Hillsborough Voices

The real story of the Hillsborough disaster, told by the people who were there.

'A teenage girl had her head twisted round facing me, and the side of her face was being forced up against my left arm. The pain in my arm was almost unbearable. – I feared it was simply going to snap under the pressure. All I could see of the girl was her face... her head was in a vice between my arm and the body of another man behind her... her face was being squeezed so tightly that it was being contorted. Her tear-filled eyes were just staring straight at me, pleading with me to help her.'

On April 15, 1989 the world witnessed one of the worst football disasters occur at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield: 96 people were crushed to death and another 766 injured in what later was admitted to be caused by a shocking failure by police.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster The Voices of Hillsborough finally does justice to the memory of all those who died and for all those left behind. From the tragic events of the day to what unfolded in the hours, days and eventually years that followed, the book will interweave the voices of those who were there with the families and friends of those who died, and all those who have played key roles in the long search for the truth.

The author, Kevin Sampson, has a long history with Hillsborough. Not only was he there as a fan to witness the horror firsthand, he also helped organise the Hillsborough benefit concert at Anfield and has close connections with the justice campaign. He has conducted exhaustive and exclusive interviews both with people who have become familiar public figures and those who will be telling their heart-rending personal stories for the first time –to bring us the full story.

KEVIN SAMPSON is the author of eight novels as well as Extra Time, his account of a season in the life of a Liverpool FC fanatic. He has contributed to football anthologies, includingHere We Go Gathering Cups in May and Redmen, which he also edited. Kevin is a regular contributor to theGuardian, Observer and Liverpool FC TV, the club's dedicated TV channel. He lives on Merseyside where he is a member of the Liverpool Producers Association, and a long-term supporter of the Writing on the Wall festival and CALM, the mental health charity.