<div>More &ldquo;heartwarming reminiscences&rdquo; of Scottish Traveller life from the author of Jessie&rsquo;s Journey and Tales from the Tent (Sunday Post). In this book, Jess Smith concludes her riveting autobiographical trilogy, tracing her eventful life with Dave and their three children from their earliest years together. Their adventures and achievements are interspersed with stories of her parents&rsquo; childhoods, her father&rsquo;s &ldquo;tall tales,&rdquo; and the eerie echoes of ghosts and hauntings that she has heard from gypsies and Travellers over many years. This fascinating memoir is full of more unforgettable characters and insight into the Travellers&rsquo; way of life&mdash;a tradition that stretches back more than two thousand years and survives in the rich oral tradition of its people.</div>

Tears for a Tinker

<div>A &ldquo;remarkable&rdquo; account of a family&rsquo;s years wandering Scotland and England in a bus, living the traditional life of their people (Caledonia). From the ages of five to fifteen, Jess Smith lived with her parents and sisters and a mongrel dog in an old blue bus. They traveled the length and breadth of Scotland, and much of England too, stopping here and there until they were moved on by the local authorities or driven by their own instinctive need to travel. By campfires, under the unchanging stars, they brewed up tea, telling stories and singing songs late into the night. The &ldquo;unforgettable story of a Scottish Gypsy girl&rdquo; (Maggie Smith Bendle, civil rights activist), Jessie&rsquo;s Journey describes what it was like to be one of the last of the traditional travelling folk. It is not an idyllic tale, but despite the ever-present threat of bigoted abuse and the challenges of scattered schooling, humor and laughter run throughout a childhood teeming with unforgettable characters.</div>

Jessie's Journey

<div>Stories learned while growing up on an old blue bus wandering through Scotland, for readers of all ages who love travel and adventure. I have been a gatherer of tales for most of my life, and I suppose it all began when I was a wee girl. I shared a home with parents, seven sisters and a shaggy dog. It could be said that I lived a different sort of life from most other children, because &ldquo;home&rdquo; was an old blue bus. We were known as tinkers or travellers, descendants of those who have wandered the highways and byways of Scotland for two thousand years . . . In this book, the author of the autobiographical trilogy Jessie&rsquo;s Journey is on a mission to pass on the stories she heard as a girl to the young readers of today. With these ancient oral tales of Scotland&rsquo;s travelling people, she invites readers to come with her on the road, back to those days when it was time to pack up and get going, and to take the way of her ancestors. Reading this book is like being by the campfire listening to the magical Scottish stories that have been handed down through generations.</div>

Sookin' Berries

<div>A &ldquo;vigorous and vivid and feisty&rdquo; portrait of a traditional Scottish subculture from an insider (Dundee Courier &amp; Advertiser). Scottish gypsies, known as travellers, have wandered Scotland&rsquo;s roads and byways for centuries, and their turbulent history is captured in this passionate book by Jess Smith, the bestselling author of Jessie&rsquo;s Journey. This is less a conventional history than a personal pilgrimage through the stories, songs, and culture of a people for whom freedom is more important than security and a campfire under the stars is preferable to a warm hearth within stone walls. Settled society has always discriminated against travellers, and Jess tells shocking stories of bullying, violence, the enforced break-up of families, and separate schooling. But drawing on her own and her family&rsquo;s experiences, she also captures the magic and drama of days wandering the roads and working the land, and brings to life the travellers&rsquo; rich and vibrant traditions.</div>

Way of the Wanderers

<div>From the author of Jessie&rsquo;s Journey, a memoir of finding her own way in the world after growing up in a family of Scottish travellers. As Tales from the Tent begins, Jess Smith has left school, and after a miserable spell working in a paper mill, she abandons the settled life and takes to the roads once more. The old bus she lived in as a child has gone, to be replaced by a caravan and campsites. Times are changing, and it is becoming harder and harder for travellers to make a living by doing the rounds of seasonal jobs like berry-picking. Conscious that the old way of life was disappearing before her eyes, Jess stored up as much as she could gather from the rich folklore of the travellers&rsquo; world. Now she retells some of the many stories and songs she heard by the campfire or at the tent&rsquo;s mouth. Interwoven with these tales is the story of Jess and her life on the road&mdash;her first loves, her friendships, her days hawking and berry-picking, the exploits of her lovable but infuriating family, and the unforgettable characters she meets. Praise for the trilogy: &ldquo;Skillfully takes her reader into the world of Scottish Travellers in her own down-to-earth, straight-from-the-heart manner.&rdquo; &mdash;Travellers&#39; Times &ldquo;Heartwarming reminiscences.&rdquo; &mdash;Sunday Post</div>

Jess Smith
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Books By Jess Smith (5 Books)

Tears for a Tinker

Jessie's Journey

Sookin' Berries

Way of the Wanderers

Tales from the Tent

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