Testament of Youth - Vera Brittain

Vera Brittain?s autobiography is still seen as one of the most influential anti-war publications of the twentieth century, its revealing and honest presentation of the reluctant impotence of women to do anything about the political situation forming part of the foundation for the continuing work of the feminist movement. THE LOST GENERATION First published in 1933, put on hold a number of times due to its critical view of the Government, Brittain?s book covers her experiences at home during the First World War in which she is subjected to ...  Read the complete review

I ended my history education at school after attaining 9% in an exam. I don’t recall the period of history I was supposed to be studying, but to a 12 year old, it had very little relevance to the 1960’s world and geography seemed a better use of my time. In later years I learned history from the pages of novels and biographies. Testament of Youth was the book that taught me the most about the events that shaped modern history. Vera Brittain was the politician, Shirley Williams’ mother. She grew up in a world that still regarded any education of women as rather pointless, and university education in particular as an obstruction to ...  Read the complete review