The Pencil Case

A cruel justice... a litany of lies... a spirit that could not be broken and a family that never gave up. A hit on the head with a pencil case began Paul Wilson's lifelong battle against the system and the pencil-pushers who tormented him... but nothing could break his indomitable spirit.A fifth generation, native-born white Australian, Paul was a stolen child. Bureaucrats stole him twice. So-called 'women of God' and a misguided carer stole his identity, his heritage and his self-respect.Join Paul as he takes his lawyer on a journey through time, from the post-war home of a poverty-stricken Australian family, to a cold, harsh Catholic Orphanage, into foster homes and an Anglican Boys' Home, to an army training school for boys, and through an eventful adult life desperately searching for identity, acceptance, love and peace.Told with confronting honesty, this is a story that readers say they read between floods of tears and fits of rage. It might leave you scarred. But Paul's story will reassure you of the beauty and strength of the human spirit and the extraordinary power of family love. Like Empty Cradles (Oranges and Sunshine) and The Rabbit Proof Fence, The Pencil Case is a story of victory over bureaucratic evils and cruel injustice. It offers insight into a shameful chapter of Australian history, and into the long-term pscychological impact of separation of children from family, culture and heritage. Reader comments: "Gritty and mesmerizing" (Kenneth Edward Lim) "The author's brilliance with imagery and words involve the reader to the point of being an observer in the time and place." (Diana Hockley) "Read even half a chapter of this and you'll know straight away you're dealing with a phenomenal writer and a fascinating story. This book is as important as it is riveting."(Richard Walsh) "...a story that I think should be mandatory reading in schools and colleges, and for most everyone else too" (Fran Macilvey) "A beautifully-written, utterly moving piece of art." (Faith Rose) "...a story that should be heard" (M.A.McRae)