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tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Though I am not an historian, I am history.’
Harry Smith, born in 1923 and celebrating his 92nd birthday this month (February 2015), has quite a lot to say about the UK and the modern world. There’s an urgency about Harry’s views, and reading about his life experiences it’s hard not to agree with much of what he has to say.
Harry Smith lived through the awful, grinding poverty of the Great Depression. His sister Marion died in 1926 as a consequence of tuberculosis because his family could not afford medical treatment.
‘In those days, there was no national health service; one either had the dosh to pay for you medicine or you did without.’
By joining the Royal Air Force in 1941, Harry finally obtained many of the things that many of us take for granted: food every day, decent clothing, a bed to sleep in. Harry did okay, despite having little formal education and ins spite of the British class system.
So what is Harry’s book about, and why is it worth reading?
Central to the book is the promise made by politicians after the war that ‘no one in this country would face that type of unemployment and helplessness again’. It was to be a more optimistic new world, one in which education would ensure equality of opportunity and healthcare would be universally available. Instead, Harry points to evidence that the rise in living costs and a decrease in government programs are diminishing opportunity and extinguishing hope. In Harry’s view, much of what government is doing is of benefit only to the rich. Who else can afford expensive schools and healthcare? Who else benefits from massive subsidies to business? Government austerity did not work during the Great Depression: why (and how) will it work now?
‘We have become hyper-vigilant about imaginary risks to our person and our society, but indifferent to the threats that austerity creates to our neighbourhoods, our schools, our hospitals and our friends.’
Harry Smith’s book is worth reading, whether you agree with his left-leaning views or not. The Great Depression is not an historical event for him: he experienced it directly. As Harry Smith moves between his own past experiences and his analysis of contemporary issues, it’s hard not to agree with some of his suggestions for improvement. Do we really want to see a return to an era in which a child can die in a developed country of a treatable disease because medical treatment is only afforded to those who can pay? Do we really believe that corporations are more important than people?
I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a passionate and articulate view about learning from the lessons of the past. We need to take responsibility for our future.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Harry Smith, born in 1923 and celebrating his 92nd birthday this month (February 2015), has quite a lot to say about the UK and the modern world. There’s an urgency about Harry’s views, and reading about his life experiences it’s hard not to agree with much of what he has to say.
Harry Smith lived through the awful, grinding poverty of the Great Depression. His sister Marion died in 1926 as a consequence of tuberculosis because his family could not afford medical treatment.
‘In those days, there was no national health service; one either had the dosh to pay for you medicine or you did without.’
By joining the Royal Air Force in 1941, Harry finally obtained many of the things that many of us take for granted: food every day, decent clothing, a bed to sleep in. Harry did okay, despite having little formal education and ins spite of the British class system.
So what is Harry’s book about, and why is it worth reading?
Central to the book is the promise made by politicians after the war that ‘no one in this country would face that type of unemployment and helplessness again’. It was to be a more optimistic new world, one in which education would ensure equality of opportunity and healthcare would be universally available. Instead, Harry points to evidence that the rise in living costs and a decrease in government programs are diminishing opportunity and extinguishing hope. In Harry’s view, much of what government is doing is of benefit only to the rich. Who else can afford expensive schools and healthcare? Who else benefits from massive subsidies to business? Government austerity did not work during the Great Depression: why (and how) will it work now?
‘We have become hyper-vigilant about imaginary risks to our person and our society, but indifferent to the threats that austerity creates to our neighbourhoods, our schools, our hospitals and our friends.’
Harry Smith’s book is worth reading, whether you agree with his left-leaning views or not. The Great Depression is not an historical event for him: he experienced it directly. As Harry Smith moves between his own past experiences and his analysis of contemporary issues, it’s hard not to agree with some of his suggestions for improvement. Do we really want to see a return to an era in which a child can die in a developed country of a treatable disease because medical treatment is only afforded to those who can pay? Do we really believe that corporations are more important than people?
I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a passionate and articulate view about learning from the lessons of the past. We need to take responsibility for our future.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
hannahh's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Brilliant.
hannahlannonblack's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.5
elliebmartin's review against another edition
4.0
'Harry's Last Stand' is a book that I feel is very important in the society we find ourselves living in today. It's a book that everyone should read because I believe that it is a book everyone can learn from.
I am not someone who is thoroughly involved in, or who thoroughly understands, politics (although I'm trying to be). And although this book could be pitched as a political testament, Harry writes in such an honest, accessible and understanding way, that I never felt as if this book could only be read by a select few. Harry's writing is never condescending. Instead reading the book is like talking to a friend because woven around his debates are (often heartbreaking) stories from his own life. For me the element of memoir added to this book is what truly separates it from other political books. The memories he chooses to include do not distract from the point he is trying to make; they actually strengthen it. They reiterate the central thesis of the book: that society is reversing back to what it was in the 1930s and to stop it we need to learn from history.
Harry's Last Stand reaffirmed a lot of what I already believed in but it did more than that, it strengthened my opinions. It made me stop and think and there were many moments where I had to put the book down just so I could mull over what I'd just read or go and find someone to talk to about the issue I had just been confronted with. Great books will do that.
The points raised in Harry's Last Stand made me angry. I became completely riled at some of the aspects of society he laid bare. In a way it made me scared for the future, and the inevitability of history repeating itself, but it also offered hope.
Harry's Last Stand isn't a book that should be ignored. It's a book that should be absorbed and discussed. It's an opportunity to reevaluate life and the world we live in, rather than just sit still and let it pass you by. People should listen to what Harry has to say. As he himself says 'I am not an historian, but at 91 I am history' and, as you read your way through Harry's Last Stand, you will discover that history is important and it is vital we learn from it.
I am not someone who is thoroughly involved in, or who thoroughly understands, politics (although I'm trying to be). And although this book could be pitched as a political testament, Harry writes in such an honest, accessible and understanding way, that I never felt as if this book could only be read by a select few. Harry's writing is never condescending. Instead reading the book is like talking to a friend because woven around his debates are (often heartbreaking) stories from his own life. For me the element of memoir added to this book is what truly separates it from other political books. The memories he chooses to include do not distract from the point he is trying to make; they actually strengthen it. They reiterate the central thesis of the book: that society is reversing back to what it was in the 1930s and to stop it we need to learn from history.
Harry's Last Stand reaffirmed a lot of what I already believed in but it did more than that, it strengthened my opinions. It made me stop and think and there were many moments where I had to put the book down just so I could mull over what I'd just read or go and find someone to talk to about the issue I had just been confronted with. Great books will do that.
The points raised in Harry's Last Stand made me angry. I became completely riled at some of the aspects of society he laid bare. In a way it made me scared for the future, and the inevitability of history repeating itself, but it also offered hope.
Harry's Last Stand isn't a book that should be ignored. It's a book that should be absorbed and discussed. It's an opportunity to reevaluate life and the world we live in, rather than just sit still and let it pass you by. People should listen to what Harry has to say. As he himself says 'I am not an historian, but at 91 I am history' and, as you read your way through Harry's Last Stand, you will discover that history is important and it is vital we learn from it.
hannahcorness's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
paperstainedink's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely beautiful. Awe-inspiring, thought-provoking, and above all, honest. Please read it. Full review here: http://youtu.be/zO4Yk-dM9SA