London voices, London livesTales from a working capital

Abstract

This book provides a unique collection of ordinary Londoners who, in their own voices, tell about ordinary London lives. Interviews with over a hundred people in eight localities, from inner-city Battersea, to suburban Heston, to Greenhithe on the London fringe, have been edited with a linking commentary. The first half of the book, ‘London Voices’, introduces the characters — their hopes and aspirations, their frustrations and struggles, and their determination and optimism. The second half, ‘London Lives’, introduces the themes that dominate the everyday lives of these people — the struggle to keep their heads above water, the search for a place to live, the hassle of the journey to work, their friends and neighbours, their concerns about crime, and the quality of their everyday lives. The book is a social record of today's London.