A LIFE WELL RED : A MEMOIR EDGED IN BLACK – A TRUE STORY OF FAMILY, FRIENDS & FOOTBALL, OF JOY AND TRAGEDY by Les Jackson

Les Jackson is a husband and father who has been a fan of Liverpool Football Club for as long as he can remember. As have his wife Sandra and children Tom, Dan and Liv.

After Tom was murdered in a Queensland hostel in 2016, Les sought catharsis by writing about the incident and his traumatic journey down under – when his son was still clinging to life – to be by his side in what turned out to be his final hours.

The subsequent birth of his beautiful first grandchild Hallie Hope has inspired Les to further record for posterity his recollections of growing up in inner city Liverpool before marrying Sandra, leaving their much loved hometown, and raising a family.

His story weaves between the three pillars of family, friends and football, providing a potted history of Liverpool’s successes and failures over the last 50 years and more, particularly where these intersect with other memories, or themselves are momentous events, such as the Hillsborough disaster and, on a happier note, the Miracle of Istanbul.

Starting with Les’s professed love of football and Liverpool FC in particular, the story ends with his acknowledged realisation that, as important as they undoubtedly are, love of family conquers all. And great friends are irreplaceable.

(Publisher: Independently published. March 2021. Paperback: 296 pages)