For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Rebecca Smith about her new book Rural: The Lives of the Working Class Countryside (published by William Collins) which is part memoir, part examination of the sociopolitical construct of the countryside, something which is all too rarely written about.
Rebecca explains her reasons for writing the book, the difficulty in contextualising her childhood, cutting through the romance and mythology of rural living, the often contradictory nature of tied housing (and other economic factors of working and living in the country), the complexities of class, and more.
The two also talk about the extensive research behind the book, and the various case-studies named are further explained. It was such a pleasure to talk to Rebecca about an area of British life that passes many of us by, even if we are regular visitors to the great outdoors.
It's a podcast which works as a companion piece to the book, and we hope it will convince you that Rural: The Lives of the Working Class Countryside is an essential read.
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