Social and cultural history Books

Book SynopsisThe socialist tradition in Britain is diverse and multi-layered. Its pattern of development differed markedly across the great industrial centres where it first put down roots. In this new book - which is so much more than a work of history - Paul Salveson re-asserts the strength and distinctiveness of the socialism which emerged in the mills, mines and railway yards of the North of England. The core of his argument is that popular socialism today needs to reconnect with its local and regional roots, and relocate power to the regions and localities. Central to Salveson's account is his discussion of the rise of the Independent Labour Party, which was formed in Bradford in 1893, and whose character differed markedly from the metropolitan-based socialism of the Marxist-inclined Social Democratic Federation. Its emphasis was on ethical values, community and culture; and it was decentralist and democratic rather than centralist and authoritarian. And, as the book also documents, a number of outstanding women - including Katharine Bruce Glasier, Caroline Martyn, Sarah Reddish and Enid Stacy - played a central role in its campaigning. Salveson reminds us of the role of working-class writers such as Allen Clarke, who converted thousands of his readers to socialism 'by making them laugh', and of the Clarion cycling clubs, which introduced a generation of working men and women to a new kind of politics, one which was fun and recreational. He also shows how the co-operative movement and the trades unions, alongside the ILP, helped shaped a working-class culture which was remarkably durable and independent. As Salveson argues, in reconnecting with these local radical traditions in a modern context Labour could find valuable resources for its renewal.

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Book SynopsisAn unputdownable tale of one man’s quest to recover his family’s property, plundered by the Nazis. Menachem Kaiser’s brilliantly told story is set in motion when the author takes up his Holocaust-survivor grandfather’s former battle to reclaim the family’s property in Sosnowiec, Poland. Here, he meets a Polish lawyer known as ‘The Killer’ who agrees to take his case and becomes involved with a band of Silesian treasure-seekers, all the while piecing together his family’s complex history. Propelled by rich, original research, Kaiser immerses readers in profound questions that reach far beyond his personal quest. What does it mean to seize your own legacy? Can reclaimed property repair rifts among the living? Plunder is both a deeply immersive adventure story and an irreverent, daring interrogation of inheritance — material, spiritual, familial, and emotional.Trade Review‘Menachem Kaiser is a young writer and storyteller of stunning talent, originality, and wisdom, and his debut book is gloriously impossible to categorise — by turns hilarious and profound, digressive and suspenseful, intimate and sweeping, it stands as an enviable accomplishment.’ -- Gideon Lewis-Kraus, author of A Sense of Direction: pilgrimage for the restless and hopeful‘Reparations and treasure hunting: I can’t think of two better metaphors for memoir writing, and I can’t think of a better recent memoir than Menachem Kaiser’s Plunder, which has heart, humour, and intelligence to spare.’ -- Joshua Cohen, author of Attention: dispatches from a land of distraction‘A saga of family history and inheritance that reads like a murder mystery, Plunder begins with Menachem Kaiser’s journey to reclaim a Polish apartment building but immediately becomes something far richer and stranger. Probing with unusual insight and humour into questions of memory, loss, and what we owe to the past, this impossible-to-put-down book — part travelogue, part memoir, part meditation on all that history hides from us — marks the debut of a major writer.’ -- Ruth Franklin, author of NBCC Award-winning Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life‘Exceptionally well written, this candid and suspenseful work recasts the injunction that one generation of survivors demands of all descendants, never to forget. Plunder is a magnificent and stunning literary debut.’ -- André Aciman, author of Find Me and Call Me by Your Name‘What distinguishes Plunder from other similar accounts is its questioning, satirical tone, which destabilises some of the moral certainties of the genre and sends up its clichés.’ -- Daniel Trilling * London Review of Books *‘A twisting and reverberant and consistently enthralling story. It’s a weird story that gets weirder … Kaiser is a reflective man on the page, with a lively mind. He dwells on the moral seesaw he finds himself on … Kaiser considers the nature of conspiracy theories, in a way that’s highly relevant to our era. (His thinking about reparations of various kinds is as complex and timely.) … Plunder has many stories to tell … many moods and registers. It acquires moral gravity. It pays tender and respectful attention to forgotten lives. It is also alert to melancholic forms of comedy. Tonally I was reminded at times of Jonathan Safran Foer’s excellent first novel, Everything Is Illuminated … Traveling on a private road, closer to the ground, and at a slower pace, [Kaiser’s] walk turns up details that are fresh, unexpected and significant. His perceptions are sharp. We partake of his curiosity.’ -- Dwight Garner * The New York Times *‘In a literate, constantly surprising quest, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor returns to Poland to lay claim to the things of the past … Kaiser’s parallel quest then took him into the concentration camps, sometimes accompanied by treasure hunters who used his relative’s memoir as a guidebook to hidden Nazi loot. Of a piece with Anne-Marie O’Connor’s The Lady in Gold (2012), Kaiser’s story approaches the conclusion on an unsettled note that, he laments, would be simpler to resolve if he were writing a novel and not nonfiction — though it does end on a cliffhanger worthy of a thriller.’ * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *‘This is weird, complicated territory — by which I mean it’s fantastic … Plunder thrives as a morally complicated travelogue … it is original, and it finishes strong. Kaiser chases down the facts (fingers-crossed) of Abraham Kajzer’s story, and they devastated me. It’s not spoiling things to say that Kajzer survived the absolute worst humanity had to offer only to abandon life’s greatest reward. From the distance of all these years his choice is incomprehensible. It’s our duty to try to understand anyway.’ * The New York Times Book Review *‘A master storyteller embarks on a journey to learn about his grandfather and to reclaim an apartment building that was stolen during the Holocaust. The odyssey is fascinating and thought-provoking.’ * Christian Science Monitor, ‘The 10 Best Books of March’ *‘With smart, elegant prose, [Kaiser] manages to construct an engrossing chronicle of his foray into an elusive past. His narrative is wonderfully digressive, laced with coincidences and ambiguities, and filled with just enough revelations to keep readers contentedly turning pages.’ * The Forward *‘Spellbinding … Superbly written, this page-turner reads like a gripping adventure novel.’ * Publishers Weekly, starred review *‘This thoughtful and thought-provoking memoir of family secrets and family lore, like Daniel Mendelsohn’s The Lost, will appeal to readers of family histories.’ -- Laurie Unger Skinner * Library Journal *‘Kaiser teases out a fascinating tale in simple, effective writing.’ -- Steven Carrol * SHM *‘Plunder is both a thriller — lots of shady characters — and a highly readable excursion through the tangled web of history and contemporary politics. Kaiser takes you along on his journey of trying retrieving family possessions. He writes with sparkle, wit, and sensitivity. A great read.’ -- Deborah Levy, author of The Cost of Living‘Stranger than fiction … a rollercoaster journey.’ -- Jennifer Lipman * Jewish Chronicle *‘Plunder is considerably more than a thriller and intentionally raises more questions than answers … There is still space for one more book in the Holocaust quest library. Preferably by Kaiser.’ -- Amanda Hopinkson * Jewish Chronicle *

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Book SynopsisDistinguished author and former Professor of Modern Japanese Studies at Oxford, Arthur Stockwin here explores his personal journey from being the son of medical/dental parents in Birmingham, England, to becoming a specialist in the politics and modern history of Japan, while at the same time reflecting on his considerable personal experiences of Japan and assessing its current and possible future condition.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements 1 Origins 2 Schooldays 3 A Long Wide Road 4 From One Life to Another 5 National Service: Learning Russian 6 Out with Religion, in with Politics 7 More Distant Fields 8 Meeting with Japan 9 Trying to Write a Thesis 10 Back to Australia 11 The 1970s: A Surprising Decade 12 Old Country, New Country 13 Affliction and Accomplishment 14 The Twenty-first Century 15 What Future for Japan? 16 By Way of a Conclusion Index

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Book Synopsis

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