- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd (20 Jan 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0434004677
- ISBN-13: 978-0434004676
- Product Dimensions: 24.9 x 17.8 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,006,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1957, at the age of 17, Trevor Grundy addressed what remained of Oswald Mosley's Union Movement in a rally in Trafalgar Square, London. The Movement was the nearest thing to a Fascist Party that England has ever seen, and its story, and that of Grundy's indoctrination into its ranks, is the subject of Memoir of a Fascist Childhood.
Encouraged by a father imprisoned for his support for Mosley during World War II, and a mother who confused Mosley with Jesus in an attempt to hide her own origins, the young Trevor grew up in a household resembling a bunker, defined by bigotry, repression and paranoia. But as Trevor's story unfolds, it also becomes a moving account of the tensions and secrets that lie at the heart of most families, as the young man wrestles with a love for his mother which comes into increasing conflict with his gradual disillusion with the Movement.
Memoir of a Fascist Childhood is a frank and fascinating story of the remarkable politicisation and polarisation of post-war Britain, as Trevor moves from the austerity and unrest of the 1940s to the liberalism of the 1960s. Very powerful, very disturbing, and at times very funny, this must have been an extremely difficult book to write, inspired as it was by the death of Grundy's father in 1991. But the anguish is worth it; this is a fine book. --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Product Description
For Grundy and his family Oswald Mosley was God, anti-Semitism a creed. His father was a fascist brawler, his mother obsessed with Mosley and Grundy himself dreamed Mosley was his father and grew up to be the youngest member of the Fascist Union Movement to speak at Trafalgar Square. But, after her death, Grundy learnt that his mother was Jewish.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the most searingly honest and remarkable political memoirs I have read. It conveys with great seriousness but also with considerable humour the pressures put on us when we are young to conform to all manner of ideologies, but also demonstrates how with courage the shackles of inheritance can be cast off. Human, insightful, remarkable ...
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book sheds fascinating light on British fascism under Mosely and on the beliefs of his followers.
The ending is astonishing. Well written, well worth reading, well worth owning
The ending is astonishing. Well written, well worth reading, well worth owning
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A fascinating story of the daily life of a member of an ordinary working-class fascist family. Much of the drudgery of daily politics (with which I am familiar as a long-time left-wing activist) was totally familiar, but the voices of the ordinary member of the far-right (or even the right) is something that is just never heard. I suppose it is publishable because he 'turns good in the end' but if you haven't guessed that..."
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > Military
- Books > Biography > Political > Britain
- Books > History > Cultural History > London
- Books > History > Political History > Fascism & Nazism
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
