Slum Boy

'A heart-breaking, inspiring read' ALAN CUMMING


'ONE OF THE MOST MOVING ACCOUNTS OF NON-FICTION EVER WRITTEN' GUARDIAN


'If you like Shuggie Bain, then Slum Boy is for you' LEMN SISSAY

John MacDonald is a four-year-old boy growing up in the slums of Glasgow. His mother is an addict who leaves him starving in their flat for days at a time.

When a neighbour files a report, John is wrenched away from her and dropped into the care system. There, he has experiences he's too young to understand which his Romani adoptive parents silence as he grows into a gay man.

But John dreams of being reunited with his mother and will stop at nothing to find her. Slum Boy is about how, against all odds, John found a way to his mother and true identity: JUANO DIAZ.

'Remarkable' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT


In 2024, Juano Diaz was awarded the Pride Award for LGBTQ+ Heroes Changing the World.

'Beautiful. I hope it finds a million readers' ANDREW O'HAGAN