"Finding Out For Oneself Is Better Than Being Told": A Modern East Anglian Man: 1940 to 2000 (Hardcover)

Born in 1935, Mick Wilson describes his wartime childhood, his grammar school education, his college days, his love of jazz, marriage and professional life leading to momentous changes from the bland and conformist 1950s to the revolutionary years of modernity started in the 1960s. It is a time which includes at the beginning horse drawn vehicles in the streets, no tv, very few cars, the imprisonment of homosexuals, caning in schools, and the death penalty and goes on to a millennium without these and dominated by road transport, mass media, the internet, and a continuing struggle for greater racial and sexual equality. The author takes as his guiding philosophy: better to find out for oneself rather than being told; and uses this as a principle guiding light to debate issues arising from the growth towards modern living, the gender revolution and questions as to how to lead the good life. This covers abundant travels abroad, including several safaris in Africa and work in over a hundred countries until Mick' extended family finally returns to Suffolk.

Mick's story includes a description of his unconventional marriage to Barbara, who was born into poverty and petty crime but with Mick's encouragement, becomes a world renowned clinical neuropsychologist, author of 32 books, and a receiver of several international awards including an O.B.E.

The book ends with an extraordinary trek through the world's deepest canyon, the Cotahuasi in Peru, where Mick and Barbara finally reach the point where their beloved daughter Sarah lost her life in a white water rafting adventure.