At its height, the Communist Party (CP) of Great Britain had 60,000 members (1,000 in Nottingham!).

John Green, former editor of the CP’s art journal Artery, tells the story of Party members’ involvement in opposing fascism, within the peace and women’s movement, in the professions and, the main focus, within trade unions. John Green also covers Communist Party members’ influence on literature and culture, on books, the stage and film. Well-known members included Arnold Wesker, the lyricist Lionel Bart, the critic Raymond Williams and many fine novelists and poets.

John Green will be joined by Roy Kershaw, author of Mother and Me: a cold war boyhood, which offers a more positive experience of being the child of CP parents than the currently widely-covered Party Animal by David Aaronovitch.

Admission for this event is £3 and refreshments will be available.

Booking is recommended. To attend this event, please RSVP to fiveleaves.bookshopevents@gmail.com