Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Zappa's Mam's a Slapper

Author: John Lynch

Narrator: John Lynch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-18-16

Publisher: Mandrill Press

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

John Lynch has found his literary voice in this life story of disadvantaged soul, Billy McErlane. Having a harlot for a mother doesn't make life easy and nor does going to jail at 14, but when he is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, peace enters Billy's heart. Then fate deals a wrecking blow. The book shows Billy through his own eyes and words as he learns to forgive, let go of the bad things in life, accept with grace the good things and finally reach out to others. It's a coming-of-age book that begins in tragedy and ends in hope. A bittersweet story of love, loss, and one young man's refusal to accept what life offers.

Members Reviews:

A touching story about a man's journey to overcome the hand life dealt him.

After I read Lynchâs Bio, I was curious about his writing; two different genres, written under two different names. I read one of his historical fiction books: âA Just and Upright Man,(R.J. Lynch)â and then purchased âZappaâs Mamâs A Slapperâ(John Lynch)

I enjoyed both, but âZappaâs Mamâs A Slapperâ really touched me. This is a book that had so much reality and feeling; I felt I could have been reading a biography, rather than fiction.

Lynch portrays the many aspects of Billy McErlaines journey from life as a child at home with his siblings and their dysfunctional, promiscuous mother, to his involvement with the criminal element in the neighborhood, arriving at a point where he breaks under pressure and commits a felony that results in him being sent to a Young Offenders institution at the age of 14. There he sees more of the vilest sides of humanity. Fortunately, with inspiration and direction from his counselors, he discovers a budding talent with a camera and Photoshop. Both are skills that he takes with him when he is released on parole at the age of 18.

After he returned to society, Billy (known as Zappa) is determined to pull himself out of the environment he grew up in. As I read, I wondered if he could do it, when those around him chose to do the only thing they knew. His mother made my heart ache, and as I read the last couple of chapters, my eyes filled with tears.

In the end, Billy has to make a life altering decision. Will he break the cycle, or will he watch history repeat itself.

This book, made me think about how sheltered my own life has been; also about how important stability and love are for people of all ages. "Zappa's Mam's a Slapper" is not all about tragedy and despair thoughâI laughed at times, I admired Billy at times, I shook my head many times, and I feared for him often.

This isnât a read for the faint of heart: it is a harsh and sometimes ugly look at humanity. It can offer hope for those who struggle to rise above their circumstances; it should open the eyes of others to humility and gratitude for having been dealt a kinder hand. I am not traditionally âreligious,â but the phrase âBut for the grace of God, there go I,â came to me.

A great British novel about a great British story

Zappaâs mam is indeed a slapper. And Zappa (who understandably goes by âBillyâ) is the product of a casual encounter she canât even pick out from the rest. Billy, his mother, and his brother and sisters live on a sink estate, one of many that unfortunately pepper our great land.