Book description
Liberty Equality Tiptree jam!' In 1990 Essex Man swaggered
onto the scene in his shiny suit, driving a flash car and with his
white-stiletto-wearing missus on his arm. It was a step up from
sovereign rings and done-up Ford Cortinas, but brash, vulgar and
breathtakingly right-wing' Mr and Mrs Essex were still the target for
pity, condemnation and nationwide mockery. Twenty-odd years on
something strange has happened. From Russell Brand and Jamie Oliver to
Phill Jupitus and Ray Winstone, via the runaway success of TV shows
like The Only Way is Essex and Gavin and Stacey, Essex is now the most
iconic county in the UK and the essence of Essex is everywhere. But
there's more to the county than stereotypes, as Brentwood-reared Pete
May discovers when he takes an eye-opening journey through the Essex
tundra. Along the way, May finds bluebells in Billericay, sculpture in
Harlow, Hollywood-style signs on the A127, below-sea-level life in
Canvey Island and endless chip shops, and asks the vital question: is
the only way Essex or is there maybe another one?
