Don't let my past be your future

Title:

Author:

Smith, Harry Leslie, 1923-

ISBN:

9781472123459

Personal Author:

Smith, Harry Leslie, 1923-

Publication Date:

2017

Physical Description:

228 pages ; 23 cm

Abstract:

Harry Leslie Smith is a British stalwart; he is a survivor of the Great Depression, a World War Two RAF veteran and now, aged 92, he is a social activist for the poor and preservation of social democracy. Following the overwhelming success of Harry's Last Stand, his new memoir, Don't Let My Past Be Your Future, is a survival guide for today's generations who need hope from someone who has seen Britain face both the Great Depression and the Second World War. It is a manifesto for the left to rebuild itself with integrity after its shattering defeat in the 2015 General Election. However, 'Don't Let My Past Be Your Future' also has a much wider and more enduring appeal - at its heart is a homage to the boundless grace and resilience of the human spirit to overcome poverty, war, oppression, economic and social justice and build a more perfect society.

Personal Subject:

Smith, Harry Leslie, 1923-

Subject Term:

History, Modern -- 21st century.

World politics -- 21st century.

Civilization, Modern -- 21st century.

Society.

Geographic Term:

Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 21st century.

Great Britain -- Economic conditions -- 21st century.

Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 2007-

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Shelf Number	Material Type	Item Barcode	Status
Searching... Kensal Library	306.094109	Book	30116020534457	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Maida Vale Library	SOC 306.0941	Book	30117802977286	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

'Harry Leslie Smith is a vital and powerful voice speaking across generations about the struggle for a just society' Jeremy Corbyn

THIS A CALL TO ARMS FOR THE MANY, NOT THE FEW: DON'T LET THE PAST BECOME OUR FUTURE

Harry Leslie Smith is a great British stalwart. A survivor of the Great Depression, a Second World War veteran, a lifelong Labour supporter and a proud Yorkshire man, Harry's life has straddled two centuries. As a young man, he witnessed a country in crisis with no healthcare, no relief for the poor, and a huge economic gulf between the North and South. Now in his nineties, Harry wanders through the streets of his youth and wonders whether anything has actually changed.

Britain is at its most dangerous juncture since Harry's youth - the NHS and social housing are in crisis, whilst Brexit and an unpopular government continue to divide the country - but there is hope. Just as Clement Attlee provided hope in 1945, Labour's triumphant comeback of June 2017 is a beacon of light in this season of discontent. Britain has overcome adversity before and will do so again - a new nation will be forged from the ashes of grave injustice.

Moving and passionate, Don't Let My Past be Your Future interweaves memoir and polemic in a call to arms. Above all, this book is a homage to the boundless grace and resilience of the human spirit.

Author Notes

Harry Leslie Smith was born in Barnsley, England on February 25, 1923. He started working at the age of 7 to help support his family. He quit school at the age of 14 when he got a job as a grocer's assistant. He fought the Nazis in World War II. He moved to Canada in the 1950s and worked in the Oriental carpet trade. After the deaths of his wife and son, he started writing. He wrote several books including 1923 and Don't Let My Past Be Your Future. He also wrote a column in The Guardian and posted frequently on Twitter. He died from pneumonia on November 28, 2018 at the age of 95.

(Bowker Author Biography)