Common People

The History of an English Family. Family history is a massive phenomenon of our times but what are we after when we go in search of our ancestors? Beginning with her grandparents, Alison Light moves between the present and the past, in an extraordinary series of journeys over two centuries, across Britain and beyond. Epic in scope and deep in feeling, Common People is a family history but also a new kind of public history, following the lives of the migrants who travelled the country looking for work. Original and eloquent, it is a timely rethinking of who the English were - but ultimately it reflects on history itself, and on our constant need to know who went before us and what we owe them. 'Outstanding. A masterclass in how family history can illuminate our communal past. Dirty, tragic but joyous.' Mail on Sunday 'Excellent. A deeply researched and fascinating double story- an elegy for lives usually beneath notice but also an objective record of what it meant to be itinerant working class through two centuries of change.' Sunday Telegraph 'An exquisite look back at Light's own family history. Barely a page goes by without something fascinating on it.' Independent on Sunday 'Deeply absorbing. Light does an excellent job of conjuring up the fascinating squalor of the docks, the beer shops and brothels and the adventure of the sea. I'll want to read it twice.' Spectator 'Light writes beautifully. Part-memoir, part thrilling social history of the England of the Industrial Revolution, but above all a work of quiet poetry and insight into human behavior. It is full of wisdom.' The Times 'By turns mesmeric and deeply moving- a poetic excavation of the very meaning of history.' Daily Telegraph