The Social Distance Between Us
How Remote Politics Wrecked Britain
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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Publisher Description
*A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION*
*LONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE*
'An Orwell for today's poor' - The Times
'The standout, authentic voice of a generation' Herald
'McGarvey is a rarity: a working-class writer who has fought to make the middle-class world hear what he has to say' Nick Cohen, Guardian
Why are the rich getting richer while the poor only get poorer? How is it possible that in a wealthy, civilised democracy cruelty and inequality are perpetuated by our own public services? And how come, if all the best people are in all the top jobs, Britain is such an unmitigated bin fire?
Join Darren McGarvey on a journey through a divided Britain in search of answers. Here, our latter-day Orwell exposes the true scale of Britain's social ills and reveals why our current political class, those tasked with bringing solutions, are so distanced from our lived experience that they are the last people you'd want fighting your corner.
Praise for Darren McGarvey:
'Utterly compelling' Ian Rankin, New Statesman
'Brilliant' Russell Brand
'An absolutely fascinating individual' Owen Jones
'Offer[s] an antidote to populist anger that transcends left and right... articulate and emotional' Financial Times
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
He’d scoff at the description but Darren McGarvey is a renaissance man. Also known by his hip-hop handle Loki, he’s a rapper and writer, a documentary maker and community worker, an activist and commentator. Subtitled “How Remote Politics Wrecked Britain”, his second book—follow-up to the Orwell Prize-winning Poverty Safari—finds McGarvey investigating the growing gaps in 21st-century society. Not only are the powerful ever more divorced from ordinary people but we’re disconnected from each other too. This isn’t some polemic tapped out in an ivory tower. As a recovering alcoholic who grew up in a tough part of Glasgow with a drug-addicted mother, McGarvey has first-hand experience of what he describes. He writes from the frontline, venturing into pubs and prisons, food banks and call centres, to deliver vividly raw reportage. It’s impressively up to date, weaving the Covid pandemic, culture wars and Westminster scandals into its analysis. He suggests solutions to the problems he outlines. He swears with frustration at times. At others, he despairs. Yet he’s never less than erudite and entertaining.
