5 Books for the Month Ahead
Including a memoir of the year contender, a cult re-issue and a history of the modern London skyline
Class of 88 by Wayne Anthony
‘Before you pass judgement, read on without prejudice.’ Writes Wayne Anthony in the inevitable trigger warning introducing the anniversary edition (originally published in 1998) of his cult classic. To this day the nation’s ability to have a grown up conversation about drugs is still embarrassing, so it’s not surprising that many publishers were nervous to take on the original project. Their loss. Class of 88 is an illuminating journey into the summer of love, a time when Britain was experiencing its acid house crescendo, laying the creative and entrepreneurial foundations for generations to come. 
Class of 88 (Virgin Books) is out 22 March
The CEO Next Door by Elena Botelho and Kim Powell with Tahl Raz
Salt (for pinching) at the ready, there’s no money back guarantee if you don’t become a CEO after reading this book. But, if you’re looking for tips or advice on how to be a better leader, a breakthrough study of over 2600 leaders (that’s based on momentous amounts of research and interviews) is a good place to begin. You can imagine the wannabe Wolf of Wall Street types combing through this like their future billions depend on it, but on a more general interest level there’s some really interesting interviews among the jargon and some surprising lessons to be learned.
The CEO Next Door (Virgin Books) is out now
Two Tribes by Tony Evans
Cliches aside, don’t judge Tony Evans’s latest book by its cover. Specifically, don’t disregard it as a niche regionalised football book. It’s much more than that. Recalling the 1985/86 football season which was capped by a momentous all Merseyside FA Cup final at Wembley between Liverpool and Everton, ‘Two Tribes’ tells the story of one of the most tumultuous seasons in British football. Beginning at one of the football world’s lowest points, the Heysel Disaster, Evans tells the story of a city’s football renaissance, one that was intertwined with politics, culture and a uniquely Scouse anti-establishment front in the face of Thatcherism.
Two Tribes (Bantam Press) is out 22 March
The Age of Spectacle by Tom Dyckhoff
Despite the author being a self-confessed architecture nerd (his eighteenth birthday was spent touring the Lloyd’s building in London with his godfather), ‘The Age of Spectacle’ is a surprisingly light and engaging read on the growth of the modern skyline and the proliferation of buildings that look like things that aren’t buildings. Underpants and kitchen utensils being good examples. Touching upon cities from Bilbao to Portsmouth, Dyckhoff guides the reader through the post-war building boom and onwards through wowhaus and the flashy stranglehold that corporations exercise over new architectural projects.
The Age of Spectacle (Windmill Books) is out now
Educated by Tara Westover
It comes as no surprise that Educated by Tara Westover is already a bestseller, you’ll be hard pushed to find a better memoir this year. Her story of growing up in an isolated rural Idaho home with her family, led by her end of days awaiting father, is a fascinating insight into radical Mormon America. Also gripping is her escape and subsequent education (Harvard and Cambridge), despite not being allowed schooling as a child (dairy products were also banned for fanatical religious reasons). Praise for educated should not rest on just her remarkable story though. Her story is beautifully written from start to finish.
Educated (Hutchinson) is out now
Words By Davey Brett
