Choose Life Choose Leith by Tim Bell sampler
By examining the book, the play and the film, Choose Life, Choose Leith both critically analyses the Trainspotting phenomenon in its various forms, and contextualises the importance of the location of Leith and the culture of 1980s Britain. Looking in detail at the history of Leith, the drug culture, the spread of HIV/AIDs, and how Trainspotting affected drug policy, Leith and the Scottish identity, the book highlights the importance of Trainspotting. Choose Life, Choose Leith acts as a reference book, a record of the times and a background as to the history that led to the real-life situation and the publication of the book.
By examining the book, the play and the film, Choose Life, Choose Leith both critically analyses the Trainspotting phenomenon in its various forms, and contextualises the importance of the location of Leith and the culture of 1980s Britain. Looking in detail at the history of Leith, the drug culture, the spread of HIV/AIDs, and how Trainspotting affected drug policy, Leith and the Scottish identity, the book highlights the importance of Trainspotting. Choose Life, Choose Leith acts as a reference book, a record of the times and a background as to the history that led to the real-life situation and the publication of the book.
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tim bell is a speaker, writer and tour guide. Raised in rural Northumberland, he<br />
travelled in the Middle East and North Africa as a young man before settling in<br />
Scotland to work with young people with special needs. After gaining a Bachelor of<br />
Divinity at the University of Edinburgh in his forties he became a chaplain, first in<br />
a prison and later in the port of <strong>Leith</strong>. He began his highly acclaimed tours under<br />
the banner ‘<strong>Leith</strong> Walks’(www.leithwalks.co.uk) in 2003, and has since taken hundreds<br />
of people through the streets of Edinburgh and <strong>Leith</strong>, exploring Irvine Welsh’s<br />
Trainspotting on location. <strong>Tim</strong> has lived in <strong>Leith</strong> with his family since 1980.<br />
Praise for <strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Life</strong>. <strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Leith</strong>.:<br />
<strong>Tim</strong> <strong>Bell</strong>’s work intertwines the two themes of the working and lower working class<br />
history of <strong>Leith</strong> and through it of a major strand in the experience of the British<br />
working class and the art representing and explaining what that has meant for<br />
our collective culture with an impressive scholarship. <strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Life</strong>. <strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Leith</strong>. is<br />
itself a substantial contribution to our understanding of where we are now and of<br />
how we arrived here. I urge you to read it. peter taylor-goo<strong>by</strong> obe fba, Professor<br />
of Social Policy, University of Kent<br />
Set against the culture of the 1980s and the backdrop of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting<br />
this book is written with pace, insight and a broad scope. <strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Life</strong>. <strong>Choose</strong><br />
<strong>Leith</strong>. is a must for anyone who wants the real story of this time & place. tom<br />
wood, retired as Deputy Chief Constable of Lothians and Borders Police<br />
<strong>Tim</strong> <strong>Bell</strong>’s <strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Life</strong>. <strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Leith</strong>. is a very timely book. Well written, insightful,<br />
carefully crafted. bert stevenson<br />
<strong>Tim</strong> <strong>Bell</strong> ‘gets’ the dynamic that made Trainspotting a publishing then social<br />
phenomenon in the 1990s… the understated style of the author gently persuades<br />
the reader of the literary merits of the work and its various interpretations but also<br />
how it reflected the reality of its locations… Irvine Welsh has found the Boswell for<br />
his Johnson. gordon munro, The <strong>Leith</strong>er<br />
As entertaining as it is shocking, <strong>Tim</strong>’s attention to detail and ability to bring the<br />
past back to life is fantastic. Highly recommended. stephen bennett, Director of<br />
1-hour bbc documentary <strong>Choose</strong> <strong>Life</strong>: Edinburgh’s Battle Against AIDS<br />
Many who enjoyed Trainspotting will be astonished at what is revealed here concerning<br />
all that lies behind Irvine Welsh’s best known work. ian gilmour
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