A Not Quite A Geordie Story

The story is about Jimmy Bland and his early years from being born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, to his wedding day twenty-three years later. He attempts to deal with the normal trials and experiences of a kid growing up in a tough region plus the added concern he develops about his speech, pronunciation of certain words and the 'Geordie' dialect and his perception that he is not accepted as a true 'Geordie'. The early years: 'His dad had told him he would have to learn when to walk away and just let the taunts go right over his head but there would be times when he would have to stand on his own two feet and give back as much as he took whatever the consequences and he would find usually if he did this then the bully would stop bothering him'. He thought about his aggressive nature and confrontational streak that sometimes surfaced and wondered if it had anything to do with suppressing his emotions and should he be talking about the issue instead of immediately going on the defensive and physically retaliating. But then he would think, "if all that was taken from me in an attempt to change me, then I would not be Jimmy Bland, would I?" Early teenage years: Eddie explained as best he could the different pronunciation of certain words depending on where the person was from. Eddie called Newcastle people 'Townies' and the word 'Geordie' was mostly applied to those who lived around the River Tyne and north of Newcastle.