2006 RATCLIFF PRIZE - HIGHLY COMMENDED

Children of the Black House is a fascinating glimpse into life on the Hebridean island of Lewis from the closing years of the nineteenth century up to the 1970s in which Calum Ferguson draws on his mother Mairead's reminiscences, presenting her experiences and conversation in the first person.

Lewis in the Passing is a form of time-capsule, containing twenty-one autobiographical sketches of Lewis natives, all born before the Second World War. All the subjects are interviewed by fellow islander Calum Ferguson, who, in presenting their stories and journeys, reveals the magnetism and appeal of this rain- and wind-swept island.

This is the tale of John MacLean - a rebel, a streetfighter, an international traveller, a seafarer - born from a sleepy Hebridean society. An extraordinary tale.