Lexie Cook

The Roads to Mangere Lexie Cook

'The Roads to Mangere' is a novel about two ordinary young people who totally unprepared face the challenges of the early 1960's. Sean was born in 1937 to a single mother. He was adopted, and the story follows his life escaping from the slums of London to eventually join the British Merchant Navy. His adventures at sea lead him to New Zealand where he finds happiness. Martha began nursing in 1960 leaving an innocent childhood to be thrown into the turmoil of a time of amazing social change. The story follows her nursing career, with long hours and hard work, where no one questioned authority, or the tasks they were asked to do and expected to complete as trainee nurses. It also follows Sean's life as a seaman and the challenges they both had to face. This generation were the trailblazers in an unprecedented social and sexual revolution, but were sadly lacking in education and contraception. This resulted in many young women falling pregnant, most of whom ended up having to face the heart breaking decision to have their babies adopted. It was a time when men began to expect sexual favours, with some nurse's earning the reputation as being willing participants.