A Very Private School: A Memoir

Written by Charles Spencer

Narrated by Charles Spencer

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

“A tour de force.” —The Washington Post

In this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend boarding school.

A Very Private School offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Charles Spencer attended in his youth and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding system. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, he reflects on the hopelessness and abandonment he felt at aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all. Exploring the long-lasting impact of his experiences, Spencer presents a candid reckoning with his past and a reclamation of his childhood.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Mar 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9781797173061

Charles Spencer

Charles Spencer was educated at Eton College and obtained his degree in Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was a reporter on NBC’s Today show from 1986 until 1995, and is the author of four books, including the Sunday Times bestseller Blenheim: Battle for Europe (shortlisted for History Book of the Year, National Book Awards) and Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier.

Reviews for A Very Private School

[M. Bronzan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Both an insightful and heartbreaking look at cultural dysfunction in what’s perceived as an ideal way to be a parent or child. Thank you for sharing your story and your attempt to make sense of it all as it happened and its effect as an adult.