From a small child's fragmented impression of snow, feathers and his mother's death comes the metaphor of the snow angel that pervades this harrowingly honest and poignant autobiography. Lionel Pearce was orphaned at a young age and was brought to Australia under the Fairbridge scheme. He grew up in the Fairbridge Farm School in Western Australia and after working as a farm laborer and serving in the Army during the war, he returned to study, eventually becoming a medical practitioner. This unique autobiography is distinguished by the author's courage in revealing and exploring his own internal emotional life and development. His mother's death, his rejection by her family and his institutionalism left him damaged and vulnerable, and the courage and intensity with which he conveys the influence that these events had on his life results in a work that is both compelling and intelligent.