Who Are We Now?

Stories of Modern England

Jason Cowley

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Hardback

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English

Picador
09 August 2022

History; British & Irish history; 21st century history: from c 2000 -; Social & cultural history; Homelessness; Migration, immigration & emigration

'A beautiful piece of storytelling - the British eyed from unexpected places, from China to the middle of the middle of the middle. The question will never go away but these answers help us a lot.' Andrew Marr

'As someone who zips around England - and the wider UK every week - this book really resonates with me. Wonderfully written with colourful and incisive accounts of contemporary England.' Chris Mason, Presenter of BBC Radio 4's Any Questions?

In this compelling and essential book, Jason Cowley, editor-in-chief of the New Statesman, examines contemporary England through a handful of the key news stories from recent times to reveal what they tell us about the state of the nation and to answer the question Who Are We Now?

Spanning the years since the election of Tony Blair's New Labour government to the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, the book investigates how England has changed and how those changes have affected us. Cowley weaves together the seemingly disparate stories of the Chinese cockle-pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay, the East End Imam who was tested during a summer of terror, the pensioner who campaigned against the closure of her GP's surgery and Gareth Southgate's transformation of English football culture. And in doing so, Cowley shows the common threads that unite them, whether it is attitudes to class, nation, identity, belonging, immigration, or religion.

He also examines the so-called Brexit murder in Harlow, the haunting repatriation of the fallen in the Iraq and Afghan wars through Wootton Bassett, the Lancashire woman who took on Gordon Brown, and the flight of the Bethnal Green girls to Islamic State, fleshing out the headlines with the very human stories behind them.

Through these vivid and often moving stories, Cowley offers a clear and compassionate analysis of how and why England became so divided and the United Kingdom so fragmented, and how we got to this cultural and political crossroads. Most importantly, he also shows us the many ways in which there is genuine hope for the future.

By: Jason Cowley
Imprint: Picador
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 244mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 32mm
Weight: 510g
ISBN: 9781529017786
ISBN 10: 1529017785
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 09 August 2022
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Replaced By: 9781529017809
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jason Cowley is an award-winning journalist, magazine editor and writer. He has been widely credited with transforming the fortunes of the New Statesman, both as a magazine and website. In 2020 he was voted editor of the year (politics and current affairs) for the fourth time at the British Society of Magazine Editors awards.

Reviews for Who Are We Now?: Stories of Modern England

Jason Cowley's well-researched reports and excellent analysis of modern England lead to two inexorable conclusions. We - the people of England - are certainly not who we once were; and we are far from agreeing who we mean when we talk of us. Fascinating, disturbing and brilliantly insightful, especially on towns like Harlow in Essex which are not so much left behind, as overlooked and ignored. -- Gavin Esler, author of How Britain Ends A beautiful piece of storytelling - the British eyed from unexpected places, from China to the middle of the middle of the middle. The question will never go away but these answers help us a lot -- Andrew Marr A trenchant, but also moving, personal analysis of why England has become so divided, which finds hope for the future in the compassion for others that characterized the pandemic. -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller Ones to Watch * Engaging . . . This is an important and readable book - a rare combination. -- Neill Denny * BookBrunch *