Different Times (Paperback)

Book Description
The book gives a view of life in a district of industrial Manchester - essentially from the period of 1900 up to the time of the 1939-45 War. Although it relates to a particular area in a particular city during a particular period, the picture of life it portrays has applicability to similar areas in similar towns and cities. It should therefore appeal to anyone interested in life as it was then lived - and also as it might apply to all times and places. Much of the hardships and (what may be surprising to the present period) the satisfying aspects of that time are described through the experiences of people who lived through those decades; and the social conditions, as they then existed, are portrayed within the circumstances of their lives and the communities in which they lived.
Another important subject the book covers is why what we believe were the impoverished early decades of the 20th century happened to have an excedingly low crime-rate. For example: figures produced by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) indicate that for the years between 1920-1930 the average recorded violent crimes against the person was 5,368 per annum for the whole of England and Wales. For the years between 1990 to 2000, the corresponding average is 290,873. Even allowing for the increase in population, this represents one hell of a difference between the two times.
Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair acknowledge this aspect of the first half of the last century in his speech Our Nation's Future - Criminal Justice (23 June 2006) when he said: "As the 20th Century opened the number of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales per head of population were at the lowest since the first statistics were published in 1857." In the same speech he went on to say: "By 1997 the number of crimes recorded by the police was 57 times greater then in 1900."
The big and insistent question the book asks is: "Why?".
In attempting to answer this enormously important but perplexing question, the type of community-policing then employed and the attitudes of that particular era towards crime is extensively covered.
In the context of this, the values and beliefs generally held in the pre-1939 communities are considered as a possible contributing factor in maintaining their low crime-rate. The implicit comparison between then and now, that emerges throughout the book, may offer insights into the possible causes of socially corrosive problems which seems to be "burning holes" in the fabric of our present-day society.
On the lighter side, the book offers a dramatic but sometimes amusing scene of life as lived in the streets of those old communities: much of it seen through the eyes of the children of that time; whose greatest excitements arose from "playing in the street".
The publication also extensively explores the various "folk remedies" used to cure or ward of ailments - some of these effective, some amusing, and, in the present day and age of complex and highly "sophisticated" medicine, some completely unbelievable.
In addition, the book presents the excitements of early technological advances - such as the first talking pictures and the development of air-flight.
Furthermore - and striking another "note" - the popular music enjoyed at that time is extensively delved into; especially where it relates to the "temperament" of the period concerned.
The portrayal of a now vanished way of life the publication provides will offer ideal material for those who are studying - or wish to study - the social history of the periods covered.
More especially, anyone who reads the book will find that they've gained an entertaining and sometimes startling insight into Different Times.

From the Inside Flap
SYNOPSIS
The subjects emerging within the book's narratives are:
ATTITUDES, VALUES and BELIEFS:
those prevailing at that time are portrayed within their localities.
COMMUNITIES:
a typical community and how it was shaped is extensively described.
HOUSING and STREETS:
a "living" description of a typical house and street is presented in detail.
CRIME:
this concerns the attitudes prevailing at that time and the "community policing" employed.
STREET LIFE:
the street communities are presented through their day-to-day interactions.
ENTERTAINMENT:
involving the diversions provided by tradesmen and the people living in the streets.
MUSIC:
the impact of "strong jazz" and "sweet swing" in the 1920-1930 period.
SHOPPING:
a vivid description is given of shops and their owners in the districts involved.
PLAY and SCHOOLING:
how children played and learned is described "in action".
TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS:
the emergence of "the wireless", "talking pictures" and "air travel", etc.
AILMENTS:
involving the nature of the "ills and chills" of that time and their "home remedies".
EMPLOYMENT and WAR:
the affects of the "Means Test" and how people found work in that period. Also, how some people were affected by the First World War.

2 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Comments from a very satisfied reader., 1 Feb 2006 By A Customer The book 'Different Times' is, I believe, one of the most important books for our time. It indicates the crucial importance of what the book calls "Neighbourly Communities" in creating the foundations of an orderly society. Moreover, by comparing the attitudes, values and beliefs of the past with those of the present, it should make the present period think carefully about the "usefulness" of many of the attitudes it now holds. As the book states: only by understanding the past can we understand the present and know where we ought to be going. On the entertaining side: the descriptions of the games that children played before the age of "sit and watch" television is a sheer delight Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Endorsement, 2 Jul 2006 By  Avid Reader (Britain) - See all my reviews I agree with the first-listed review. Also, I listened to Prime Minister Blair's recent speech about the difficulties concerning law and order in the present age. The book has a lot to say on this subject and the Prime Minister should order a copy. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 2 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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