by Sarah Lyall
First published 2008
Sarah Lyall examines British society during its tumultuous transformation in the 1990s and 2000s. The New York Times correspondent relocated to London in the mid-1990s and witnessed the nation's struggle between tradition and modernity firsthand. Lyall documents the peculiarities of English life through sharp observations about her light-averse husband, rowdy parliamentarians, dental self-surgery enthusiasts, and hedgehog devotees. Her reporting captures Tony Blair's New Labour era, when aristocratic customs and emotional restraint clashed with rising materialism and public displays of feeling. The book reveals how Britain attempted to modernize everything from its transportation system to its social attitudes, with mixed results. Lyall presents this cultural collision with wit and precision, offering readers an insider's view of a society caught between its imperial past and uncertain future.
Genres: british-literature, non-fiction, 21st-century, journalism, cultural-studies
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking, witty
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, insider-perspective
Setting: Britain, London
Period: 1990s, 2000s
304 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton & Company