In My Own Time: Thoughts and Afterthoughts

For the past four years Jane Miller, author of Crazy Age: Thoughts on Being Old, has been writing a column for an American magazine called In These Times. Her beautifully observed pieces about life, politics and Britain open a window to her American readers of a world very different from their own. Jane lives in London, and has never met anyone connected to the magazine; all the time she has been contributing pieces, she and her editor at In These Times have kept up a lively email correspondence, and - having explored the Chicago street in which they work on Google Street View - she imagines her editor and his young assistants bicycling efficiently along the wide road, braced for a day's fact-checking, assembling the magazine and then 'putting it to bed'. In My Own Time is a celebration of the new connections possible in the modern world, and a collection of small windows on these last four years, at home and abroad. Through her emails across the Atlantic - warm and thoughtful, witty and sharp - Miller gives us an 84 Charing Cross Road for the twenty-first century.

About the Author :
Jane Miller first worked in publishing, then as an English teacher in a London comprehensive and finally as a Professor at the London University Institute of Education. Her publications include Many Voices: Bilingualiam, Culture and Education; Women Writing About Men; Seductions: Studies in Reading and Culture; School for Women; Relations; Crazy Age and In My Own Time: Thoughts and Afterthoughts. She lives in London.

Review :
This is a remarkable collection, a reflection not just of a later life well lived, but a distinct political and personal sensibility. Far from being "over the hill", Miller is one of a growing tribe of female elders who stand right on the peak, taking a wry, wise and witty view of all they survey Jane Miller's collected journalism is a treasure trove of literary, personal and political marvels. The writing is a joy, as is the observation, wit and humanity that underpin it: like Montaigne, only funnier Breadth in no way comes at the expense of readability or of Miller's mastery of her subject matter. Her erudition is both dazzling and lightly borne . . . Miller's is a welcome, necessary voice - readable, informative and entertaining [An] entertaining and insightful collection . . . her writing has a fascinating effect: she is forced to look in on herself from the outside. She isn't confined to age, menopause or retirement as themes . . . Miller's writing is filled with a wisdom, cheery world-weariness and kindness . . . She is wonderful on age and authority . . .Miller is a fantastic companion A humanity and quiet humour that makes them feel like conversations with an intelligent friend