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  • State of Emergency

  • The Way We Were: Britain, 1970-1974
  • By: Dominic Sandbrook
  • Narrated by: David Thorpe
  • Length: 32 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (454 ratings)
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State of Emergency cover art

State of Emergency

By: Dominic Sandbrook
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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Summary

In the early 1970s, Britain seemed to be tottering on the brink of the abyss. Under Edward Heath, the optimism of the Sixties had become a distant memory. Now the headlines were dominated by strikes and blackouts, unemployment and inflation. As the world looked on in horrified fascination, Britain seemed to be tearing itself apart. And yet, amid the gloom, glittered a creativity and cultural dynamism that would influence our lives long after the nightmarish Seventies had been forgotten. Dominic Sandbrook has recreated the gaudy, schizophrenic atmosphere of the early Seventies: the world of Enoch Powell and Tony Benn, David Bowie and Brian Clough, Germaine Greer and Mary Whitehouse.

An age when the unions were on the march and the socialist revolution seemed at hand, but also when feminism, permissiveness, pornography and environmentalism were transforming the lives of millions. It was an age of miners’ strikes, tower blocks and IRA atrocities, but it also gave us celebrity footballers and high-street curry houses, organic foods and package holidays, gay rights and glam rock. For those who remember the days when you could buy a new colour television but power cuts stopped you from watching it, this book could hardly be more vivid. It is the perfect guide to a luridly colourful Seventies landscape that shaped our present from the financial boardroom to the suburban bedroom.

Dominic Sandbrook was born in Shropshire in 1974, an indirect result of the Heath government's three-day week giving couples more leisure time. He is now a prolific reviewer and commentator, writing regularly for the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and Sunday Times. He is the author of two hugely acclaimed books on Britain in the Fifties and Sixties, Never Had It So Good and White Heat.

©2012 Dominic Sandbrook (P)2012 Audible Ltd
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

“Superb ... vivid ... magnificent ... Anyone who was there should read it: and so should anyone who was not.” Simon Heffer (Literary Review)
“Hugely entertaining, always compelling, often hilarious” Simon Sebag (Montefiore Sunday Telegraph)
“Thrillingly panoramic ... he vividly re-creates the texture of everyday life in a thousand telling details” Francis Wheen (Observer)

What listeners say about State of Emergency

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Just Brilliant

Those of my generation who were approaching their teenage years when Ted 'The Teeth' was at the helm are in for a real treat. This is not just a political history but a social one as well, soaked in the music and television of the time. The cultural references provide the perfect backdrop to the story which is told with such unerring, unbiased and dispassionate prose that I was at first confused as to the author's perspective. Just when he seemed to be writing from a union bashing right wing perspective the following chapter would unceremoniously put the boot into the right while quoting an elegant defence of the miners.

It is a rare piece that can challenge our prejudices and force us to view the history through which we lived in a different light but Sandbrook does precisely that.

The audio book is brilliantly read and I cannot recommend this highly enough.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Reminder of a dismal period told with verve

For listeners over 55 or so this book will bring back memories of IRA bombings, power cuts, eye-watering inflation, and what seemed like non-stop strikes and over-time bans by militant unions. Rubbish piling up in the street, bodies unburied, the possibility of petrol rationing and even food shortages. The author tells the story of the political and social upheavals of the early 70s in a lively manner and with the benefit of hindsight highlights some of the reasons why things went so badly wrong. It was a grim time.

For younger listeners a pivotal period of recent history is brought to life and helps one to understand the radical political changes of the 1980s.

Despite being a very long book I had many hours of interesting listening. All aspects of life are covered from pop music to international affairs and the only part that I found boring was a long chapter about football matches, teams and managers, but I’m not a fan of football.

The narrator is excellent and is good at mimicking the accents of the people of the time.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A thorough look at recent history, expertly read

I enjoyed this title, with its thematic approach. It is the first of Dominic Sandbrook's that I have read. I shall follow on with the others. It did much to challenge some of my assumptions about 1970 - 1974, and didn't fear stepping outside the years covered where necessary to make a point. What particularly made this book pleasurable was the skilled narration by David Thorpe. Perhaps I should call this a performance rather than a narration, but it brought the text alive. I will also be looking out for other books read by David Thorpe.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The 70's I didnt understand but now do!

I was born in 1970 so Edward Heath, the 3 day week, Don Revie, etc were all things I had heard snippets about but not the whole picture. This book really brought to life the time period and gave me a better understanding of the countries woes. I'm not a political person but a look of the books foundation was based on the politicians of the time and how it affected the country, from the limited number of women politicians to the battle between Wilson and Heath. Also hearing from those I'm a little more familiar with like Douglas Hurd and Michael Foot was also interesting. So although I'm not a political person, this didnt take away from my enjoyment of the book.

I also liked hearing about the intricacies of Don Revie's resignation, the TV of the time and the development of our penchant for luxuries like holidays abroad which were starting to take off.

The narrator was very good and was also excellent in being able to do many impressions of the characters he spoke about including a funny Margaret Thatcher!

If you have any interest in this period or were alive and dont remember or even want to remember it, then this book is for you!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A marvellous listen it was enthralling.

Dominic Sandbrook is a great talent. He does to political and social history what the Beevors, Holmes's and Hastings have done for military history. I walked away with a different understanding of my recent history and could see with clarity how much of what I perceived from the 70's was flawed due to my close proximity. There is no political addenda, no egg head leftist argument or right wing 're-assessment' Just excellently researched history. And with the recent death of Mrs Thatcher I'm the only one around the bar now who knows what he is talking about. I have a good political, social and economic understanding of what happened to get us to 1977.

I have just purchased Dominic Sandbrook's second volume and its just as good. If you like Question Time, read a good daily paper, know that very little is as simple as it looks and what to know the truth rather than an opinion get this. Its great.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

I have read a few of Dominic Sandbrook’s books and every one is brilliant and this is no exception. I was a small child in the 70’s and wanted to get some insight into what my parents witnessed and went through and this book, along with Seasons in the Sun, gave me great insight and even more respect for my parents and their generation. I must say as well that the narration was fantastic, the best I have heard from any audible book. Even if you have read the book, the narration in the audiobook really brings the book to life and it helps to understand more what life was like during Heaths spell as Prime Minister. An absolute winner.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Memories, light the corners of my mind....

What wonderful audiobooks these are (considered as one with its sequel, "Seasons in the Sun").
As someone who lived through these times it explains what was really going on whilst I was growing up. Comprehensively deals with all the issues of those heady days of the '70s.
The real clincher is the amazing reading David Thorpe provides, "the Narration Revelation"... Every sentence is weighted perfectly and the large cast of characters is brought to life as Thorpe expertly provides wonderful impressions of Tony Benn, "Sunny" Jim Callaghan, Kenneth Williams and a whole host of others. This is definitely a case of the audiobook surely being more enjoyable than the printed edition.
I've now exhausted the Dominic Sandbrook audiobook titles available; can we have "Never Had it So Good" and "White Heat" please Mr. Audible?

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

A very right wing propaganda treaty!

Whilst I am well aware that it is the winners that write the history of the world, the poor and defeated in no position to argue, being dead and all.
I had hoped that the reviews of this series of books would be as independent and well balanced as the reviewers had championed.
however this is far from the case and although the internal political situa6in the houses of parliament and lords can be amusing, the same humourous diatribes are quite harmful to those who lived through, or suffered under the oppression of the collapsing Empirialism that was England in the seventies.
I had hoped for, and expected more, but the bias of the writer is as obvious as it is abhorrent.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Daily Mail-ish

Repetitive. Ignores real power. Sneering towards powerless plebs. Fawning toward The Establishment.

Narration is excellent. Wouldn't have persevered had it been otherwise.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lengthy but worth it!

Great in-depth history of the period, wonderful detail and well told. It really puts things into perspective about Heath, Wilson, the miners, Women's Lib, the 3 day week, Don Revie, Mary Whitehouse etc etc.

My only gripe is that I would prefer to have heard Dominic read the book himself but the narrator does a great job, accents as well!

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2 people found this helpful