The Real Enid Blyton

[Fiona1986]

Mind you, these days I do wonder how many of them can add up in their heads. Maths has always been my favourite subject and it annoys me when shop assistants can't add up even two small amounts in pence.

Not everyone does maths for fun. Not everyone is good at maths. Not everyone had access to a good education.

Even those who are passable at maths can panic when put on a spot by a smug customer who expects an instant calculating of the change required.

[Boatbuilder]

Everybody has access to the same education standards that is given in the schools in this country. Whether or not they choose to to keep their heads down and learn what is being taught to them is another matter. Some just don't want to. When I never passed the 11-plus, for reasons I think I may have previously mentioned elsewhere on here, I will admit I was disappointed as my elder sister by four years had passed hers and went to grammar school. I then had the choice of two secondary schools - a mixed sex one or an all boys one - and because I was determined to do the best I could, I chose the latter which only two other boys from our primary also chose, with the remainder going to the mixed school, apart from the two who passed the 11-plus. In those days I believed that the distraction of the opposite sex that would possibly occur within the next few years may well have affected my dedication to learning.

Maybe I was also fortunate that when I went to secondary school between 1958 and 1963 wanting to learn, I also had an excellent maths teacher as every pupil in the 1962/3 fifth-form GCE class passed maths that year, which I think for a secondary school was quite an achievement.

[Rob Houghton]

Bear in mind that some students will be dyslexic and also others might also suffer from dyscalculia when it comes to arithmetic.

I was top of the class with 'sums' at infant school - until we came to multiplication, which I found incredibly difficult. I found it difficult to picture numbers as amounts, and used to have to group them into 'dots' so I could work with them better. We aren't all mathematically minded, just as many of us aren't artistic or good at sports. Trouble is, no one cares if you aren't good at art etc, but you are branded a dunce if you don't have a natural aptitude for numbers.

[Fiona1986]

I agree Rob. Not everyone has access to the same standard of education. Some will have disabilities or learning difficulties. Some will come from homes where school attendance is not prioritised, where they aren't bought correct uniform and are then excluded from lessons or where they are not allowed to do homework at home. Plenty of parents laugh at school and call it pointless, is it any wonder their children through no fault of their own don't 'keep their heads down'? Some will attend schools in very underprivileged areas where lessons are consistently disrupted through atrocious and often violent behaviour of other children or where there is a worrying lack of teachers as nobody wants to work there. The current school system fails so so many children.

I think it's awful to assume just because one person has accessed and taken full advantage of an education that everyone else is in the same boat. It's like those who refuse to believe that period poverty is a real thing. Just because you haven't experienced it doesn't mean it isn't real.

[Tony Summerfield]

I apologise for putting this thread back onto topic but I received an email about it from one of our members. I haven't read or even seen the book myself but I was wondering if anybody else had.

I asked him if he would like to review it for the next Journal, but he said he wouldn't as the book was full of inaccuracies and as we expected not all that nice about Enid. Just a couple of quotes from his email.

"Just to mention a couple things:
According to Nadia Cohen on Page 74 Mary Gernat illustrated the Famous Five series and Timmy was
inspired by her dog Patch. As far as I am aware all the FF series and covers were illustrated by Eileen Soper.

On Page 86, while talking about EB’s various clubs the author says “The Enid Blyton Society still thrives today, making hefty donations to children’s hospitals ...”

I wish!

[Katharine]

That's interesting Tony. It's also rather alarming, the two inaccuracies you mention aren't a big deal in themselves, but how many more 'facts' are incorrect. Unfortunately I suspect the book will just reignite many of the negative stories that have circulated about Enid in the past. I just hope it won't stop parents from letting their children read the books.

[Rob Houghton]

Thanks Tony. A good example of two inaccuracies that are to be totally expected in such hatchet job type biographies. And, not to be too political, it was serialised by The Daily Fail - who have also recently serialised the hatched job on Jeremy Corbyn, called 'Dangerous Hero' - another book that has been found to be littered with inaccuracies and made up facts.

I think its becoming obvious that The Daily Fail generally just makes things up in order to sell their filthy rag, and this so-called Blyton biography which they serialised is a good example. Written by one of their 'journalists' (if I remember rightly) and seemingly published just to make a quick buck or two. Designed to appeal to Daily Fail readers, who aren't too concerned about the truth when slander and sensation are more interesting.

[Courtenay]

Talking of the Daily Fail, did you hear they apparently went and published the killer's video of the massacre in NZ yesterday on their website, until there was enough of an outcry that they had to take it down??? (Off topic, but if it's true, there's an indication of just how low they can stoop. Mind you, I also read the Daily Mirror did the same thing.)

On the other hand, it's nice to hear this crummy author nevertheless believes the Enid Blyton Society is so generous, even if that's also inconveniently untrue... Shall we start saving silver paper for the hospital like Enid's readers did all those years ago, Tony?

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks Tony. A good example of two inaccuracies that are to be totally expected in such hatchet job type biographies. And, not to be too political, it was serialised by The Daily Fail - who have also recently serialised the hatched job on Jeremy Corbyn, called 'Dangerous Hero' - another book that has been found to be littered with inaccuracies and made up facts.

Are you sure The Real Enid Blyton was serialised by The Daily Mail, Rob? I just did a search online and couldn't find any evidence of that. As far as I know it's only ever been available in book form, published by Pen and Sword Books, and it doesn't seem easy to find in the shops. I've seen it for sale online but have looked in vain for it in several large bookshops, including Foyle's in Charing Cross Road and Waterstone's near Trafalgar Square.

Thanks for quoting from the email, Tony. What a pity that paper and ink are squandered on books like that.

[Rob Houghton]

I may be wrong, Anita - and if so, I apologise. I know I got the impression it was indeed serialised in The Daily mail - but I might be getting mixed up. However, it was reviewed in The Daily mail, according to this thread, further up the thread, and I believe the writer is actually a Daily Mail 'reporter'.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Yes, Nadia Cohen reviewed her own book for The Daily Mail! She's not a regular reporter for that newspaper though as she's only written two other articles for it (about exercise and fashion), both published on 19th October 2014.

Although The Real Enid Blyton was released five and a half months ago, it has no reviews on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Enid-Blyt ... 791&sr=1-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Courtenay]

Hmmm, I'd forgotten that point, that Nadia Cohen wrote the "review" of her own book. A newspaper/website that basically allows or invites an author to write a promotional piece for his or her own book, rather than getting an independent reviewer to read it and make constructive comments and criticisms, doesn't exactly have very high journalistic standards, for a start. But then, this is the Mail we're talking about...

[Rob Houghton]

Although The Real Enid Blyton was released five and a half months ago, it has no reviews on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Enid-Blyt ... 791&sr=1-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hmmm! Interesting! Looks as if someone is deleting the reviews, or something! I wrote a review for this book about three days ago. usually my reviews are published on Amazon right away, but not this time! odd!

[pete9012S]

Have you bought the book Rob?

I could get it for around a tenner now - but I don't want to pay that much!

[Rob Houghton]

To be honest, no - I have't bought the book - only read the review posted here.