What will you be reading as a result of the riots?

[JaneBennet]

With all the discussion and articles being written about the riots and the underlying problems, I thought it might be interesting to talk about books that you have been introduced to as a result of this.

I read an excellent article in one of the papers yesterday by the author of To Miss with Love, Katharine Birbalsingh. I've just put it on my kindle.

What will you be reading?

I opened this thinking what a strange question it was and am not really sure what sort of thing you're looking for BUT two that spring to mind are:

'A Clockwork Orange' (horribly brilliant) and '1984' as both imagine a future that one would hope would never come to pass and the situation this week is showing a Britain that I didn't think would (or hoped wouldn't?) come to pass either.

Will think further!

I suppose that I was thinking of books that reflect the current situation in some form. Writers always have a way of dealing with the underlying issues, or at least touching on them. I remember reading so many books after the Asian tsunami, to give an example, that helped me.

I guess what my poorly worded question in the thread title was actually asking was can you suggest books that will help us to understand how we, as a country, reached this point.

I've just realised that the book mentioned in my first post is in fact non-fiction. Apologies for that oversight.

Would love further recs, if you think of any.

I read a brilliant book about the history of council housing once, based mainly on a huge estate outside Birmingham. Wish I could remember what it was called, as think you'd probably be interested in it.

Any dystopian fiction, since we now seem a step closer to the worlds they portray.

I have a book on the history of council housing called Estates, by Lyndsey something.

I've been wanting to read Owen Jones' book on Chavs since before it came out, and plan to buy it.

I want to read Katherine Birbalsingh's book but don't like her or her politics much so don't really want to buy it.

I also came on here to say 'Chavs' by Owen Jones. Also, 'The Likes of Us' by Michael Collins is also worth a read.

Agree with elkiedee about Birbalsingh - as a teacher myself I'm very interested in what she has to say. Will probably try to order through library.

Don't know about reading. Want to re-watch La Haine though.

Owen Hatherley on council housing is good. Can't remember the name of it but it's not 'militant modernism', it's the other one.