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The Sound of Laughter
Peter Kay's unerring gift for observing the absurdities and eccentricities of family life has earned himself a widespread everyman appeal. These vivid observations, when coupled with a kind of nostalgia that never fails to grab his audience's shared understanding, have earned him comparisons with Alan Bennett and Ronnie Barker. In many ways he is an old fashioned comedian, a fact reflected by the scope and enormity of his fan base. He doesn't tell jokes about politics or sex, but rather rejoices in the far funnier areas of life--elderly relatives and answering machines, dads dancing badly at weddings, garlic bread and cheesecake. This autobiography is full of this kind of humor and nostalgia and covers everything from Kay's first ever driving lesson back through his childhood, the numerous jobs he held after school, and his first tastes of fame.
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Betty Boothroyd: Autobiography
The enormous respect and affection of the British public for Betty Boothroyd has its roots in a strong belief in what she stands for—fair play, an unshakeable sense of honor, and a passionate belief in the sovereignty of Parliament. This is a candid account of Betty Boothroyd’s life in politics, and she speaks frankly of the devastation of losing two elections, of campaigning for JFK in America, and the elation she felt on finally becoming an MP in 1973. But her long political career reached its apogee in 1992 when she was appointed the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons. Detailing many of the true stories behind the headlines, she writes of the sleaze scandals that beset the Major government, her feelings when Labour won their landslide election in 1997, and her strongly held views on the role of Parliament.