Product Description

This is largely a story about the Basildon Pioneers; the people who uprooted from the east end of London to resettle in Basildon when it was a "New Town". But it is also much more than that. It is a social comment on our times that will appeal to readers throughout the United Kingdom. Wherever they live, readers will be able to identify with the contents and perhaps find answers to some of their own questions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1887445 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 428 pages

From the Inside Flap
Have you ever wondered why Nike and Sony rule the world? Do you actually know why you don't want to sit on the pavement with the people who sell the Big Issue? Did you ever consider that poetry might save your life or wonder what happened to the Kibbo Kift Kindred? Were you ever tempted to think there might indeed be hobgoblins in the woods? Did you think you could admire William Morris wallpaper without being a socialist?
Probably not, but such questions have a bearing on all our lives and this book provides the answers.
"Searching for the Promised Land" is not just a story about a town in South Essex, it is also a state of mind; a sense of knowing where we have come from, where we are going to, and the journey we have undertaken.
The story analyses London's working class diaspora and the death of the autodidactic tradition. It exposes the secret admirers of Enoch Powell and offers cycling as an anarchist statement compared to boxing as a morally improving activity.
The whole book is interlaced with a whimsical regard for poetry and a wealth of good stories told in the author's quirky manner. Above all, it shows a reckless disregard for both propriety and good sense.

About the Author
Magnus Granath (also known to some as Andrew) lived in Basildon for twenty years. He now resides in North London in a large crumbling Victorian house with his wife, three children, and two Irish Terriers.
A teacher by profession, for the past fifteen years Magnus has been head of History and Politics at a large North London School.
His first book to be published makes full use of his historical and political academic knowledge but is written in such a way that it can be enjoyed by anybody who ever wonders what is wrong with the country we live in.
When he is not working, Magnus actively pursues his hobby - cycling. This may be the unpowered variety, electrically assisted or you may see him riding a powered version from his personal collection of motorcycles.