So, this is the story I wish to tell, the story of the Left and the world it tried and is trying to change, a struggle that I have been involved in my whole lifetime. . .
‘I love Alexei, I love his comedy and I love this book. What more can I say? Marvellous’ LEE MACK
‘For years, we have wondered where exactly did Alexei Sayle’s outbursts come from. Finally, right here, he reveals the secret to his exploding brain’ MICHAEL ROSEN
Born in working-class Liverpool in 1952 to devoted members of the British Communist Party, Alexei Sayle has spent a lifetime walking down the middle of the street shouting.
How I’ve Tried to Change the World is a memoir of his life on the Left, covering seven decades of social history told through key marches and rallies. From the demonstrations against the Vietnam War in 1969 and the first Miners’ strike in 1974, to the demonstration against the 2003 Iraq invasion and the recent marches in support of Gaza, Sayle traces the enduring struggle for a better, fairer world. He explores Left ideas, why they matter and why it’s still worth taking them seriously.
Along the way, we encounter The Other Alexei (a bitter, retired media studies lecturer from Clitheroe Polytechnic), his imaginary daughter Tanita, and learn how a Samurai philosophy called Bushidō can teach us how to behave at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Eye-wateringly funny, unexpectedly moving and unashamedly polemical, this is a one-of-a-kind chronicle of defiance and belief: a story of one man’s refusal to stay on the pavement.
‘I love Alexei, I love his comedy and I love this book. What more can I say? Marvellous’ LEE MACK
‘For years, we have wondered where exactly did Alexei Sayle’s outbursts come from. Finally, right here, he reveals the secret to his exploding brain’ MICHAEL ROSEN
Born in working-class Liverpool in 1952 to devoted members of the British Communist Party, Alexei Sayle has spent a lifetime walking down the middle of the street shouting.
How I’ve Tried to Change the World is a memoir of his life on the Left, covering seven decades of social history told through key marches and rallies. From the demonstrations against the Vietnam War in 1969 and the first Miners’ strike in 1974, to the demonstration against the 2003 Iraq invasion and the recent marches in support of Gaza, Sayle traces the enduring struggle for a better, fairer world. He explores Left ideas, why they matter and why it’s still worth taking them seriously.
Along the way, we encounter The Other Alexei (a bitter, retired media studies lecturer from Clitheroe Polytechnic), his imaginary daughter Tanita, and learn how a Samurai philosophy called Bushidō can teach us how to behave at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Eye-wateringly funny, unexpectedly moving and unashamedly polemical, this is a one-of-a-kind chronicle of defiance and belief: a story of one man’s refusal to stay on the pavement.
Reviews
The reason that Alexei has remained a hero to many of us for so long is all in this book - it is the passion, the fury and the funny. One moment a beautiful absurd image, the next a brilliant evisceration of the greedy and the hypocritical. No one moves as adeptly as him from laugh out loud funny to stomach churning outrage at those who smash up our world and our humanity
More than ever before we need the beautiful fury of Alexei Sayle's voice. This isn't just a brilliant book. It's a necessary one
Much more importantly than changing the world, Alexei changed comedy. I've been a huge fan of everything he's done since, and this book is no exception. Blummin' marvellous.
I love Alexei, I love his comedy and I love this book. What more can I say? Marvellous
For years, we have wondered where exactly did Alexei Sayle's outbursts come from. Finally, right here, he reveals the secret to his exploding brain