Product Description

What does it mean to be British in the twenty-first century? Brighton has long been perceived as being at the vanguard of English taste - in its attitudes towards homosexuality, the rise of the chav and binge drinking, as well as its music and drug cultures. "Made in Brighton" takes a critical look at the changing state of Britain, using the seaside vista of Brighton as a focal point. Julie Burchill and Daniel Raven, who have lived in Brighton for many years, interweave personal stories and experiences of Brighton with larger themes of sex, politics and class to explore the changes to British culture in the last twenty years. From punk to dance, dope to coke, the labour party to hen parties, straight to gay to bi and everything in between, "Made in Brighton" holds up a mirror to the dazed face of Britain and gives it a good hard slap.'I read Burchill's chapters as I have her columns - with amusement, occasional spluttering and huge admiration for her freewheeling gift of language' - Helen Brown, "Daily Telegraph". 'a great phrasemaker...a jukebox of funny stories and unreasonable opinions' - "Evening Standard". 'the book is fun...Burchill's writing seems fuelled as much by mischievousness as indignation' - "Guardian".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #265575 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

About the Author
Julie Burchill has written for the Guardian and The Times and is the author of a number of novels and non-fiction books including Sugar Rush, the Emmy-winning TV series. Daniel Raven has worked as a filing clerk, postman and TV production runner. This is his first published work.

Customer Reviews

Brighton Rock


Language is an important tool of communication and Julie Burchill's communication skills appear to connect with the chattering classes and provide them with amusement. Burchill gives the impression of believing she's the only person in the world whose opinion matters but fails to understand that her writing provides amusement for the very people she professes to dislike.

For anyone without Burchill's self-indulgent tendencies, fashioned and honed in the equally self indulgent media, her book falls between two stools. It seeks to depict reality but reads like a novel. That too has its advantages but, for outsiders, it's more like the reality of Bleaker Street where, " They call it living but it feels like dying".

Burchill offers polemics instead of argument because she has no substantial argument to offer. One wonders at times if she has ever outgrown the teenage mentality of wanting to shock. It's all music to the ears of the socially dysfunctional and indulgent middle classes but working class origins and bourgeois living make uneasy bedfellows.

In fairness to Burchill I've never been to Brighton and some of what she writes would have more meaning to those familiar with the town. However, I'm left with the impression that had it been Bognor the substance of her tome would have been the same. Only the names would be changed to protect the innocent - or guilty - as the case may be.