A World Agenda

Abstract

The title of this first chapter needs explanation. Some people are far too busy to write their autobiographies. Others lack the impulse to do so. There are some who even do not want biographies and specify so in their wills. In Michael Young (hereafter referred to as Michael) the strength of the autobiographical impulse is clearly evident in memorable passages from many of his books and even more from his lectures. He likes recalling and recording past experiences, and he has more than one story to tell. He enjoys listening to the stories of other people too. Family and Kinship in East London (1957), co-authored with Peter Willmott, is packed with stories, all of people who otherwise would have been forgotten. One of his later books, which includes sections on ideas, old and new, consists largely of success stories, some of them Smilesian in character, of individuals involved in cooperative activities in industry