Me, Me, Me: The Search for Community in Post-war England

In his book "Me, Me, Me," Jon Lawrence argues that friendship, family, and place remain central to our daily lives and that community has become personal and voluntary based on genuine affection rather than proximity or need. He suggests that we should value and nurture these new groups rather than lamenting the loss of more traditional forms of community.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 27 June 2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Many commentators argue that in today's world, everyday life has become selfish and atomized, with individuals living only to consume. However, is this assertion accurate? In his book, "Me, Me, Me," Jon Lawrence retells the story of England since the Second World War through the eyes of ordinary people, including his own parents, to challenge this notion. Lawrence argues that friendship, family, and place remain central to our daily lives, and while community has changed, it is far from dead.

In the years following the Second World War, people began to question custom and tradition as the pressure to conform to societal standards became unbearable. Millions of individuals sought escape from the closed, face-to-face communities of Victorian Britain, where everyone knew your business. However, this was not a rejection of community per se but rather an attempt to find a new way of living that was better suited to the modern world.

Community has become personal and voluntary, based on genuine affection rather than proximity or need. We have never been better connected or able to sustain the relationships that matter to us. Lawrence makes the case that it is time we valued and nurtured these new groups rather than lamenting the loss of more traditional forms of community. It is all too easy to hold on to a nostalgic view of the past.

In conclusion, while it is true that everyday life has become more individualistic, it is not accurate to say that community has disappeared. Friendship, family, and place remain central to our lives, and while community has changed, it is still a vital part of our social fabric. It is time we recognized the value of these new forms of community and worked to nurture them rather than lamenting the loss of more traditional forms.

Weight: 586g
Dimension: 164 x 239 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198779537