Conference Tasters: Hear from our Speakers

The Reader Organisation's 3rd Annual National Conference is fast approaching (17th and 18th May, British Library, London) and we're very excited about the stellar line-up of speakers appearing each day.

To give you a little taster of what you can expect, we've asked some of our guest speakers and the TRO staff appearing alongside them to give us their thoughts on their current reading and the upcoming conference itself.

We'll be posting their answers on the blog over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.

Our first is from Jonathan Rose, Professor of History at Drew University (New Jersey, USA) and author of The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes. He'll be appearing in conversation with TRO's Director Jane Davis on Day One.

What is the last book you read that moved you?

Sex Before the Sexual Revolution: Intimate Life in England 1918-1963by Simon Szreter and Kate Fisher (Cambridge University Press). Using the methods of oral history, the authors persuaded the last surviving members of that generation to talk about a side of their lives that they had always considered deeply private. The resulting collective memoir is at once touching, surprising, and stunningly honest. It turns out that our grandparents were, in their own way, more loving than we ever imagined.

Why are you interested in what The Reader Organisation does?

I admire and support The Reader Organisation because it protects and nurtures an endangered species - the serious reader.

For more information about the programme and how to book your place, please visit our website.