into how we can help children find their place in the world, drawn from Brendan's profound and unique perspective as a child, teacher and parent.

This haunting, uplifting memoir is a must-read for everyone seeking to understand how the crucial and overlooked absence of a rich inner life in childhood echoes through all our adult years.

Picador, 2026