Letters To My Grandchildren, Tony Benn
Letters To My Grandchildren, Tony Benn
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Letters To My Grandchildren

Author: Tony Benn

Narrator: Tony Benn

Unabridged: 4 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/03/2010


Synopsis

As a diarist I have chronicled the time through which I have lived in meticulous detail: but all that is history. What matters now is the future for those who will live through it.

The past is the past but there may be lessons to be learned which could help the next generation to avoid mistakes their parents and grandparents made.

Certainly at my age I have learned an enormous amount from the study of history - not so much from the political leaders of the time but from those who struggled for justice and explained the world in a way that shows the continuity of history and has inspired me to do my work.

Normality for any individual is what the world is like on the day they are born. The normality of the young is wholly different from the normality of their grandparents.

It is the disentangling of the real questions from the day to day business of politics that may make sense for those who take up the task as they will do.

Every generation has to fight the same battles as their ancestors had to fight, again and again, for there is no final victory and no final defeat. Two flames have burned from the beginning of time - the flame of anger against injustice and the flame of hope. If this book serves its purpose it will fan both flames.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sarah on January 09, 2014

At various stages in my life a question often asked was "who would you most like to meet". Friends would say Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X. For me it was always Tony Benn. Its a travesty he never became Prime Minister. I truly believe our country would not be in this state If he had been......more

Goodreads review by Shirley on May 20, 2018

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The book was totally amazing and made me feel as though a dear Grandfather was relating words of wisdom to me. The narration was wonderful and this is a story that I feel compelled to listen to a few times. A great book and a great man who would have made......more

Goodreads review by Reef on March 14, 2014

Tony’s insistence that civilization thrives on rejecting injustices and constantly maintaining the hope of a better and more peaceful tomorrow has been a great motivator for young people, and people in general, to change towards a better world. His vision does not expire at a certain age, nor does i......more

Goodreads review by charlotte on September 27, 2023

the postscript story ‘the daddy shop’ was really touching ! It never really occurred to me what the work-life balance was like as an MP. Of course there was stuff in here I disagreed with, but Tony Benn is the type where you can disagree with him respectfully. You know he’s a signpost, not a weather......more

Goodreads review by H on August 26, 2024

4.25* I regret not reading this sooner, because it had helped me reevaluate my political beliefs, and I think if I'd read it as a teenager, it would have helped me feel less hopeless about the state of the world......more


Quotes

There is a portrait here of a good man whose extraordinary enthusiasm for the world is both incredibly undiminished and endearing The Times

A charming introduction to Benn's work Socialist Review

Inspiring and tremendously moving Good Book Guide

There is a passion in Benn's writing and speaking that far transcends the miserable aspirations of most contemporary politicians The Guardian