Gorbals... and God

Gorbals and God is a lively and compelling account of the author's struggle against the poverty which affected so many Gorbals residents in the mid-1930s until redevelopment occurred in the 1960s.

Hugh Sawers was born in the 1930s and raised in the Gorbals, Glasgow. His story of a determined fight against poverty documents with unerring accuracy and insight the trials and challenges he encounters as he grows up. Gorbals and God is his account of how he meets and overcomes the hurdles before him.

As well as a biographical tale it is also a journey from atheism to belief, as Hugh, overwhelmed by a sense of God's presence in his life, is called to the ministry.

Hugh's tale culminates in his admission to the University of Glasgow and Trinity College as a student of divinity, from which he goes on to achieve distinguished ministries at Penicuik South Church, Croftfoot Parish Church, Glasgow and Motherwell St Andrews.

"The book is testimony to the truth that we often struggle to overcome acute poverty whilst ignoring the riches which are within our grasp," observes Hugh, who was inspired to write his story after reading Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes.