Joe Moran is Professor of English and Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University and is the author of eight books, including Queuing for Beginners- The Story of Daily Life from Breakfast to Bedtime, Armchair Nation- An Intimate History of Britain in Front of the TV, Shrinking Violets- The Secret Life of Shyness and First You Write a Sentence. He writes for, among others, the Guardian, the New Statesman and the Times Literary Supplement.
I really love Joe Moran's work, he writes with such generosity and kindness -- Tiffany Watt Smith Joe Moran is a wonderfully sharp writer, calm, precise and quietly comical -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday * Joe Moran is the most perceptive and original observer of British life that we have -- Matthew Engel Moran is a past master at producing fine, accessible non-fiction -- Helen Davies * Sunday Times * Moran is a wonderful, witty writer -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail * A fascinating insight. Moran's honesty is brilliantly raw and uncomfortable at times, but under the apparently bleak message on the surface there is an uplifting truth to be found. For myself, the concept of failure has been redefined -- Matthew Parris Joe Moran is a brilliant historian. He makes the humdrum riveting -- Matthew Engel This is a deeply tender book, and full of wise insight and honesty. Moran manages to be funny, erudite and kindly: a rare - and compelling - combination. This is the essential antidote to a culture obsessed with success. Read it -- Madeleine Bunting