Andrew Anthony - The Fallout

SOCIAL MEMOIR

In 2001, Andrew Anthony was just another member of the liberal-left intelligentsia, dutifully filing his anti-conservative copy to The Observer and Guardian. Then a pair of planes swung into the World Trade Center and the belief systems he previously held dear collapsed quicker than the South Tower. It’s a wearily familiar tale of the youthful radical turning into a middle-aged reactionary, but few are written with such venom and verve. Anthony’s new values are scrawled so brashly on his sleeve that it’s now impossible to imagine him hotfooting it to Nicaragua to help out with the Sandinista effort.

While it’s hard to argue when he discusses the Danish cartoons scandal, he simply spouts from the right-wing hymn sheet when slamming Michael Moore and Tony Benn. And in one chapter, he castigates Old Labourites for holding intractable views, yet later damns them when they, like him, eventually swivel their stances. Flawed but fearless, The Fallout should leave you angry and amazed.