Uncivilisation

A personal, humorous and relevant examination of the United Kingdom, how it has changed and its many flaws. Part memoir and part social history which looks at the deterioration in life, and especially of behaviour, through the author’s lifetime. Uncivilisation is the story of a lifetime – not an autobiography, a social commentary or a diary, but a blend of all three. It tells of an ordinary life, bookended by a modest upbringing as an only child in industrial Sheffield and contented retirement with three grandchildren in rural Oxfordshire. Along the way, it takes a critical look at the deterioration in our behaviours over seventy years, taking examples from the author’s personal life and from the wider world in the event-rich decade it has taken to complete the work. The style is somewhat unique, sometimes tongue-in-cheek and sometimes vitriolic, but always thoughtful, self-effacing and easy-to-read. The chapters are organised both chronologically and by subject matter, ending with some conclusions, a possible way forward and a postscript that brings the content right up to date. Uncivilisation is written in part for disillusioned British people, in part as an expression of intense frustration with the state of our country and, in no less a part, for the author’s grandchildren, so they will remember the grandad that loved them so dearly.