Eva Henighan: How We Survived The Twentieth Century

Set in both the northeast of England and London, Eva Henighan: How We Survived The Twentieth Century is a biography of a much-loved woman. After she had passed away in the early nineties, a small, hardback notebook, blue and gold in colour, was discovered amongst Eva’s belongings. It contained her life story.The pages reveal the true story of a nineteen-thirties childhood made dangerous by exposure to mental illness, poverty and neglect. She writes fondly about the army of aunts who came to her rescue and about the hardship and joy in equal measure of her teenage years during World War II. The little book reveals for the first time answers to family intrigues and describes the circumstances that led to her move to London, marriage and motherhood. This biography attempts to tie together the personal story of a kind and generous woman with the wider societal changes that shaped her life over the twentieth century. A reliable, and frank witness to events, verified by those who knew her well, Eva's story deserves to be told.